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TVA
Launches a New Campaign to Help Keep Boating Clean
Chattanooga, Tennessee,
resident Welden Bolin grew up in Southern California and lived there
for 30 years. But when it came time to raise his own family, he chose
to settle in the Tennessee Valley, largely because of the plentiful
outdoor recreational opportunities available here.
“The Tennessee
River played a major part in our decision to live in Chattanooga,”
says Bolin, who manages the city’s Lakeshore Marina. “Everyone
isn’t as fortunate as we are, having such a beautiful river in
our backyard. It’s a gift. After I started managing the marina,
I began to learn more about our river. I’ve always owned small
boats, but I never realized the impact that marine toilets have on the
Tennessee River. That’s not our only problem, but it’s one
we can correct.”
Bolin’s love
of the river inspired him to participate in the Tennessee Valley Clean
Marina Initiative, TVA’s latest effort to promote environmentally
responsible practices in and around regional marinas.
This voluntary
program, developed by TVA with the support of the U.S. Coast Guard and
other partners, is designed to help marina operators protect the resource
on which their livelihood depends—clean water. Beginning with this
year’s boating season, TVA Watershed Teams are providing marina
owners and operators with copies of the Tennessee Valley Clean Marina
Guidebook, along with help in evaluating areas where improvement might
be needed.
The pollution-related
problems faced by marina operators on the Valley’s reservoirs and
rivers include gasoline spilled into the water from marina pumps when
boaters fill their tanks; human waste emptied from marine sanitation
devices on boats; and oil and solid wastes released into the water.
Under the new initiative,
says Linda Harris, a Watershed Specialist on TVA’s Chickamauga/Nickajack
Watershed Team, marinas that adopt a significant number of the pollution-prevention
practices recommended in the Tennessee Valley Clean Marina Guidebook
(such as helping boaters meet federal requirements for sewage disposal)
will be recognized as Tennessee Valley Clean Marinas.
A marina that earns
this designation will receive a certificate, a Clean Marina flag, and
authorization to use the Tennessee Valley Clean Marina logo on its letterhead
and in advertising material.
“This new
initiative ensures that marina operators will have the tools to communicate
with the boating public about the importance of resource protection,”
Harris says. “The Clean Marina initiative will vary from reservoir
to reservoir, since they each have their own unique pollution problems,
but our Watershed Team representatives will promote the program on an
individual level by going to every marina in the Valley.
“We’ll
help all the marina owners who choose to participate, so that they can
manage their facilities in a more resource-protective way. This first
year will be spent familiarizing operators with the program, encouraging
participation, and providing support any way we can.”
The Clean Marina
initiative is an outgrowth of the National Clean Boating Campaign, of
which TVA has been a major sponsor since 1998. Harris reports that during
the national kickoff of the 2000 campaign at Georgia’s Lake Lanier,
Larry Innis, Chairman of the National Clean Boating Campaign, heralded
TVA’s program as one of the best in the nation.
“For the past
few years, through Clean Boating, we’ve been working on education,
public outreach, and awareness of the pollution caused by boating activities
and the need to address those pollution sources,” says Harris.
“Now, with the Clean Marina initiative, we’re giving the marina
owners the tools to get the job done.”
Andy Cordini, manager
of the Chickamauga Marina in Chattanooga, is looking forward to the
day when he can proudly fly the Clean Marina flag. “This initiative
is part of what we try to do every day: do our part to be good neighbors,”
he says.
“If we don’t
keep the reservoirs clean, people will stop coming out here, and that’s
our bread and butter. It’s everyone’s responsibility to protect
the water. With Clean Marina, we have the help we need to get the message
out and make some changes.”
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