A crane and pair of barges have taken residence on the Willamette River near the Hawthorne Bridge, prompting a river squatter to voluntarily relocate his mishmash flotilla.

Portland General Electric is working to fill in a hole in the river bottom that's about 100 feet wide and 18 feet deep, said Stan Sittser, a utility spokesman. Electric power cables that run under the river are currently exposed because of erosion, he said.

The exposed cables aren't unsafe, Sittser said, but the erosion is straining them.

He said the project should take about a week. Workers are filling in the hole with sand and gravel, he said.

The river squatter voluntarily moved and wasn't arrested or charged, said Lt. Steve Alexander, a Multnomah County Sheriff's Office spokesman.

The squatter's ramshackle boat, makeshift dock and and three attached vessels were towed Thursday to a position on the east side of the river just south of the Morrison Bridge.

Workers also took apart a dock so they could access the necessary area south of the Hawthorne Bridge, Sittser said.

-- Jim Ryan

jryan@oregonian.com

503-221-8005; @Jimryan015

Mark Graves of The Oregonian/OregonLive staff contributed to this report