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Maryland Clean Marinas Under Way 

Spring, 2014

Osprey Greetings!   

 

Happy spring! In this issue I hope you enjoy reading about:

  • Three new Clean Marinas,
  • Easy ways to teach customers and staff to keep your marina clean,
  • National Marina Day,
  • Storm water fee credits for Clean Marinas, 
  • Free on-line training opportunities, 
  • Pump out grants, and
  • The new DNR App!  

Please visit the website or contact me if you have questions.  And remember, this could be the year your facility becomes a Clean Marina!

 

~~~_/)  
Donna Morrow
Clean Marina Program Manager
DNR logo
  
  Three New Maryland Clean Marinas!

 

Sassafras Harbor Marina , Bohemia Vista Marina, and Hack's Point Marina (all in Cecil County) are the newest certified Maryland Clean Marinas. Maryland now has 153 certified Clean Marinas and Partners.  (Partners are small facilities with fewer services or staff.)
  
Sassafras Harbor Marina provides boat slips, service and repair, and yacht sales, as well as a fully stocked marine store, gift shop, and activity center on the premises. The marina has over 200 slips, including covered slips, an in-slip pumpout system, and pool. Clean Marina practices include using filter fabric and vacuum sanders in the repair yard, recycling used oil and educating slip holders about pollution prevention.
  
Bohemia Vista and Hack's Point marinas are under new ownership and are being managed by Coastal Properties.  New environmental rules, emergency plans, and signs on the property mark their efforts to become Clean Marinas.  At Bohemia Vista, new floating docks and a wash water recycling system are also being installed in time for spring.  Congratulations to all our new Clean Marinas!   

National Marina June 14, 2014 

On National Marina Day, marinas across the United States are asked to open their doors to the public to show off the boating lifestyle and encourage non-boaters to get out on the water.

The type of event that each marina holds is unique, but has the purpose of celebrating boating as a fun-filled, affordable activity than anyone can enjoy.  Access all the free resources to plan your own event, and register it nationally by visiting  www.nationalmarinaday.org 
 

Outreach and Education of Boatersbulletin board

 

The Clean Marina Program urges marinas and boatyards to teach their customers and visitors  about clean boating practices through every outlet possible. For example: 
  • In the marina newsletter, include (or link to) the Clean Boating Tip Sheets found on the Clean Marina website.
  • Have a "how to" workshop on a topic of interest and highlight the environmentally safe products in your ship's store.
  • Have a customer appreciation day and give out free oil-absorbent pads and Clean Boating Tip cards, provided free from the Clean Marina Program on request. 
  • Include Clean Boating Tip Cards in your annual slip renewal mailing. 
  • Have clear rules about pollution prevention in your slip or ground storage agreements.  Sample language is available in the Clean Marina Guidebook.  Be creative!

To request any of the items mentioned above, please send an email indicating the quantity requested and your mailing address to: [email protected] 

 

 
Clean Marina Program Grants Denied 

  

The Clean Marina Program applied for funding from the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund to eliminate the discharge of waste water from washing boat bottoms at about 15 boatyards. The Bay Trust Fund staff considered the application and, although they favored the idea, it did not rank highly enough to receive funding. Therefore, the Clean Marina Program will not be able to solicit requests from Clean Marinas for grants to eliminate their wash water discharges.
moneybag_graphic.jpg Storm Water Fee Credits for Clean Marinas in Anne Arundel and Baltimore Counties  
 
In response to efforts of the Marine Trades Associations of Maryland and Baltimore County, both Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties now offer credits on the new storm water fees to certified Clean Marinas.  The counties recognized the efforts to reduce polluted run-off from certified Clean Marinas and the work involved in holding a Discharge Permit (when applicable).

 

To learn more visit the respective county websites.  Clean Marinas will need to apply to the county for the credit.  The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) does not administer these fees. 

 

Anne Arundel County

Baltimore County


Boat U.S. Foundation Offering Free Spill Response Training  fuel spill kit

 
A new online course called "Spill Prevention and Response for Marina Staff" is now available at http://www.boatus.org/spill-prevention/ .  The course features videos, interactive exercises and interviews with spill responders and marina managers.  Designed to minimize risk to people, marinas, and the environment, this free training program was funded in part by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Foundation.  Give it a try! 

bottom cleaning Important Reminders for Maryland Boatyards   Facilities that Provide or Allow Boat Repair and Maintenance Activities Affected 

 

 

KNOW YOUR PERMIT:
The General Permit for Discharges from Marinas, and all associated guidance and forms, are available on the

 

COLLECT AND TEST: Boat bottom washing must take place over some type of containment (portable mat, permanent pad) and be filtered. IF the marina discharges the water ground or surface waters of the state, samples must be collected and tested by a lab twice during the spring washing season. 

  

MEET LIMITS TO DISCHARGE THE WATER Limits on Total Suspended Solids (50 mg/L) and Oil and Grease (15 mg/l) took effect March 1, 2013.  Amounts in wash water must be below these limits to be discharged to ground or surface waters. 

 

REPORT TEST RESULTS TO MDE: Marinas must transfer the lab testing results to a "Discharge Monitoring Report" (DMR).  DMRs must be postmarked to MD Dept. of the Environment by July 28th and January 28 in the winter. READ PAGE 24 OF THE PERMIT for instructions on where to send the DMR. Reporting can also be done on-line now at: http://www.epa.gov/netdmr/

 

PLAN TO MEET TOUGH LIMITS OR END WASH WATER DISCHARGE BY MARCH 1, 2015:

Boatyards and marinas should prepare to cease discharging the water from washing boat bottoms by February 2015. New limits for the amount of copper, zinc, and lead allowed in the discharge take effect March 1, 2015.  Read PAGE 15 of the Permit. 

 

NOTIFY: Inform the MD Department of the Environment when the discharge of boat wash water ceases. Once acknowledged by MDE, testing and DMRs are no longer required! Contact Paul Hlavinka (410-537-3631) or Jonathan Rice (410-537-3859)for more information. 

 

UNDERSTAND THE PENALTIES:
Penalties for not complying with the Permit, which is regulated by the Federal Clean Water Act, start at $2,500 per violation, per day and go up to $1,000,000 and jail time. 

Storm Water sampling

 Boatyards Must Also Sample Storm Water  

 

Facilities covered by the General Permit for Discharges from Marinas are required to collect quarterly storm water samples. The current quarter ends December 31. 

 

Use the Quarterly Visual Monitoring Form and directions available on Maryland Department of the Environment's website.   

 

Collect your sample in a clear jar or other vessel from the outfalls noted on your Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan.  If you don't have direct outfalls, collect a ground sample. Click here for a video showing how to collect a storm water sample from the ground.  

 

Permitted marinas must also document quarterly inspections of their storm water controls (e.g., filter cloth, retention ponds).  During these inspections the marina manager will note any repairs or maintenance needed for storm water controls.  The site inspections should simply be documented in a notebook and kept with all other Permit records.   

Pump-out Operations and Maintenance Grant Applications Due April 15th Pumpout guy

 

Each year the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) offers operations and maintenance grants to marinas for providing pumpout services to the general boating public.  Marinas must sign up in the spring, keep track of any pumpout expense and pumpout income, and provide a request for reimbursement to DNR at the end of the boating season.  Grant application packets were recently mailed to over 350 marinas believed to have a pumpout.  To be eligible for reimbursement, marinas must return completed applications to DNR by April 15th.  Contact grant manager Christie Martinez at [email protected] with any questions.

Love Maryland's Outdoors?  There's an App for That!

Enjoying Maryland's great outdoors has never been easier with the Department of Natural Resources' new mobile app! The Access DNR application provides the State's hunters, anglers, boaters, park-goers ─ anyone seeking outside adventure ─ all of the latest in nature-related recreation, information and news right at their fingertips.  Read More... 
shrinkwrap
Shrink Wrap Recycling Information

There is no free collection of shrink wrap at marinas this year.  Although in past years, there have been various companies that have collected the wrap, no such company has been identified this year.

As we have stated before, the Clean Marina Program encourages marinas and boatyards to charge a small fee (~$5) to customers who shrink wrap their boats. The fees can be used to cover the cost of hiring your private waste hauler to collect and recycle the wrap.  Work with outside contractors as necessary or collect the additional fee as part of winter storage.

One exception is in Anne Arundel county, shrink wrap can be taken to landfills or placed in curbside bins for recycling.  Encourage boaters in this county to take their wrap home for free recycling. 

To learn more about recycling you your county
, visit www.mdrecycles.org