. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. m a r i n e advice ?w Laws Ma Waves With Marinas Coastal marinas are a flash point in the simmering debate over water quality. In the eyes of boating enthusiasts, they're a safe mooring place and a valuable point of entry to open water. To some others, the contaminants that seep from marinas are a threat to productive estuarine waters. Both points have merit, says Rich Novak, a Sea Grant marine advisory specialist. Yet it's possible to have easy marina access and measures to keep the water clean of boaters
. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. m a r i n e advice ?w Laws Ma Waves With Marinas Coastal marinas are a flash point in the simmering debate over water quality. In the eyes of boating enthusiasts, they're a safe mooring place and a valuable point of entry to open water. To some others, the contaminants that seep from marinas are a threat to productive estuarine waters. Both points have merit, says Rich Novak, a Sea Grant marine advisory specialist. Yet it's possible to have easy marina access and measures to keep the water clean of boaters' sewage and polluted runoff. Increasingly, state and federal laws are shepherding marinas toward environmentally sensitive management practices that will protect our coastal waters and natural resources. The impacts of these laws can be felt all along North Carolina's coast, where more than 300 marinas rent slips and provide commercial services. But many marina operators are still in the dark about the changing regulations. Novak and Spencer Rogers, Sea Grant's coastal engineer- ing specialist, want to take the message to the docksides. "Marinas are a congregation of people," Novak says. "And with that comes the potential to pollute. Whether we say they're polluting or not, we see potential because marinas are on the water and could cause ; First, Novak is educating boaters and marina operators about the Clean Vessel Act. Backed by Congress, this program will offer $40 million in grants over five years to help states build pumpout and dump stations for boaters' sewage and educate them to use the equipment. Pumpout stations are used to pump the waste from holding tanks; dump stations are used to empty portable toilets. Pumpouts are available at 40 of 181 coastal marinas that responded to a recent survey by the Division of Coastal Management. The surveys were sent to 293 marinas in the coastal counties. Among those responding, 25 had pumpouts op
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