NEWSLETTER Maryland Clean Marina Initiative

Maryland Clean Marinas Underway

December, 2015

Greetings!

If you use social media, please follow Maryland DNR on Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, or Flickr. Look for us under the name "Access DNR." These pages provide up to the moment information about happenings across Maryland, in our State Parks, and on our waterways.

Newsletter story ideas are always welcome and should be sent to donna.morrow@maryland.gov

Happy holidays and best wishes for the new year!

~~~_/)

Donna Morrow

Clean Marina Program Manager

Charlie Gast & Mary Jacobs proudly display their Award

A New Clean Marina in Baltimore County

Chrismar Marina, a new, 38-slip docking facility at the head of the Middle River in Essex, has been certified a Maryland Clean Marina for meeting high environmental standards established by the Department of Natural Resources.

Set to officially open in spring 2016, the marina offers free pumpouts, solid waste and oil recycling, and has two spill response kits. The owners also have established an emergency response plan in the event of a hazardous spill and a plan to educate customers on sustainable practices.

Owned by Charlie and Mary Frances Gast, Chrismar is located on what was once Buedel's, a marina and prop shop that ran from 1965 to 2005. The business has been in the family for two generations and the present day marina is named for two of the Gast's children, Christopher and Mary Carol, who are actively involved in its operation.

General Discharge Permit for Marinas Due for Renewal

The Maryland Department of the Environment issues and enforces the General Permit for Discharges from Marinas 10-MA. Download and print the entire Discharge Permit for Marinas here or visit www.mde.maryland.gov and use the search box function.

This Permit regulates: 1) waste water from washing boat bottoms and 2) the storm water runoff from areas involved in boat repair. This Permit is in effect from March 1, 2011 through February 28, 2016, and will remain in effect until a new Permit is issued.

Current Permit holders can expect letters from MDE, seeking input on the new Permit, in the coming months. MDE staff will also be at the upcoming Clean Marina Workshops (see below).

Contact staff at the Maryland Department of the Environment with questions.

Robert Pudmericky can be reached at rob.pudmericky@maryland.gov or 410-537-3721. Read more below.

Clean Marina Workshops in February

workshop Managers and staff of marine facilities are encouraged to attend a Clean Marina Workshop this winter. The workshops will review the steps and benefits to becoming a certified Clean Marina and many free program materials will be provided.

Additionally, staff from the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) will discuss the pending renewal of the General Permit for Discharges from Marinas, and look for feedback from current Permit holders.

The spread of aquatic invasive species in Maryland waters will also be on the agenda. Invasive species have already been found from the Susquehanna to Middle River, and in several of our western lakes. Recreational boats are the primary way aquatic invasive species are spread. Marinas can learn more and help DNR educate boaters on best ways to slow the spread of invasive species.

Tentative dates and locations:

February 2 Easton
February 10 Annapolis
February 12 Baltimore County

Invitations and details will be sent to marinas by mail and posted on the Clean Marina website in January. If you have questions, contact donna.morrow@maryland.gov .

DNR Announces Ice Breaking Operations

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources will have four boats available this winter to break up ice on the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. The

cleared passageways allow for watermen, tug boat and barge captains, and marine crews to continue work through the season.

DNR encourages all commercial watermen to move their vessels near ice breaking boats prior to freezing conditions. Regional ice breaking locations and vessel specifics (subject to change) are located at http://dnr2.maryland.gov/boating/Pages/ice_breaking.aspx

Proposed No Discharge Zone for Chester River

At the request of the Chester River Association, the Maryland Departments of Natural Resources and the Environment applied to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for designation of the Chester River and its tributaries as a No Discharge Zone (NDZ). An NDZ is a body of water where boaters may not discharge treated waste from Type I or II marine sanitation devices. Raw sewage discharge is already illegal within 3 miles of the U.S. coast.

At EPA's request, the application was refined and finalized in the fall of 2015. EPA expects the announcement to appear in the Federal Register and be available for further public comment in the near future. A final determination may be reached by the start of the 2016 boating season.

Store Fuel? Remember to File Reporting Form this Winter

Facilities that can store 10,000 pounds of a hazardous material--which is about 1,500 gallons of fuel--are required by the Environmental Protection and Community Right-to-Know Act to report their fuel storage to emergency responders by March 1 each year. Marinas should mark their calendars and file in January or February. There are costly fines for not filing.

Reporting must be done on-line to the State of Maryland and, in some counties, a paper form is also submitted to the Local Emergency Planning Commission and local Fire Department (if they are not one in the same). Click the link above to learn more.

Boat US Foundation Grants

The BoatUS Foundation Grassrooots Grants Program is an online grant program which makes funds available to small, local nonprofit organizations, boating clubs and student groups for projects that promote safe and/or clean boating on local waterways. The Foundation is looking for unique project ideas to reach recreational boaters with safety and/or clean boating messages. Information designed for boaters and delivered to boaters should be a key component of the project, not an afterthought. The maximum grant request allowed is $10,000. Applications will be available in January 2016. To learn more visit http://www.boatus.org/grants/