marine tourism best management practices a practical guide

Marine Tourism Best Management PracticesPeople For Puget Sound • pugetsound.org• Do not soap spills• Install automatic back-pressure shutoffs on all fuel nozzles• Never leave fuel nozzles unattended and do not allow fuel nozzles to beblocked in an open position• Ask boaters not to “top off” fuel tanks• Use vent cups to capture “fuel burps” from air vents• Provide information about vent whistles and fuel/air separators• Request that boaters install fuel/air separators on their fuel tank vents orconsider requiring it in your tenant lease agreement• Clear the fuel nozzle of residual fuel prior to transferring back to the pump• Do not allow self service on a gravity feed fueling system. Automatic shut offnozzles may not work on these types of systemsThe issue: Gasoline contains a wide range of polluting constituents. Hydrocarbons,described below, are products derived from crude oil and are toxic to humans andsome species. They float on the water’s surface and smother marine larvae thatneed to breathe at the surface. In their gaseous state, they contribute to groundlevel ozone that is a major component of smog, which in turn causes asthmaand cancer in humans (See Environmental Handbook for Towed Water Sports:www.iwsf.com/EnvironmentalHandbook/iwsfecappend.htm).Advances in Technology: Similar to marine diesel engines, the EPA’s non-road initiativewill require changes in outboard gasoline fuel engines and emissions. There are threeprimary technologies to help achieve cleaner boating:1. Direct Injection for two-stroke engines2. Catalytic converters3. High performance four-stroke technology for outboard motors(see P2 Marinas)6. Oil Spill Prevention: Elliott Bay Marina has oil spill procedures in both staffmanuals and their emergency preparedness manual.• Spills are reported immediately to supervisors and promptly cleaned up usingwater (where appropriate) or oil absorbing rags. State and Federal law requiresthe US Coast Guard and the Department of Ecology to be notified of all spills.• In the event of a major oil spill inside the hazardous materials area, plug thedrain hole located under the access gate with the designated plug30