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Department of Ecology Press Release - November 2, 2005
05-266
OLYMPIA - The Department of Ecology (Ecology) has issued an updated permit aimed at protecting water quality from the pollution discharged by boatyard operations.
Approximately 107 facilities in Washington are covered under the boatyard general permit. These facilities are engaged in constructing, repairing and maintaining small vessels. Their services typically include pressure washing and repairing hulls, painting and coating, buffing and waxing, repairing and replacing engines, propulsion systems, and marine sanitation devices (sewage treatment), and providing other vessel maintenance.
Federal and state laws require the permit because these operations discharge water that may be polluted. The permit requires companies to take steps to ensure that surface and ground waters are protected and to monitor water quality on a regular basis.
Ecology first issued the permit in 1997 and must reissue it every five years. The permit was administratively extended during the renewal process.
"The boatyard permit is a high priority for Ecology because these businesses work so close to the water" said Dave Peeler, Ecology's water quality manager. "This updated permit will help ensure that these operations protect water quality."
The three primary changes in the permit are the inclusion of numeric limits and benchmarks, a requirement to use vacuum sanding and an increase in the frequency of monitoring.
For a copy of the permit, contact Gary Bailey, Department of Ecology, P.O. Box 47600, Olympia, Wash., 98504-7600; (360) 407-6433; or gbai461@ecy.wa.gov.
The permit and related documents are also available online at http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/permits/boatyard/index.html.
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Contact: Glenn Kuper, public information manager, 360-407-6848
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
