Sandusky, OH Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin Sea Grant have released a new Great Lakes Clean Marina Best Management Practices Guide that helps marinas and boaters reduce or eliminate pollution from entering the Great Lakes. A copy of the guide is available on the Green Marina project website at www.miseagrant.umich.edu/greenmarina.
“Marinas and boaters are often the guardians of the water”? explains Sarah Orlando, Ohio Clean Marinas Program Coordinator with Ohio Sea Grant. “By outlining best management practices in place at Clean Marinas around the Great Lakes, the guide offers a significant opportunity to protect and improve water quality.”?
Many best management practices (BMPs) are simple, easy, and affordable to implement, such as labeling storm drains with a “No Dumping, Drains to Lake”? message or selling environmentally friendly cleaning supplies to boaters. Other BMPs require additional effort, but offer a great environmental return on investment. Examples include shoreline engineering that enhances habitat, or using pervious paving stones instead of concrete or asphalt to protect water quality.
The Green Marina Technical Committee — with representatives from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio and Wisconsin Sea Grant programs, state government, and the marina industry — participated in the development of the guide, which was funded by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.
The Green Marina Project is designed to help reduce or eliminate pollution from entering the Great Lakes through boating and marina activities. Project groups have focused on creating uniform best management practices for marinas, and creating an efficient system for the application of best practices in each Great Lakes state through a regional outreach network.
The Green Marina Education & Outreach Program is a strategic collaboration between Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin Sea Grant programs to support education and outreach efforts across the Great Lakes states, and is supported by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Ohio State University’s Ohio Sea Grant Program is part of NOAA Sea Grant, a network of 32 Sea Grant programs dedicated to the protection and sustainable use of marine and Great Lakes resources. For more information, visit ohioseagrant.osu.edu.
Contact
Sarah Orlando, Ohio Sea Grant, orlando.42@osu.edu, 419.609.4120