ACT NOW I Take Action
Take action to protect your Suwannee River , your family, and your country!
RIVERKEEPER CLEAN BOATING CAMPAIGN
The Bottom Line Is Do Not Let Anything Fall In the Water!
Engine, Fueling, and Bilge Care
Consider purchasing a cleaner, more efficient four-stroke engine
Tune your engine regularly
Inspect fuel lines for leaks or cracks
It is unlawful to pump any bilge water that appears oily or has a sheen
Having oil absorbent pads in the bilge can prevent oil from entering the environment
Keep fuel and oil from getting into the water at these 3 sites:
~ Fuel filter fitting – clean up with marine absorbent pad
~ Fuel tank air vent – pump fuel slowly
~ Bilge pump – use bilge pump
Prevent spillage by not topping off tank, remember, fuel expands as it warms
Avoid using detergents or emulsifiers to clean the bilge:
~ Detergents can pollute the water. Emulsifiers will disperse the oil, making the water appear clean, but it still may contain harmful pollutants
Dispose of absorbents at marina oil recycling collector or wrap and dispose of in home trash
Boat Maintenance
Ask your Dockmaster what kinds of vessel maintenance are allowed
Clean water starts with good boat cleaning and maintenance methods, using the least toxic chemicals available
Do all hull scraping, sanding, and chemical stripping on shore and catch all debris
Drape vessel with tarps to catch wastes from small to medium sized maintenance projects. Take longer projects to a boatyard
Read labels and buy products that are environmentally safe. Use as little as possible.
Buy ‘non-toxic’ and ‘phosphate-free’ cleaners
Or use cleaning alternatives found in your cupboards at home:
~ For example, baking soda and a scrub brush can be used to clean heads, and one cup white vinegar in two gallons of warm water will make a good floor cleaner.
Avoid cleaners with bleach, ammonia, lye, or petroleum distillates
Clean boat bottoms ashore, over hard surfaces or tarp, and contain debris for disposal
Remember-cleaners can travel from the driveway to the storm drain and then to the river
Do not spray paint in the marina
Use a hard, less toxic or non-toxic hull paint
Use orange-pink colored propylene antifreeze / coolant instead of very toxic blue-green colored ethylene glycol
Gently wipe hull often with soft cloth to remove soft growth
Recycle used oil, oil filters, antifreeze and batteries and dispose of cleaning products properly. Many classify as household hazardous wastes.
Share leftover paint, varnish, cleansers, etc., with other boaters
Boat and Sewage Control and Pumpout Use
Do your part to help keep sewage out of America
Use the shoreside facilities before casting off
Prevent dumping any untreated sewage into any U.S.
Keep diapers, sanitary napkins, oils, solvents and other harmful chemicals out of toilets
When in ‘no discharge’ waters, secure the toilet closed so it cannot empty overboard
Use only environmentally compatible holding deodorants
Boats with holding tanks: If boat has a y-valve and through hull, keep them locked closed when inside coastal waters.
Boating Litter and Fish Waste
Teach everyone on board that tossing anything into the water is just not done. Nothing overboard.
Smokers, use an ashtray and bring butts ashore.
Bring back all cans, bottles, and litter. Recycle as much as possible.
Pick up trash in the water or along the shore if you can reach it safely
Keep litter bags aboard and use them
Recycle fish parts by composting with peat moss or burying in the garden as fertilizer. Or freeze and re-use fish parts as bait on your next trip
Use fish cleaning stations
Avoid releasing dead or alive bait into the water; they are often foreign species
It Is Very Important To Contain These Wastes and Dispose Of Them Properly
- Saw dust or concrete dust
- Sanding dust containing paint or varnish particles
- Caustic paint strippers
- Alkaline or acidic cleaners (For example, 2 part teak cleaners)
- Engine oil, gas, and grease
- Waste waters or bilge water
- Hull paint residue containing cuprous oxide (copper) or TBT
- Organic solvents, including paint thinner, chemical strippers, and parts cleaners
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