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Jul
15
Written by:
news editor
7/15/2011 1:00 AM
Clean boats and sustainable waterways go hand in hand to help provide pleasurable and safe boating experiences.
SANDUSKY, OHIO – Using a list of best management practices developed through the Ohio Clean Marinas Program as a guide to keeping boats clean also helps support good waterway quality. Clean boats and sustainable waterways go hand in hand to help provide pleasurable and safe boating experiences, according to partners in the Ohio Clean Marinas Program (www.ohiocleanmarina.osu.edu), who collectively promote ways that boaters and marina operators can better manage their practices that sustain good waterway quality.
For example, a boater owner’s choice of cleaning products may have a significant impact on marine life and water quality – for better or worse. The so-called “marriage of convenience” between a boat owner and their vessel is to randomly choose cleaning products without regard to their potential harmful effects such as bleach, drain openers and scouring powders. Working at the owner-vessel relationship with a greater commitment to environmental stewardship results from reviewing and implementing the list of best clean boater management practices recommended through the Ohio Clean Marinas program.
Included among these best management practices for boaters:
- Wash a boat frequently with a sponge or nonabrasive pad and plain water. Additional “elbow-grease” is required to remove stains.
- When detergents are necessary, use soaps that are phosphate free, biodegradable, and non-toxic. Any soap should be used sparingly because even non toxic products can be harmful to wildlife. For example, detergents will destroy the natural oils on fish gills, limiting their ability to breathe.
- Wax your boat, if appropriate. A good coat of wax prevents surface dirt from becoming ingrained.
- Clean teak with a mild soap and abrasive pads or bronze wool. This method is safe for the environment and better for the boat than the solvents in standard teak cleaners which tend to eat away at the wood and to damage seam compounds.
- Bring used solvents and waste gasoline to local hazardous waste collection days.
- Become knowledgeable about disposal procedures for waste and hazardous materials at your marina.
- Be wary of unqualified general claims of environmental benefit, e.g., “ozone friendly.” A better, more meaningful label would read, “This product is 95 percent less damaging to the ozone layer than past formulations that contained chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).”
The Ohio Clean Marinas Program and Clean Boater Program is a proactive partnership among the Ohio Sea Grant College Program, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) and their boating partners designed to encourage marinas and boaters to use simple, innovative solutions to keep Ohio's coastal and inland waterway resources clean.
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For more information, contact:
Frank Lichtkoppler, Ohio Clean Marinas Program
440. 350. 2267
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