Washington State Department of Ecology

Department of Ecology News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - May 10, 1999

99-103

CONTACT: Mary Getchell, Ecology, (360) 407-6157; pager (360) 534-8590
Cindy Neff, DNR, (360) 902-1009; pager (360) 786-2602

Boaters must clean their boats out of the water to protect water quality

OLYMPIA -- As up to 450,000 licensed boats head for Washington waters with the start of boating season, the state departments of Natural Resources (DNR) and Ecology have issued an environmental advisory aimed at protecting aquatic resources against pollution and contamination when boat hulls are cleaned.

The advisory directs that boat hulls painted with "soft paints" are not to be cleaned while in the water.

Washington waters show evidence of contamination from sloughing and ablative anti-fouling or tin-based paints, known as soft paints, that are used to discourage plant and animal organisms from attaching themselves to boat hulls.

Contamination occurs when commercial divers clean boat hulls painted with soft paints in the water. Cleaning the vessels while they’re still in the water can pollute lakes, rivers and marine waters with toxic substances such as metals, grease and oil.

One metal of concern is copper, which is toxic to aquatic life and interferes with a fish’s ability to take in oxygen.

In-water hull cleaning is just one more pollution problem that threatens the life of endangered salmon, said Tom Fitzsimmons, Ecology’s director.

"Our goal is clean water - for people and for fish," said Fitzsimmons. "We expect boat and marina owners, along with commercial divers, to ensure that vessels painted with soft paints are taken out of the water for cleaning - not scraped and cleaned in the water."

Fitzsimmons explained Ecology hopes for voluntary compliance. However, the agency can take enforcement action, which could mean issuing penalties of up to $10,000 per day per violation.

"Every boat that is cleaned properly helps, and every one cleaned improperly hurts. It’s that simple, and every boat owner needs to know this," said Jennifer Belcher, Commissioner of Public Lands and head of DNR. "Boat by boat, it makes a difference to the health of our aquatic resources."

*Soft* paints are less expensive and may seem to be a bargain, but in the long run they cause the most harm. Soft paints don’t last as long, dissolve quickly and pollute the sediments beneath the water.

DNR and Ecology have worked together on this issue for the past year -- DNR as manager of the state’s millions of acres of aquatic lands, and Ecology as regulatory protector of environmental resources.

In March 1998, Ecology and DNR issued a draft environmental advisory, stating that the agencies would not support or condone the practice of in-water hull cleaning. The agencies proposed the advisory as part of a decision not to cover commercial divers in a general wastewater-discharge permit. Approximately 400 individuals and organizations commented on the environmental advisory.

In response to the majority of the comments, Ecology and DNR revised the final advisory to prohibit only the in-water hull cleaning of vessels painted with soft paints and tin-based paints. These paints pose more of a risk to the environment compared to hard paints.

More data-gathering and analysis are planned to ensure that actions are based on sound scientific data and protective of water quality. Ecology and DNR will continue to work with boat-paint manufacturers to develop information on less-toxic alternatives.