Floating homeless camp sinks in Duwamish Waterway

Published 8:30 am Thursday, August 22, 2019

Associated Press

SEATTLE — What authorities describe as a homeless camp on the water has sunk.

KOMO-TV reports it may be a first for Seattle, a city plagued with homeless camps under highways, street corners, in greenbelts and abandoned buildings.

The floating camp was made up of three boats rafted together and tied up illegally to a fishing net piling belonging to the Duwamish Tribe.

Two boats sank last week in the Duwamish Waterway while a third boat remained afloat.

How the boats sank is still being investigated by the Port of Seattle. They were outside the federal waterway that’s the responsibility of the Coast Guard — so it’s under Port of Seattle jurisdiction.

Officials say the Coast Guard pumped out fuel and removed hazardous chemicals that were found on board.

On Wednesday, a salvage crew removed both boats.