The NMTA is moving ahead with plans to help boatyards reduce levels of water-borne pollutants.

Washington boatyards could get some help in reducing their pollution levels and paying for costly water treatment systems, under a new initiative proposed by the Northwest Marine Trade Association.

The NMTA, which represents more than 40 boatyards around the state, is working to establish a Clean Boating Foundation that would develop a voluntary certification program for boatyards, provide them with financial assistance to help cover the cost of water treatment systems and study alternatives to the copper-based paints used on boat bottoms.

The certification program would require boatyards to apply specific practices intended to reduce the levels of copper and other harmful pollutants flowing into Puget Sound. Certified boatyards would receive a designation and be promoted by the NMTA at boating events and through other channels.

The program would be similar to the Washington Clean Marina program, which awards certification to marinas that take specific steps to help protect the marine environment. NMTA President George Harris said the objective is to make boatyards more eco-friendly while enabling boaters to make informed choices about where to take their business.

“We want to be able to reward the boatyards that are doing the right things for Puget Sound,” Harris said. “And we need to educate boaters that they have a choice. It would recognize and promote the boatyards that are doing things to be as environmentally responsible as they can.”

Establishing a certification system for boatyards, which are governed by a General Boatyard Permit issued by the state Department of Ecology, raises some sticky questions — for instance, would certification require boatyards to meet reporting requirements and pollution limits set by the state? How much financial assistance could the foundation provide for boatyards to install water treatment systems, which can easily cost $100,000? How would criteria for certification be established?

Harris said such issues would be addressed by a steering committee made up of various stakeholders. “It will be challenging,” he said. “It’s not just going to be industry and the (NMTA) on the steering committee. It’s going to be a variety of people.”

Plans for the foundation and clean boatyard program were prompted by the legal action taken against five local boatyards by environmental watchdog group Puget Soundkeeper Alliance (PSA). Last December, PSA sent the boatyards notice of intent to sue over alleged violations of the federal Clean Water Act, forcing them to reach out of court settlements to avoid costlier litigation.

The action severely strained relations between PSA and the NMTA, which had long enjoyed a collaborative relationship and worked together to launch the Washington Clean Marina Program five years ago. The marina program is now administered by PSA but the NMTA is considering taking the program back under its fold, and the degree to which PSA would be involved in the Clean Boating Foundation remains to be seen.

In his July letter to NMTA members, Harris acknowledged that ongoing collaboration with PSA “is a tough pill to swallow” for some. But he said continuing to work with PSA would lend credibility to the nascent foundation and increase the likelihood of it securing funding – which would in turn benefit boatyards.

The two groups have been meeting and are in the process of crafting an agreement that would prevent PSA from launching further legal action against other boatyards while the foundation and certification program get off the ground.

“What I hear over and over again is that the best chance for success and credibility and funding is if the two opposite ends can work together,” Harris said. “We’ve been able to work together for 10 years. Despite the intent to sue chapter that we’ve been through, I think NMTA and PSA can work together.”

Chris Wilke, who was appointed PSA’s acting executive director after former head Bob Beckham abruptly left the organization in early July, said PSA wants to be part of the new initiative and work collaboratively with the NMTA going forward.

“We hope to be included in that process,” he said. “We fully support a thriving marine industry.”

About Deborah Bach

Deborah Bach is the editor and co-founder of Three Sheets Northwest. She is an avid sailor and long-time professional journalist. You can find Deborah aboard Three Sheets, an Island Packet 38, with her husband Marty and their cat Lily.

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