As the days get longer and warm weather returns, a lot of us will be enjoying our beautiful San Francisco Bay, sailing with friends and family. This means a lot of us will be performing annual maintenance to ensure a successful sail. Below are some friendly reminders on best practices for boat maintenance.
Practice preventative engine maintenance and use oil absorbents. When performing engine maintenance use oil absorbent pads. They absorb oil while repelling water. Check the absorbent pads often and dispose of them as hazardous waste at a marina or nearby collection center. To find a collection center near you, visit https://dtsc.ca.gov/household-hazardous-waste/ - hhwlist
Spill-proof your oil changes and fueling. When changing your boat engine oil, be sure to use a closed system (such as a portable oil-change pump). Drain the used oil into a container that can be closed to prevent spills. When fueling, fill your tank slowly and use absorbents to catch spills. Dispose of saturated absorbents at your local hazardous household waste facility.
Don’t add soap. Never use soap to disperse fuel and oil spills. It’s harmful to the environment and it is illegal. Avoid using bilge cleaners as they may get discharged overboard.
Minimize boat cleaning and maintenance in the water. Save maintenance projects for the boatyard. Avoid projects that involve working on the docks or working over the water. This will lessen the potential of contaminants getting into the water.
Dispose of hazardous waste properly. Dispose of paints, batteries, antifreeze, cleaning products, oil, oil filters and other hazardous waste at a local hazardous waste facility. For locations, call 800-CLEANUP or visithttps://dtsc.ca.gov/household-hazardous-waste/ - hhwlist
Stow it, don’t throw it! Keep your trash onboard. Never throw cigarette butts, fishing line, or any other garbage into our waterways. Take advantage of shoreside facilities to recycle plastic, glass, metal and paper.
Reduce grey water discharges. Use phosphate-free biodegradable soaps to minimize the impacts of grey water on our marine environment. Also, minimize discharge by doing dishes, showers and laundry onshore whenever possible.
The City of Berkeley Marina Ordnance is even stricter with regards to waste water inside the marina: "It is unlawful for any person to discharge or cause to be discharged any solid or liquid wastes (including bilge water, sewage or gray water) or other pollutants into the waters of the marina."
https://berkeley.municipal.codes/BMC/6.20.210