Where we spend our many marina and boat yard dollars can be a positive step toward saving our waterways. The maintenance, operation and storage of boats have the potential to pollute adjacent waters, impair air quality and lead to general environmental degradation. Contaminants include dust from hull maintenance operations, solvents from engine repair shops, petroleum from careless fueling practices, and heavy metals from antifouling paints. These pollutants may be deposited directly into waterways or carried in by storm water runoff. The answer is more environmentally sensitive marinas.
The National Coastal Management Program is a federal-state partnership dedicated to the comprehensive management of the nation’s coastal resources and, at the federal level, operates under the aegis of the NOAA’s Coastal Programs Division. Two of its major initiatives are the Designated or Certified Clean Marina and Clean Boat Yard programs which are interpreted and managed at the state level.
The program’s aim is to prevent (or at least reduce) pollution rather than to clean it up, and its linchpin is the “Clean Marina” designation which facilities can earn by meeting stringent criteria and adhering to procedures that protect the environment – the EPA has a checklist of 125 “pollution prevention actions.” When a marina decides to participate in the program, it is provided assistance in complying with environmental laws and also becomes eligible for financial aid in the form of Incentive Grants.
So far, there are only 130 Designated Clean Marinas and Boat Yards nationally with another 160 plus going through the process. Most fly a state C.C.M. flag and list their designation prominently in their promotional material.
