A pickup truck that broke through the ice on Moosehead Lake and a series of recent snowmobile incidents are highlighting what it takes to recover a vehicle from Maine waters, how much it can cost and what owners are required to do.
Getting your vehicle out of the water can be costly and complicated.
Snowmobile recoveries range from $1,000 to $3,000, while cars and trucks can range from $10,000 to $15,000 depending on conditions. Aircraft recoveries can reach $25,000 to $30,000.
Greg Canders, a Bangor-based diver with more than 50 years of experience, recovered the Moosehead Lake truck Wednesday and a snowmobile from North Twin Lake last week. He said each job presents different challenges.
For the Moosehead recovery, temperatures were around 9 degrees with strong winds across the lake. The truck came to rest on a sandbar, which made the process more manageable.
“If it had gone farther out, it likely would have gone to the bottom,” Canders said.
Instead of lifting the vehicle, Canders first rotated the truck 90 degrees so the rear faced the shoreline, then used a winch to pull the truck onto the sandbar and far enough in to place planks under the rear tires and guide it up onto the ice.
Canders said timing can be critical in late-season conditions. If crews had not recovered the truck when they did, warming temperatures could have weakened the ice enough to delay the operation until ice-out.
“That would create panic in everyone’s mind,” he said.
In other situations, recoveries can become more complicated when ice conditions are poor. Canders said crews may move a submerged vehicle under the ice to a location with thicker, more stable ice before floating and lifting it out.
Larger recoveries often require heavy equipment and coordination with a diver, said Wayne Bouchard, owner of Bouchard and Sons Towing in Hampden.
His company works with Canders on complex jobs. In one case last winter, the two removed a 20-foot U-Haul truck from about 75 feet of water in Echo Lake.
For major recoveries, Bouchard said crews may use a 50-ton rotator, a large crane-style tow truck designed for heavy lifting. Operating that equipment can cost between $1,400 and $1,500 per hour.
Costs depend on the type of vehicle, the potential environmental impact and what is needed to physically remove it, Tim McDonald, owner of Contracting Services Company in Laconia, New Hampshire, said. McDonald, who also has a background in diving, said each job requires significant preparation and follow-up work, particularly when environmental concerns are involved.
“Every salvage is unique,” McDonald said. “It’s a giant puzzle.”
McDonald pointed to a recent case on Lake Winnipesaukee where a truck remains about 40 feet underwater after weakening ice made recovery impossible. Limited shoreline access and unsafe ice conditions meant crews could not safely remove the vehicle, and it could be five to six weeks before it can be floated and removed with a barge.
Some vehicle owners attempt to recover vehicles on their own before calling in professionals, which can complicate the process.
Under Maine law, the owner of a submerged motor vehicle must notify the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife immediately. For snowmobiles or watercraft, that requirement applies if the machine remains underwater for more than 24 hours.
In most cases, the vehicle must be removed within 30 days of the incident, or within 30 days of ice-out on that body of water.
In certain situations involving public water supplies, officials may require faster action. For example, a vehicle in a water source such as Sebago Lake, which supplies drinking water to the greater Portland area, may need to be removed faster.
Failing to comply with state law can result in a civil violation and a fine of at least $200. But that fine is often only a small part of the total cost.
Environmental concerns are a key part of recovery efforts. Fuel, oil and other fluids can leak into the water, requiring cleanup beyond removal of the vehicle itself.
“That number can get very big very quickly,” McDonald said, referring to environmental damage costs.
Most recoveries are covered by insurance if the owner has full coverage, although some policyholders may not be renewed afterward, McDonald said. If insurance does not cover the cost, companies may work with owners to arrange payment plans.
