Region 1: EPA New England
Boating in New Hamphire Should Be Good Clean Fun
Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.
By Robert W. Varney and
Michael P. Nolin
July 2, 2003
For many of us, boating is the essence of summer in New England. Whether they are used for fishing, cruising or a trip to the beach, the region's lakes and rivers are now abuzz as hundreds of thousands of boating enthusiasts take to the water.
As we savor the summer, we must all keep in mind that fishing, swimming and other boating activities would not be enjoyable without clean and safe water and that each and every person out on the water has a role in keeping these waters clean.
Last month, the Marine Environmental Education Foundation (MEEF) kicked off its sixth annual National Clean Boating Campaign on Boston's waterfront. Participants at the event celebrated the growth and vibrancy of the nation's recreational boating industry, which provides 17,000 full-time jobs and $1.7 billion of economic activity in Massachusetts alone. But it is also gave us a chance to take stock of the industry's performance in keeping the region's waters free from pollution. It let us assess the environmental habits of well over a half million boats registered in New England and the thousands of marinas and boatyards that service those boats.
The campaign coincides with several very successful efforts in New Hampshire.
In 2000, the NH Department of Environmental Services (DES) and the NH Marine Trades Association signed a voluntary agreement to accelerate the sale and use of low pollution outboard engines in place of conventional carbureted outboard engines which emit up to 30 percent of their gas and oil into the water and air as pollution. Three-dozen engine dealers are participating in this program and 81 percent of the engines they sold last year were the cleaner marine engines. The first program of its kind in the country, the state’s clean engine initiative has since been adopted by all of the New England states, as well as Florida and several other states.
EPA and DES are also pushing aggressively to ensure that boaters take advantage of 26 pump-out stations and dump stations for boat wastewater disposal located on the larger inland lakes and on the Seacoast. DES and Portsmouth Harbor Towing established a pump-out boat on the Seacoast last year so boaters can get their boats pumped out while on the water. DES will soon be requesting that EPA designate the entire New Hampshire coastline as a no-discharge zone. If approved, boat discharges within three miles of the shoreline would be illegal.
New Hampshire was also one of the first states in the country to prohibit the discharge of black- and gray-water from boats on inland waters. To educate boaters about their on-board marine sanitation systems, DES is working with several marinas to provide free boat inspections, primarily on Lake Winnipesaukee. These inspections ensure that on-board plumbing has been properly constructed and is operating properly so that sewage discharges into the state’s inland waters do not occur.
At this year's clean boating celebration in Boston, boaters learned simple techniques to avoid polluting waterways. The campaign reminded boaters that if they are not careful with sewage waste they can cause pollution that closes shellfish beds and make beaches unhealthy and unpleasant for swimming. According to the campaign, boaters can follow some basic steps to help keep lakes, rivers, oceans and harbors clean:
BOAT MAINTENANCE : When caring for your boat, use environmentally friendly products that will not harm the water.
- Physically remove old paint without chemical use.
- Scrape, sand and strip on shore over a drop cloth to catch all debris.
- Use less toxic bottom paints that do not contain tributyltin or copper.
- Avoid cleaners that contain phosphates, ammonia, chlorine, caustic soda or potassium hydroxide.
- Frequently inspect fuel lines for leaks or potential leaks such as cracks and loose connections. Repair as necessary.
- Change oil and transmission fluid with a spill proof pump or vacuum tank; slip a plastic bag over the oil filter before removal.
- Use orange-pink colored propylene antifreeze/coolant, which is less toxic, instead of blue-green ethylene glycol, which is very toxic and kills animals that ingest it.
BILGE CARE:
- Keep a drip pan or absorbent pads under the engine to capture oil and gas drips.
- Use absorbent pads, not detergents, to remove oil from the bilge.
- Never pump bilge water that is oily or has a sheen.
- Avoid using bilge cleaners that are detergents or emulsifiers since these chemicals dissolve the oil and fuel into water, leaving your bilge clean, but the water polluted.
SEWAGE DISPOSAL
- Make sure your boat has a proper, well-maintained waste containment system.
- Familiarize yourself with pump-out stations available for discharging waste, and use these free or inexpensive facilities.
For more information on clean boating, visit EPA New England’s
web site at www.epa.gov/ne or
the National Clean Boating Campaign’s web site at www.cleanboating.org.
To learn more about boat pump-outs and other clean boating practices
in New Hampshire, visit the NH DES web site at www.des.state.nh.us.
Boating is good clean fun. Let's keep it that way by doing our part to keep New England's waters clean!
Robert W. Varney is regional administrator of EPA's New England
Office.
Michael P. Nolin is commissioner of the NH Department of Environmental
Services.