Volusia County officials say dangerous debris is littering the Intracoastal Waterway, but they don’t have the funds to clean it up.

  • Hurricane Matthew damaged boat docks along Intracoastal Waterway
  • Volusia County officials say they don't have the money to clean it up

Wooden planks floating down the river may be debris from boat docks damaged by Hurricane Matthew five months ago.

One of these damaged docks belongs to 88-year-old Catalina Boratto.

The dock in front of her home on the river was where she would escape to cast a line and catch her dinner in Holly Hill. But all that changed when Hurricane Matthew’s winds scattered boat docks like a game of Pick-up Sticks, littering the river.

“And it totally got damaged. And she used to use it frequently,” said Boratto’s niece Isabelle Piaza who, along with her husband, are helping rebuild the dock.

Boratto’s dock is private property, similar to a fence surrounding a home.

But officials say once that debris floats down the river, it becomes a hazard to boaters and the responsibility of the state.

Volusia County officials say there are more than 20,000 cubic yards of debris floating on the water, and they estimate it could cost almost $4 million to clean it up.

Right now, however, those same officials say they are not getting a dime from the state to remove debris from damaged boat docks.

“There’s so many that’ve been destroyed. I mean, I don’t know how many people can afford to fix something for $30, $40, $50,000,” said Piazza.

While it’s up to Boratto to fix her own dock, county officials say the state needs to clean the debris, or provide funding.

Brevard County had a similar situation. They have since written to the state asking for help.