BAY MINETTE, Ala. — The Baldwin County Commission is asking the state Department of Environmental Management to classify numerous abandoned vessels in the Josephine community as illegal dumps and force owners to pay removal costs.

Commissioners agreed last week in a work session to send a letter to ADEM requesting removal of the derelict vessels utilizing the state’s solid waste fund.

The vessels are in Pirates Cove and Roberts Bayou, and may have been abandoned following hurricane events in 2004 and 2005, officials said.

The action follows unsuccessful legislative approaches, according to a spokesperson for the Baldwin County Legislative Delegation.

Jim Ransom, the county’s development and environmental director, said the state may deem the site an illegal dump “on an innocent landowner, which is the state” and assess owners for cleanup.

“If they determine it is an illegal dump, they will set a ranking for it and it should be high,” Ransom told commissioners. “The higher the ranking, the higher it will be on their list of priorities.

“There may be snakes, hazardous waste from leaking fuel and batteries, and it is a safety issue for the boating community.”