RALEIGH – The Oriental Public Docks marina and the Port City marina in Wilmington are the newest facilities to be certified as North Carolina Clean Marinas, a designation given to marinas that exceed minimum regulatory requirements.
The Clean Marina program illustrates how marina operators can help safeguard the environment by using best management and operation techniques that exceed environmental requirements. To earn the certification, the marina’s owners control boat maintenance activities and prepare spill prevention plans to protect water quality. Marina operators also incorporate safety and emergency planning for their facilities.
“Voluntary programs such as our Clean Marina program are important non-regulatory efforts to protect coastal resources. The Clean Marina Program can also boost the economy by allowing participants to display the Clean Marina logo and fly the flag,” said Braxton Davis, director of the N.C. Division of Coastal Management. “We’ve found that boaters want to use marinas that show they care about water quality.”
Clean Marina is a voluntary program in which participating marina operators must complete an evaluation form about their use of specific best management practices to protect water quality. If a marina meets criteria developed by the N.C. Division of Coastal Management, it will be designated as a Clean Marina. Such marinas are eligible to fly the Clean Marina flag and use the logo in their advertising. The flags signal to boaters that a marina cares about the cleanliness of area waterways.
Clean Marina is a nationwide program developed by the National Marine Environmental Education Foundation, a nonprofit organization that works to clean up waterways for better recreational boating. The foundation encourages states to adopt Clean Marina principles to fit their own needs.
The North Carolina program is a partnership between the N.C. Division of Coastal Management, N.C. Boating Industry Services, the Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Partnership, N.C. Sea Grant, the U.S. Power Squadron, and the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.
For more information about clean marinas and how to apply for Clean Marina status, go to http://deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/coastal-management/coastal-management-recognition/clean-marinas-program.