NOAA PROMOTES CLEAN MARINA PROGRAM TO ENHANCE WATERFRONTS
Boaters in Hundreds of Marinas Benefit from Local Waste & Pollution Control

With the start of summer this month, many Americans are enjoying the nation’s great outdoor recreational opportunities. Seeking relief from summer heat, thousands of boaters ply the waters of our rivers, bays, lakes and seashores. To ensure that future generations can enjoy these activities, NOAA and its partners are promoting the Clean Marina Program, which seeks to ensure that boating, a popular summer recreation, remains safe and non-polluting.

Pollution from marinas can have a significant impact on local water quality. The Clean Marina Program is a voluntary, incentive-based program encouraging marina operators and boaters to protect coastal water quality by practicing environmentally sound operating and maintenance procedures, such as regular boat engine inspection, proper waste disposal and reduction of discharge. These practices can contribute to safer, cleaner marinas, as well as cleaner waterways. Also, the program provides education assistance to boaters to minimize impacts on the marine environment and aids marinas in controlling non-point pollution.

“Small steps that individuals can take will make a huge difference in the long run, and will create a safer, cleaner and more enjoyable setting for everyone,” said retired U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Conrad Lautenbacher, Ph.D., undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “With nearly 95 thousand miles of ocean and Great Lakes coastline contributing tens of billions of dollars to the economy, we can all do our share to ensure the vitality of recreational and commercial boating.”

Marinas that have pledged to be “Clean Marinas” benefit from improved water quality and habitat for living resources. As additional benefits, these marinas are aesthetically pleasing, enjoy lower operating costs for marine debris removal, reduce the risk of legal liability and fines, and can receive state assistance and recognition as a designated “Clean Marina.”

“Clean water benefits not only the recreational boating community but also those who live on or visit our nation’s coasts,” said Leon Cammen, director, NOAA National Sea Grant College Program. “The success of the Clean Marina Program stems from the strength of fostered partnerships between marinas and recreational boaters. We are greatly pleased to see this concept being widely adopted.”

The Clean Marina Program is a public-private partnership involving numerous federal agencies, private industry, and academia, including NOAA Sea Grant, NOAA’s Coastal Non-point Control Program, the Environmental Protection Agency, and other partners. While the program is administered differently among states, many hundred marinas have already been given “Clean Marina” status, with hundreds more pledging to become a “Clean Marina.”

Find out whether your local marina is a Clean Marina: http://coastalmanagement.noaa.gov/initiatives/links.html#2

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department, is celebrating 200 years of science and service to the nation. From the establishment of the Survey of the Coast in 1807 by Thomas Jefferson to the formation of the Weather Bureau and the Commission of Fish and Fisheries in the 1870s, much of America's scientific heritage is rooted in NOAA.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and information service delivery for transportation, and by providing environmental stewardship of our nation's coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners, more than 60 countries and the European Commission to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects.

On the Web:

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: http://www.noaa.gov

NOAA Oceanic and Atmospheric Research: http://www.research.noaa.gov/

NOAA National Sea Grant: http://www.seagrant.noaa.gov

NOAA Ocean and Coastal Resource Management: http://coastalmanagement.noaa.gov/marinas.html