July 11, 2023

Port of Everett, Semiahmoo and Narrows Marinas take on water pollution

Three Washington marinas were recertified as part of Washington’s Clean Marina program. Port of Everett Marina, Semiahmoo Marina, and Narrows Marina surpassed the minimum pollution prevention requirements by a wide margin and successfully passed their Clean Marina program audits. These three marinas have surpassed the federal and state legal requirements for incidental hazardous waste discharges. Working with Washington Sea Grant (WSG) through the Clean Marina certification process, the marina operators described the sustainability goals and activities they would like to develop over a three-year period.

These marinas plan to continue maintaining their marine sewage pumpout stations, increase education on best management practices, implement Washington Department of Ecology’s new Y-Valve Education Pilot Program and instigate other appropriate measures depending on each marina’s individual needs.

“The Clean Marina program works with marinas that want to go above and beyond what’s legally required of them,” says Aaron Barnett, WSG boating program specialist. “We start working with the marina by discussing their goals—maybe they include converting all their lights to LEDs or engaging in a recycling program—and outline a three-year plan to accomplish these goals.”

The Port of Everett is the largest public marina on the West Coast. “The Port of Everett has long appreciated our partnership with Washington Sea Grant and the Clean Marina program,” says Jake Kirschner, environmental management specialist for the Port of Everett. “Throughout the years, the Port of Everett Marina has been motivated by this program to make efforts above and beyond the regulatory framework by setting ambitious environmental goals for our facility. As part of our recent recertification, the Port has established goals to educate our boaters about the risks posed by invasive species in the Puget Sound, increase awareness of spill reporting procedures amongst our tenants, and continue to enhance stormwater treatment systems as part of our ongoing upland development efforts.”

Port of Everett Marina. Photo by Adam Barhan.

Created in 2005 as an expansion of the EnviroStars program, Clean Marina Washington helps boaters and marinas leave a healthy wake. Through this incentive-based certification program, marinas assess their operations and make improvements to better protect the environment. When they reach the qualification standards set by the Clean Marina program, they earn the right to fly the Clean Marina flag. WSG has been involved since the program’s founding and has been leading the effort since January 2022.

As of June 2023, 80 Washington marinas have been certified as Clean Marinas through the program. Learn more about Clean Marina Washington here.

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