DNR Certifies Patuxent River Naval Air Station’s West Basin Marina as Clean Marina

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Patuxent River, Md. — The West Basin Marina located at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station recently became the 110th clean marina certified by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Together with 23 smaller facilities designated as Clean Marina Partners, Maryland now boasts 133 certified clean boating facilities.

“We have wanted this designation for a long time. Although we had some delays due to construction last year, we’re glad we stuck with it and earned this award,” said Francisco Pace, manager of West Basin Marina. “This is the direction the Navy as a whole is going, and it only makes sense to transfer environmental management to our recreational facilities, where personnel and their families come to relax and enjoy themselves, too.”

West Basin Marina offers 125 slips, a junior sailing program and club, sailboat rentals, a pumpout, and a ‘do it yourself’ repair yard. The marina plans to build a new fuel dock in the next year. The West Basin Marina, operated by the U.S. Navy’s Department of Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) for naval personnel and their families, is the second MWR facility in the region certified as a clean marina. The first was Point Patience, across the Patuxent River in Solomons, Md.

West Basin Marina strictly controls work by boat owners in the yard and continually educates boaters on pollution prevention practices. Additionally, marina staff pressure washes boats in a carefully controlled location, which allows collection of contaminants and prevents their pollution of the river and Chesapeake Bay.

Marinas, boatyards, and yacht clubs of any size are encouraged to learn more about the voluntary Clean Marina Initiative. Marina operators can either visit http://www.dnr.maryland.gov/boating/cleanmarina/ , email dmorrow@dnr.state.md.us or call 410-260-8770 for more information. In cooperation with federal agencies, DNR’s aims to certify at least 150 (25 percent) of Maryland’s estimated 600 recreational boating facilities as “Clean Marinas” or “Clean Marina Partners.”

Recreational boaters can also join efforts to protect Maryland’s waterways by visiting the Clean Marina website to learn how they can prevent pollution and to sign the “Maryland Clean Boater Pledge.”

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September 29, 2008

Contact: Olivia Campbell 410-260-8016 office I 410-507-7525 cell ocampbell@dnr.state.md.us

Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages more than 449,000 acres of public lands and 17,000 miles of waterways, along with Maryland's forests, fisheries and wildlife for maximum environmental, economic and quality of life benefits. A national leader in land conservation, DNR-managed parks and natural, historic and cultural resources attract 12 million visitors annually. DNR is the lead agency in Maryland's effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the state's number one environmental priority. Learn more at www.dnr.maryland.gov.