Twenty-three marinas in North Carolina have gone above and beyond the state’s environmental regulations. North Carolina Clean Marinas certifications were released this week.
The North Carolina Division of Coastal Management has certified three new Clean Marinas. Twelve others have been re-certified, including Carolina Beach State Park (Carolina Beach), Federal Point Yacht Club (Carolina Beach), Harbor Oaks Boataminium (Carolina Beach), Joyner Marina (Carolina Beach), Mona Black Marina (Carolina Beach), Harbour Village Marina (Hampstead), Southport Marina (Southport), and Wilmington Marine Center (Wilmington).
Chris Helms is Park Superintendent for Carolina Beach State Park Marina, which first earned the designation in 2012:
"Obviously, if you’re out there with your kids, you don’t want a situation where there might be someone dumping raw sewage from a boat. Having a pump-out station helps alleviate that. Almost nine times out of ten, you see the folks, they want to take care of the resource. They might be out fishing, catching shellfish or something. They want those protections in place. Again, for a public agency like a state park, it’s really kind of a no brainer. But it’s also nice to see the private marinas that are jumping on board as well."
To earn the distinction, marinas must develop policies to avoid polluting waterways with sewage, oil, harmful cleaning chemicals, and fish waste. They must also educate boaters in proper waste removal practices.