Mears Point Marina Is A Certified Maryland Clean Marina

Mears Point Marina in Queen Anne's County's Grasonville has earned the distinction of being named a certified Maryland Clean Marina. The Clean Marina designation indicates Mears Point Marina has met the rigorous pollution prevention standards established by Maryland=s Clean Marina Committee and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) as part of the agency=s Clean Marina Initiative (CMI).

Mears Point Marina is a full service marina complete with maintenance facilities, health club, and restaurant. As part of their efforts to protect Kent Narrows, the managers of Mears Point Marina have developed comprehensive "environmental management regulations." These rules are incorporated into all contracts: slips rentals, transient dockage, dry land storage, and outside contractors. The rules address litter, oil pollution, vessel maintenance, and boat sewage management. For example, all boat owners who live aboard their vessels are required to have a contract with a company that provides dockside sewage pumpouts.

"We emphasize to our customers that clean water is their responsibility, as well as ours," said dock master Jay Jones. "By participating in the Clean Marina Initiative we are doing what we can to minimize the impacts of recreational boating on the health of the Bay."

"Certified Clean Marinas have something to teach all of us," said Clean Marina Coordinator Elizabeth Fuller Valentine. "Mears Point Marina and the other marinas embody the conservation ethic: individual responsibility for healthy land and water.

Just as importantly, they are demonstrating that business interests can be compatible with environmental protection." CMI promotes and celebrates voluntary adoption of measures to reduce pollution from marinas, boat yards, yacht clubs, and recreational boats.

Each of the 29 Clean Marinas has implemented measures to control pollution associated with vessel maintenance and repair, petroleum storage and transfer, sewage disposal, solid, liquid and hazardous wastes; stormwater runoff; and facilities management.

Recognized Clean Marinas may use the Clean Marina logo in their advertising and on their letterhead. They also receive a flag to fly from their facility, a page on the Clean Marina web site (www.dnr.state.md.us/boating), and promotion in Clean Marina publications.

Signing the Clean Marina pledge is the first step toward receiving recognition as an environmentally-responsible marina. So far, 116 entities have taken the pledge. There are approximately 600 boating facilities in Maryland and the CMI=s goal is to certify 150 of those as Clean Marinas or Clean Marina Partners by 2004. The Clean Marina Partner designation was created to recognize boating facilities-other than marinas, boatyards, and yacht clubs-that are implementing pollution prevention measures.

For more details about the Maryland Clean Marina Initiative, call the Department of Natural Resources at (877) 620-8DNR, ext. 8770, or check DNR=s website, www.dnr.state.md.us/boating.

Posted: 3-29-2001