There are hundreds of marinas – and thousands of boats – spread across the Great Lakes. And that means there’s a lot of potential for pollution.
Ohio and five other Great Lakes states have Clean Marina programs that aim to improve air and water quality. They teach marina owners how to prevent pollution.
On Feb. 21, Ohio’s program will hold a day-long training conference. Marina owners will learn best practices – such as recycling fishing lines or reducing oil spills. Ohio Sea Grant’s Sarah Orlando runs the program.
“Part of our mission ... is to see what’s happening in terms of issues on Lake Erie, issues in Ohio, environmental regulations down the road may be bringing to the state of Ohio, and provide that education to give our marina owners a heads up and be proactive on these types of issues,” says Orlando.
There are more than 400 marinas and over 500,000 registered boats in Ohio.
Participants also will learn about new storm-water permits, managing aquatic plants and controlling wastewater. So far 78 marinas are certified by the program, and 47 more have pledged to work towards a certification.
Great Lakes Today is a collaboration of ideastream, WBFO Buffalo and WXXI Rochester.
