STOCKTON, Calif. — A life-long Delta resident, Carl Gepord makes his home around the island waterways on a houseboat.
"I've seen logs and trees and branches," said Gepord.
But what he hasn't seen is an old, abandoned PG&E gas line, about as long as a football field, emerging out of the Delta's murky waters.
"No, not at all," Gepord said.
The pipe appeared over the weekend around Mildred Island and Empire Cut, near Holt west of Stockton. The San Joaquin County Sheriff's Department says that pipe is located about 200 yards offshore.
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So far, three boats have been damaged by the pipe including one boat that took on water.
"It appears that it has somewhat broken free from the river bottom and is now suspending slightly under the water in some areas and above water in other areas," said Melissa Griffith, San Joaquin County Sheriffs Boating Safety Unit Deputy.
The boat collisions have happened over the past couple of days. The sheriff's department says, for now, the Coast Guard is working with PG&E to perhaps place buoys around the pipeline as a warning for other boaters.
"Things are everchanging out here. Whether it's a log, an abandoned pipeline, an old sunken boat, or simply a flooded island, it can be hazardous to navigation," said Griffith.
Gepord shared some advice for fellow Delta boaters.
"Watch out and be careful and definitely go safety first."
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