Mayor Ralph Brzezinski of Washburn and Mayor Larry MacDonald of Bayfield, WI will announce six newly certified Clean Marinas at a press conference Friday, June 23 at a Clean Marina Workshop at Pike Bay Marina in Bayfield. Wisconsin now has 17 Clean Marinas since the certification program began in July 2010. The newly certified marinas are: Pikes Bay Marina (Bayfield), Bayfield City Docks, Washburn Marina, South Bay Marina (Green Bay), McKinley Marina (Milwaukee) and St. Croix Marina (Hudson).
These marinas join 11 other certified marinas including: The Abbey Marina (Fontana), Gaslight Pointe Marina (Racine), Lakeshore Towers Marina (Racine), Manitowoc Marina, Nestegg Marine (Marinette), Port Washington Marina, Racine Yacht Club[ARC1] and SkipperBud’s Harbor Club and Quarterdeck Marinas (Sturgeon Bay), Harbor Centre Marina (Sheboygan) and Reefpoint Marina (Racine).
Many Wisconsin marinas have taken steps to voluntarily adopt practices to become certified and adopt up to 100 “best management practices” depending of the type of facility, ranging from docks only to full service businesses with fueling, storage and repair and maintenance capabilities. The marinas have typically improved 10-25 practices such as procedures for preventing and cleaning up gas spills, installing better hazardous waste containment, boat bottom washing, filter systems, managing stormwater and improving vessel maintenance practices.
Through this program marinas are preventing pollution and protecting fish, wildlife and public health knowing that a cleaner environment is important to their boating clientele, their livelihood and Wisconsin’s coastal communities. Jon Kukuk, owner of Nestegg Marine (Marinette) and Chair of the WMA stated that ”Wisconsin is blessed with more than 15,000 inland lakes and Lakes Michigan and Superior, which are popular destinations for boating and fishing. There are more than 250 marinas in the state — 125 of which are located on our two Great Lakes. Participating marinas implement practices that help cut operating costs through reducing waste disposal, conserving water and attracting new customers who appreciate patronizing an environmentally friendly operation.”
“The Clean Marina Program provides technical assistance and training for marina managers and recognizes marinas that are good stewards of Wisconsin’s environment,” said Victoria Harris, Water Quality Specialist with UW Sea Grant. The Clean Marina Program (wisconsincleanmarina.org) is a partnership between the Wisconsin Marina Association (WMA), the UW Sea Grant Institute and the UW Extension Solid and Hazardous Waste EducationCenter, with support from the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program.
Wisconsin’s Marine Industry provides a positive impact to the State’s economy. Healthy waterways support the state’s $14 billion in tourism revenue, in which recreating on Wisconsin’s waters plays a large role. In Wisconsin, 1.4 million fishing licenses are sold annually and 635,000 boats are registered. Fishing generates $2.75 billion in economic impact and supports 30,000 jobs.
Wisconsin is also home to world famous boat builders and manufacturers like Palmer Johnson, Burger Boat Company, Marinette Marine Corp., Bay Shipbuilding and dozens of smaller boat builders that contribute over $1 billion in economic output and support over 3,500 jobs. Additionally, in 2008, Wisconsin’s Commercial Ports supported nearly 10,000 jobs, handled over $7 billion in goods and generated over $1.6 billion in annual revenue.
For more information on the Wisconsin Clean Marina Program, visit wisconsincleanmarina.org.
