South Bay Marina Hosts Clean Marina Tour

South Bay Marina in Green Bay, Wisconsin, hosted a “Clean Marina Tour: Preserving Your Assets” event on September 12. More than 40 people attended including marina and boatyard personnel and representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard, the office of U.S. Representative Mike Gallagher, the Fund for Lake Michigan, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Wisconsin Sea Grant, Wisconsin Marine Association (WMA), and the Wisconsin Clean Marina Program.

Attendees learned about South Bay Marina’s best management practices, including hazardous waste management, its newly constructed pressure-wash water station, and fish and wildlife habitat enhancements along the breakwater and bay shore. Officials from the Wisconsin Clean Marina Program, South Bay Marina and the Green Bay Sail & Paddle organization, conducted tours of the marina.

The hazardous materials (hazmat) response team from the Green Bay Metro Fire Department demonstrated an emergency response for a fuel spill, deploying boom for spill containment. Following the demonstration representatives from the fire department and the U.S. Coast Guard discussed best practices for spill response.

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a federal program that supports efforts to strengthen and preserve the Great Lakes sponsored the event. This is the second Clean Marina Tour facilitated by the Wisconsin Marine Association (WMA) and its Wisconsin Clean Marina Program.

In partnership with the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program and the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute, the WMA advocates for best environmental management practices at marinas and boatyards in the state and provides training and a voluntary Wisconsin Clean Marina certification program to the owners and managers at those facilities.