OAK HARBOR — The Oak Harbor Marina is one of three to be certified by the state this month as environmentally clean.
The marina, along with the Port of Seattle’s Fishermen’s Terminal and the Hood Canal Marina in Union, have met the standards under the state’s Clean Marina Program.
Through a partnership of business, public agencies and environmental groups, the program encourages boat owners to practice environmentally friendly maintenance.
The addition of the three marinas brings the total in the state to receive the designation to 39.
“We’re trying to go the extra effort to keep the water clean,” said Mack Funk, Oak Harbor harbormaster. “Most of the things we’re doing are of a commonsense nature.”
Recreational boats sometimes leak fuel and other petroleum products while moored at local marinas, according to the state Department of Ecology. Automatic bilge pumps can discharge fuel and oil into the water from unsecured or leaking fuel lines or engine oil leaks.
“We encourage people to keep their bilge clean,” Funk said.
Some marina owners, including those at Oak Harbor, are making a concerted effort to keep water clean, such as providing fuel-absorption pads to moorage tenants. Oak Harbor also has two sets of booms at the ready — one set of fuel absorbing pads and another set of hard booms for containing oil spills — at three locations around the marina.
One or two minor spills usually take place every month, though these are usually just a few gallons, Funk said.
The marina also now accepts waste oil for recycling, and keeps the barrels that hold the waste oil inside a larger container for added safety, Funk said.
As do some other marinas, Oak Harbor also offers more comprehensive services to help boaters protect the environment, such as special facilities to manage hazardous waste, sewage pump-out and land-based restrooms, showers and laundry facilities. Most marinas also provide trash bins and recycling containers.
“Routine boat maintenance is probably the most important thing you can do to prevent spills. A clean boat is a safe boat,” said Eric Olsson of the University of Washington’s SeaGrant Program and an outreach person for the Clean Marina Washington program. “Oil spilled in shallow waters, such as marinas, can be more concentrated, making it more harmful to the environment.”
If a spill happens, the owner or operator must report it to Washington state’s Emergency Operations Center at 800-OILS-911 and the U.S. Coast Guard at 800-424-8802.
Reporter Bill Sheets: 425-339-3439 or sheets@heraldnet.com.
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