10 Ways to Practice Clean and Safe Boating - While Social Distancing
Published: Wednesday, July 1, 2020
Now is a great time to refresh your memory on clean and safe boating practices. As the height of the boating season is in full swing, the Ohio Clean Marinas Program would like to remind everyone of the basics as well as offer resources for more helpful tips.
- Get some fresh air and help the environment by cleaning up your local waterfront. It’s easy: visit the website, find an event near you, and sign up. Then, simply show up on the beach to help the environment while making friends. www.greatlakes.org/get-involved/adopt-a-beach
- Research ways to reduce your single use plastic when boating. Ideas include gathering items such as reusable water bottles and light, reusable serveware to pack a “plastic reduction kit” for your summer boating trip. A quick video gives you more ideas:
- Be prepared for a safe boating season by checking that personal floatation devices are in good working order and that you have all the necessary items for a safe trip. A checklist is available at www.discoverboating.com/resources/boat-safety-checklist-safety-equipment
- Build a boater pollution prevention kit. This PDF lays out the items you should have on hand to be best prepared Get the PDF at https://go.osu.edu/boaterpollutionpreventionkit
- Ensure you are properly removing boat shrink wrap:
- Practice your "Clean, Drain, Dry" technique and review ways to Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers:
- Use the restroom before leaving on a trip, and be sure to manage wastewater when underway. Best practices and more information:
- Use best practices when fueling such as only filling to 90% capacity to prevent overflows. This video reviews basics and provides suggestions
- Use plain water and non-toxic, biodegradable cleaners and non-abrasive pads to wash your vessel. Chemicals you should avoid and suggestions on what to use are reviewed:
- Use an oil absorbent bilge sock or remove all oil from the bilge before discharging into the water. This and other tips on engine maintenance can be found:
Interested in helping more with plastic pollution in the Great Lakes? The Ohio Sea Grant is partnering with the Ohio Clean Marinas Program on a project to educate marina owners and boaters about limiting plastic during boating excursions. The team is using the Twitter handle @PlasticFreePIB to share information about the project as well as other ways to reduce plastic consumption in everyday life. Follow them, as well as @ohioseagrant, for tips and info during #PlasticFreeJuly. You can also share what you’re doing to reduce plastic use with the hashtag #PlasticFreeGreatLakes.
Follow the Ohio Clean Marinas Program on Facebook @OhioCleanMarinasClean- Boaters for Clean Boating content all summer!
The Ohio Clean Marinas Program is a proactive partnership designed to encourage marinas and boaters to use simple, innovative solutions to keep Ohio’s coastal and inland waterway resources clean. The program assists in protecting clean water and fresh air for generations of boaters to come.
Harmful algal blooms have been brought into the national spotlight as large blooms have been observed in Lake Erie and elsewhere throughout the country. While much is yet to be studied, Ohio has made significant advances in understanding blooms, as well as developing best practices to help prevent harmful algal blooms. Below is an overview of HABs as well as some helpful tools and tips for enjoying a safe boating season on the water!
What is a harmful algal bloom?
- A harmful algal bloom, or HAB, is any large increased density of algae that is capable of producing toxins. In freshwater, such as Lake Erie, those algae tend to be cyanobacteria – more commonly known as blue-green algae – that are always present in the water to some extent, but which grow excessively under certain conditions. The “harmful” in HAB comes from toxins produced by the cyanobacteria. Most harmful algal blooms occur in mid-to-late summer, when spring rains have brought nutrients –such as phosphorus and nitrogen – to our waterways and water temperatures reach above 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
If toxins have been detected in one part of the lake, is the water in the whole lake unsafe?
- Toxin can persist in the water for more than 30 days, but is rapidly diluted and quickly reaches safe levels when the bloom dissipates and as one moves away from the bloom. Water treatment plants in Lake Erie’s western basin routinely monitor the water they bring in for human use, so affected areas can know about a problem quickly.
Are fish in a harmful algal bloom safe to eat?
- As long as standard guidelines are followed, such as properly cleaning and rinsing fish fillets, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources considers fish from the lake safe to eat.
What tools are available for boaters?
- NOAA Harmful Algal Bloom Bulletin - forecast to help boaters avoid blooms and plan ahead based on weekly bloom projections: https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/research/habs/forecasting
- BeachGuard – recreational beach monitoring information: http://publicapps.odh.ohio.gov/BeachGuardPublic/Default.aspx
What can I do to help?
- When detergents are necessary, use soaps that are phosphate free, biodegradable, and non-toxic.
- Use restrooms onshore, and when underway, use approved MSDs or portable toilets.
- Conserve water when washing your boat and put a spray nozzle on your hose.
For more information about Harmful Algal Blooms, visit the Ohio Sea Grant website, https://ohioseagrant.osu.edu/research/issues/habs.
This article first appeared in the Summer Issue (Jul/Aug) 2020 of Great Lakes Scuttlebutt magazine.
