The Clean Boating Foundation of Washington State recently awarded one of its first Certified ‘Clean’ Boatyard Awards to Swantown Boatworks, a facility owned and operated by the Port of Olympia.
To be certified, boatyards are required to implement practices above and beyond the minimum requirements set by the Washington Dept. of Ecology and listed on the boatyard permits.
“Boatyards are inspected based on criteria specifically designed for Northwest conditions and are awarded points based on their participation in each of the criteria. Their overall score determines if they are designated a Clean Boatyard,” explained Ben Lee, foundation program manager.
An independent task force of representatives from boatyards and environmental groups creates and maintains the list of criteria.
“Swantown Boatworks has sure done an outstanding job at meeting and exceeding our expectations. Their boatyard is clean, well run and an example for others to follow,” said Lee,
A national program served as the model for the foundation’s Washington program.
“The Port of Olympia welcomes programs such as the Clean Boatyard Foundation’s which make a meaningful contribution to achieving the goal of a clean Puget Sound. And we are proud that Swantown Boatyard is among the first to be certified ‘Clean’,” said Jeff Davis, Port Commission president. Davis added that Swantown Marina also is certified ‘Clean’ by the Clean Marina Washington program.
The foundation plans to advertise the certified “Clean” boatyards to the boating public, giving them a choice of where to spend their money on boat repairs and maintenance.
