The number of the state’s marinas certified through the Clean Texas Marina Program has reached an all-time high this year. A total of 42 marinas have been certified, and an additional 30 are on the program’s pledge list.

“Roughly 20 percent of the marinas in Texas are participating in the program, which is the highest participation of any state program in the country,” said Dewayne Hollin, marine business management specialist at the Texas Sea Grant College Program and director of the Clean Texas Marina Program. “We’re seeing a lot more interest.

“As far as marinas and boaters go, clean water is just good business,” he said, adding that marinas participating in the voluntary program receive many direct benefits, including opportunities to:

• reduce waste disposal costs by using the best management practices of the program,
• generate new sources of revenue,
• receive free technical assistance from the program’s guidebook, training workshops and on-site visits,
• reduce legal liabilities by meeting all the regulatory requirements,
• enjoy free publicity through the program’s website, newsletter and boating guides,
• attract knowledgeable customers who follow clean boating practices,
• improve water quality and habitat for living resources, and
• demonstrate their good environmental stewardship with special flags, signs and use of the program’s logo.

“The Clean Texas Marina Program is an excellent way for marinas to reach out to recreational boaters and demonstrate how their clean boating practices can help minimize the impacts of recreational boating on the marine environment,” Hollin said. “Reducing pollution is a team effort between the marina and the boaters who use the marina. Working together they can promote clean water in all Texas waterways.”

By adopting the program’s pollution prevention measures, marina operators also can take satisfaction in the fact that they are doing their part to protect Texas waterways.

“It’s the right thing to do. We all want clean water and we need to lead by example,” Gene Rutt, general manager of Kemah Boardwalk Marina in Clear Lake, said about his facility’s participation in the program.

“It’s also good marketing — it is visible and important criteria for potential tenants to make a decision about leasing from you,” he said.

Other marina managers agreed.

“We have made our current tenants happier knowing that the marina where they store their vessel is doing everything it can to be a friend to the environment and to be conscientious of the waters that our marina is built on,” said Stephen Alexander, manager of the Lake Austin Marina. “We feel it is our duty to be a part of the solution rather than a part of the problem when it comes to our waterways, especially contributing to runoff and contributing to pollution.”

The Clean Texas Marina Program is a collaborative project of the Texas Sea Grant College Program, Marina Association of Texas, Texas General Land Office and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). It is part of a nationwide clean marina initiative.

Marina operators that pledge to participate conduct a self-assessment of their property using the Clean Texas Marina Checklist and Clean Texas Marina Guidebook. The assessment includes standards for the control and handling of petroleum, sewage and hazardous waste, marina maintenance and management, vessel maintenance and repair, and boater education. Once the marina operator feels the marina meets the standards, he or she schedules a confirmation visit that includes an on-site inspection by Hollin and a representative from the TCEQ’s Small Business and Environmental Assistance Division to verify the items on the checklist.

Individual boaters can participate in the affiliated Clean Texas Boaters Program, which recognizes boaters participating with certified Clean Texas Marinas for doing their part to keep Texas waterways clean by pledging to follow a set of Clean Boating Tips.

More information: http://www.cleanmarinas.org

Top | Story Archive