Michigan safe and clean boating – vessel cleaning tips
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EmailCaring for your boat while protecting Michigan’s Great Lakes and inland waters can be accomplished by following some simple steps this boating season.
There are many ways boaters can inadvertently harm the environment while they clean their boat. Paying attention to how you clean and what you clean with can help reduce the potential impact on the environment.
Using non-abrasive pads and little or no soap to clean your boat reduces the amount of pollutants that can potentially get into the water. By washing frequently with a sponge and water, you can prevent buildup of dirt that would otherwise need detergents that are more concentrated. When using soaps, be sure they do not contain phosphates, ammonia, bleach, chlorinated solvents, petroleum distillates, or lye. Try to remember that elbow grease goes a long way to cleaning your boat, and if you do need to use a soap, make sure it is biodegradable and non-toxic.
Collect and dispose of paint chips that flake off of the hull of your boat while washing. Bottom dwelling creatures can consume the metals in the paint. These can then work their way up the food chain until they possibly end up on your plate while trying to enjoy a fish dinner. Additionally, the properties of the paint that prevent growth on your boat can prevent growth of aquatic vegetation on the bottom of the lake.
Pack up your litter. We have all seen the trash that was left in the bed of a truck blow away as the truck drives down the road. Uncollected trash in boats behave no differently as the boat zips across the water. By collecting trash on the boat, it reduces the chance that it will accidentally end up in the water, and makes clean-up of the boat easier when you are done for the day.
Visit a clean marina
The Michigan Clean Marina Program is a cooperative effort of the Michigan Boating Industries Association, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy and Michigan Sea Grant College Program (Michigan State University Extension and the University of Michigan). Boaters who want to stay at a Michigan Clean Marina can find one by visiting the Location page of the Michigan Clean Marina website. In addition, marinas who want to learn more about the program can read about it on the Michigan Clean Marina Program website or may contact Erin DeVris, Michigan Sea Grant program coordinator at edevries@umich.edu, or Michigan Sea Grant Extension educator Mark Breederland at mailto:mbreederl@msu.edu.
Michigan Sea Grant helps to foster economic growth and protect Michigan’s coastal, Great Lakes resources through education, research, and outreach. A collaborative effort of the University of Michigan and Michigan State University and its MSU Extension, Michigan Sea Grant is part of the NOAA-National Sea Grant network of 34 university-based programs.
