A proposal by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to fold the California Department of Boating and Waterways (DBW) into the Department of Parks and Recreation is designed to slash $600,000 from the foundering state budget. But some members of the Sheriff’s Marine Patrol believe that the elimination of the designated return-to-source dollars is a recipe for disaster.

“We are the only line between the water and public safety,” said Lt. Will Duke of the Marine Services Unit. “It’s frustrating to know that money that should come back for public safety is being (potentially) transferred to projects such as beach restoration. Yes, that is important, but not at the expense of public safety.”

The Marine Patrol is funded in part by annual proceeds from the statewide boater gas tax; a designated return-to-source revenue which is held by the DBW. Duke believes that if the DBW is absorbed into the Department of Parks and Recreation, the gas tax may well evaporate, and ultimately hamper the ability of organizations such as the Marine Patrol to do their jobs.

“We are already under-funded from the BTW for just running the marine patrol,” said Duke. “We’re at minimum staffing, and as you know, the county is expecting further cuts. The big question is what the impact of a the proposal would ultimately be.”

But the role of the Marine Patrol is not all about fix-it tickets and drunk-boating citations. A lesser-known component of the division includes the removal of derelict boats. According to Duke, since 1997 the Marine Patrol has removed more than 300 derelict and abandoned boats throughout the county. Unlike the roadways, where abandoned cars are eventually towed away and sold for scrap, boats are left to lie on the bottom of the Delta, because there is no financial value to a vessel. It costs money to pull up a boat and haul it away – dollars that come from the boater gas tax.

So imagine, said Duke, what the 1,000 miles of inland Delta waterways would look like if those vessels had not been removed.

“It would look like ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ – without Johnny Depp,” he said. “What that would mean is an increased danger to boaters’ property and safety by having boats lying around … As a taxpayer, if I’m paying additional taxes for that activity, I think it should come back to the source in order to protect the public.”

And because there is no telling how much of a hit the Marine Patrol could take if the budget proposal passes, the Marine Patrol is taking a wait-and-see approach as they continue to lobby for safety on the water. The Marine Patrol currently covers 240 miles of coastway with two full-time officers on one boat. Duke said the Patrol deploys to the areas with the most activity –typically Discovery Bay and Bethel Island.

At the moment, the proposal remains just that – a proposal – and must be approved by the state legislature.

“Everyone can help,” said Duke. “They can write their lawmakers and assemblymen and senators and let them know they’re concerned. We’ve been pleading to the governor and appropriate legislators, asking them to remove this piece of the budget. When money is tight we have to get our priorities straight. I’m hopeful that the current governor’s proposal will be investigated a little closer. I’m hopeful that public safety will be viewed as the priority that it should be.”