Port City Marina certified as ‘Clean Marina’

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Port City Marina is one of two newest facilities in North Carolina to be certified as NC Clean Marinas.

This designation is given to marinas that exceed minimum regulatory requirements.

According to the NC Department of Environmental Quality, the Clean Marina program illustrates how marina operators can help safeguard the environment by using best management and operation techniques that exceed environmental requirements. To earn the certification, the marina’s owners control the boat maintenance activities and prepare spill prevention plans to protect water quality. Marina operators also incorporate safety and emergency planning for their facilities.

“Voluntary programs such as our Clean Marina program are important non-regulatory efforts to protect coastal resources. The Clean Marina Program can also boost the economy by allowing participants to display the Clean Marina logo and fly the flag,” said Braxton Davis, director of the N.C. Division of Coastal Management. “We’ve found that boaters want to use marinas that show they care about water quality.”

Clean Marina is a voluntary program. Participating marina operators must complete an evaluation form about their use of specific best management practices to protect water quality. If a marina meets criteria developed by the N.C. Division of Coastal Management, it will be designated as a Clean Marina.

Such marinas are eligible to fly the Clean Marina flag and use the logo in their advertising. The flags signal to boaters that a marina cares about the cleanliness of area waterways.

Clean Marina is a nationwide program developed by the National Marine Environmental Education Foundation, a nonprofit organization that works to clean up waterways for better recreational boating. The foundation encourages states to adopt Clean Marina principles to fit their own needs.

The Oriental Public Docks marina also received the designation.