CRMC adopts third Clean Marina

December 2, 2008, WAKEFIELD – The RI Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) recently designated the Ram Point Marina as a Clean Marina under its statewide Clean Marina Program, the third marina to receive this designation.

Ram Point Marina, located in Wakefield on Point Judith Pond, has been in operation since 1958. Ram Point joins two other marinas that have already been designated as Clean Marinas: Allen Harbor Marina in North Kingstown (the first to be designated) and Point Judith Marina on Point Judith Pond in Narragansett.

“The CRMC congratulates Ram Point Marina for its designation as a Clean Marina, the third since we adopted the program,” said CRMC Chairman Michael M. Tikoian. “We recognize the amount of work that the marina and its staff completed to receive the designation, and we are encouraged by the response from the industry that this has become and will continue to be a very successful program.”

The CRMC adopted the Clean Marina Program in February 2007; the voluntary program is designed to reward marinas that go beyond regulatory requirements by applying innovative pollution prevention best management practices (BMPs) to their day-to-day operations. Program partners include the R.I. Marine Trades Association, DEM and Save The Bay. These groups and the CRMC comprise a team that evaluates each marina applying for the Clean Marina designation. As a clean marina, Ram Point Marina will receive a special plaque recognizing its status and flags showing the Clean Marina logo.

“For the past two years, Ram Point Marina has used the Clean Marina Guidebook, gradually implementing management practices that have changed our daily operations. The goal was the prevention of pollutants from reaching our local waterways. Our motto became ‘Nothing hits the ground!’” said Daryl Anne Anderson, co-owner of the marina with her brother Curt Schmidt and sister Liane Shorten. “Customer education proceeded along with that of management and staff as we all came to understand that the health of our waterways directly impacts recreation and the economy. Green businesses contribute to the wellness of our communities and ultimately our state.”

As part of this program, a Rhode Island Clean Marina Guidebook and self-assessment checklist serve as tools to assist marinas toward becoming RI Clean Marinas, a designation that certifies marinas, boatyards and yacht clubs that have voluntarily exceeded regulatory requirements and have adopted measures to reduce pollution, and recognizes them as environmentally responsible businesses.  Program information is available on the CRMC web site at http://www.crmc.ri.gov/marinas.html. A Clean Marina pledge requires that marinas striving for this designation pledge to do their part to keep the state’s waters free of harmful chemicals, excess nutrients and debris. It also states that the marina owners will identify opportunities and implement practices to control pollution associated with vessel maintenance; fueling; sewage handling; storm water management; and facilities management. The marina, once a pledge is signed, must implement the pollution prevention practices within one year and apply to the CRMC for the designation as a Rhode Island Clean Marina.

“The CRMC would like to thank the RI Marine Trades Association, the DEM and Save The Bay for their involvement in developing and implementing the Clean Marina Program,” Tikoian said. “We especially thank the marina industry, which has taken on the requirements of the program with vigor in an effort to improve our environment.”

Marinas that achieve this status will be presented the RI Clean Marina Award and other highly publicized incentives to distinguish them as top tier “green” businesses that offer clean, safe, and environmentally friendly facilities. The designation would also be in lieu of an Operations and Maintenance Plan, now required under the revised Section 300.4 CRMC regulations.

“Ram Point Marina is honored to receive a Clean Marina designation that we share with our employees, vendors and customers who have been an integral part of this process,” Anderson said. “We are committed to continue to conduct our operations in a manner that reduces and eliminates conditions harmful to the environment and to educate everyone utilizing our facilities.”