Anchor YB with signMaryland Clean Marina Initiative
Anchor YB with sign
Maryland Clean Marinas Underway 
Partners in Protection--Clean Marinas and YouSummer 2010
In This Issue
Important Forum for Marinas July 8
Summer Clean Marina Practices
National Marine Day in Baltimore!
Quick Links to Sites of Interest 
 
DNR 
 

MD Boaters .Com 

Take Me Fishing 

Rule BookPerform or Allow Boat Repair at Your Marina?  Pay Attention.
 
M
anagers of facilities that perform-or allow-boat repair on site should plan to attend an important forum in Annapolis July 8th to learn about changes to the "General Permit for Discharges from Marinas."  The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) permits discharges of storm water and process wastewater to Maryland's waterways under the Federal Clean Water Act.  Since 1997, the Department has fulfilled this requirement with a General Permit for discharges associated with the maintenance of boats and vessels.  Many boatyards and marinas have obtained this permit over the last ten years.
 
The Permit is revised and reissued approximately every five years.  The changes currently being considered will be the most significant since the Permit was first issued, and could significantly impact the way marinas and boatyards must operate.  The forum is an important opportunity for marina and boatyard operators to give early input into the permit writing process and ask questions about proposed ideas.
 
The forum will run from 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. July 8th in the meeting hall of the Calvary Methodist Church at 301 Rowe Boulevard in Annapolis.  The forum is organized jointly by MDE, DNR's Clean Marina Program, and the Marine Trades Association of Maryland (MTAM). A mailing to marinas and boatyards from MTAM with more details will follow soon.  To register for the forum or for more information, email the Marine Trades Association of Maryland:  [email protected] or call 410-269-0741.
Anchor YB with sign Summer Clean Marina Practices
Fueling boats, handling extra trash, recycling, providing reliable pumpouts, and much more is happening in marinas and boatyards throughout Maryland. From Deep Creek Lake, to the Chesapeake and its tributaries, to the coastal bays by the ocean, thousands of boaters are visiting marinas to get out on the water.
 
What can marinas do to minimize their impacts to our waters?  Quite a bit!  Various chapters of the Maryland Clean Marina Guidebook offer many recommendations, as well as advise marinas of legal requirements for certain activities (i.e., fueling).  And what about boaters?  They can make a difference too.  Clean Boating Tips are also on our website and should be shared!  Marinas are encouraged to create links to the Clean Boating Tips from their websites, or to include the tips in the marina's newsletter. 
 
The Clean Marina Program office also has free boater education items available on request (while supplies last).  Contact [email protected] or call 410-260-8773 to request any of the following:
 
Petroleum Control Kits (includes oil-sorbent pad and brochure for boat)
Clean Boating Tip Cards
Clean Boater Pledge Brochures
Clean Boating Posters
National Marina Day at Anchorage Marina
National Marina Day Event 
The Boat. Fish. Live. campaignwas introduced at National Marina Day, June 12, 2010.  Marine-related organizations joined together to sponsor this initiative with the goal of bringing more recognition to the industry and getting more people out on the water. The event was spearheaded through the efforts of Association of Marina Industries, the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, and NMMA's Discover Boating.
 
Anchorage Marina in Baltimore was one of just 10 sites across the country selected to host a Boat. Fish. Live. event. Activities at these events included: boating and fishing demos, Take Me Fishing™, Wear It and Discover Boating campaign materials and activities, a visit from BoatU.S. tow boats, boat test drives, safe boating demos and safety vessels on site. Some sites also included fireworks, regattas, speedboat races, live music, raffles, contests, kids areas and more. 
 
Anchorage Marina Manager, Jim Ruscoe C.M.M., said of the event, "My front gate guys gave me an estimate of 2500 + - people who visited our docks that day.  It appears that the marketing campaign to get people out on the docks did have a positive effect on the turnout. I hope [everyone] who attended as vendors had a great time and were able to get your names out there."   
Anchor YB with sign 2010 Shrink Wrap Recycling Results
Approximately 125 marinas and boatyards in Maryland participated in efforts to recycle shrink wrap from boats this spring.  Mondo Polymer from Ohio sent trucks to Maryland to recover the wrap but this year they had to refuse any loads with strings, straps, or zippers.  (These items melt at a different temperature and ruin the bailing process.)  
 
 
The new rule presented real problems for some, while others were able to deal with it without too much difficulty.  Some marinas felt it was unfair to ask them to seperate the wrap from the straps, because Mondo Polymer is getting the material "for free."  However, Mondo Polymer reps indicated they invest significantly in trucks, fuel, and staff to come to Maryland and the wrap, therefore, comes at a cost to the company and is not 'free.'
 
Mondo Polymer estimates that approximately 125,000 pounds of shrink wrap were collected--and diverted from our landfills.  This is down from approximately 200,000 pounds collected in 2009, likely due to the new rules mentioned above. 
 
To help,make the process easier for marinas next spring, the Department of Natural Resources' Clean Marina Program has printed decals with instructions for proper removal of the shrink wrap, that can be placed right on the wrapped boats in the winter.  It is hoped that the decals will teach boaters or workers to cut out  the straps from the wrap when removing it, saving trouble afterward (thanks to Jeff Andrews at Tidewater Marina for this idea).  To request a supply of the decals, just contact the program office at [email protected] or call 410-260-8773.
Contribute to an Upcoming Issue
 
Your story ideas are welcome.  To suggest an idea for an upcoming issue of this newsletter, simply send an email to [email protected]  Thank you.