SECTION 1: Introduction

1-1

SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION

The Purpose and Scope of This Guidance

This national management measures guidance for

marinas and recreational boating provides guidance to states, territories, authorized tribes, and

the public regarding management measures that

may be used to reduce nonpoint source pollution

from marinas and recreational boating activities.

The guidance is intended to provide technical

assistance to state program managers and others

on the best practicable means of reducing

nonpoint source pollution of surface waters from

marinas and recreational boating. The guidance

provides background information about nonpoint

source pollution from marinas and recreational

boating—including where it comes from and how

it enters the nation’s waters—and technical

information about how to reduce nonpoint source

pollution from marinas and recreational boating. It

also discusses the relationship of marinas to the

watersheds in which they are located.

The guidance can assist marina managers in

identifying possible sources of nonpoint source

pollution and offers potential solutions. Finding a

solution to nonpoint source pollution problems at a

marina requires taking into account the sitespecific factors that together compose the setting

of a marina. The best management practices

(BMPs) presented in Section 4 of this guidance

are recommended based on their successful

application at many marinas nationwide. Their

applicability to any particular marina or situation,

however, must be determined based on sitespecific factors. The applicability of the individual

BMPs and combinations of BMPs should be

considered within the overall context of the

location, environment, design, and needs of the

marina. Marina managers should make informed

decisions, based on the circumstances at their

particular marina, as to whether the BMPs in this

guidance or others would be most effective for

controlling nonpoint source pollution. Which BMP

or combination of BMPs is used is not the critical

point. Preventing water pollution is.

This guidance refers to statutory and regulatory

provisions that contain legally binding requirements.

It does not take the place of those provisions or

regulations, nor is it a regulation itself. Thus, it does

not impose legally binding requirements on the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), states,

territories, authorized tribes, or the public and might

not apply to a particular situation. The decision

Section 1 Contents

The Purpose and Scope of This Guidance ....................................................................1-1

Relationship to CZARA Guidance ....................................................................................1-2

National Water Quality Inventory .....................................................................................1-3

What is Nonpoint Source Pollution? ...............................................................................1-4

Watershed Approach to Nonpoint Source Pollution Control .......................................1-5

Programs to Control Nonpoint Source Pollution...........................................................1-7

National Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Program .............................................1-7

Storm Water Permit Program .......................................................................................1-8

Coastal Nonpoint Pollution Control Program ............................................................1-8

Clean Vessel Act Pumpout Grant Program ................................................................1-9

International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution

from Ships (MARPOL)...................................................................................................1-9

Oil Pollution Act (OPA) and Regulation ....................................................................1-10

Sources of Further Information .....................................................................................1-10

Watershed Resources..................................................................................................... 1-11
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National Management Measures Guidance

makers of EPA, states, territories, and authorized

tribes retain the discretion to adopt approaches on

a case-by-case basis that differ from this guidance

where appropriate. EPA may change this guidance

in the future.

The guidance is organized in six parts:

• Section 1 introduces the guidance.

• Section 2 discusses the sources of nonpoint

source pollution and the specific pollutants of

concern associated with marinas and recreational boating.

• Section 3 discusses management measures

and site-specific BMPs generally, the use of

combinations of BMPs (BMP systems), and

the characteristics of surface waters where

marinas are located.

• Section 4 introduces the 15 management

measures for marinas and recreational

boating and describes BMPs that can be used

to achieve the management measures.

• Section 5 describes some models used to

estimate pollutant loads and discusses water

quality monitoring.

• Appendices provide additional relevant

information.

The management measures in this guidance are

the best available, economically achievable

practices or combinations of practices that can be

used to address nonpoint sources of pollution

related to marinas and recreational boating. EPA

originally identified 15 management measures for

implementation within the state coastal management areas (see Guidance Specifying Management Measures for Sources of Nonpoint

Pollution in Coastal Waters [USEPA, 1993]).

The titles of the management measures are listed

in the box to the above right. From discussions

with marina owners and operators at facilities on

fresh waters nationwide, these 15 management

measures and associated practices have been

found generally to be just as applicable to fresh

water marinas as they are to coastal water

marinas. They form the basic measures recommended in this guidance.

Best management practices are individual

activities or structures that can be used alone or in

combination to achieve the management measures. Refer to Section 4 for a thorough discussion of the 15 management measures for marinas

and recreational boating and the known BMPs

that can be used to achieve them.

The scope of this national management measures

guidance is broad, covering diverse nonpoint

source pollutants from marinas and recreational

boating. Because it reflects all types of

waterbodies, it cannot provide all practices and

techniques suitable to all regional or local marina

or waterbody conditions. Also, BMPs are continuously being modified and developed as a result of

experience gained from BMP implementation and

the innovation of marina managers across the

country.

Management measures are steps that

can be taken to control of the addition of

pollutants from nonpoint sources. Management measures are achievable through the

application of BMPs, technologies,

processes, siting criteria, operating

methods, or other alternatives.

Management Measures for Marinas

and Recreational Boating

Flushing

Water quality assessment

Habitat assessment

Shoreline stabilization

Storm water runoff

Fueling station design

Petroleum control

Liquid material management

Solid waste management

Fish waste management

Sewage facilities

Maintenance of sewage facilities

Boat cleaning

Boat operation

Public education
SECTION 1: Introduction

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Relationship to CZARA Guidance

Readers should note that this guidance is consistent with the Guidance Specifying Management

Measures for Sources of Nonpoint Pollution in

Coastal Waters (USEPA, 1993) published under

section 6217 of the Coastal Zone Act Reauthorization Amendments of 1990 (CZARA). This

guidance does not supplant or replace the 1993

coastal management measures guidance for the

purpose of implementing programs under section

6217.

Under CZARA, states that participate in the

Coastal Zone Management Program under the

Coastal Zone Management Act are required to

develop Coastal Nonpoint Pollution Control

Programs that ensure the implementation of

EPA’s management measures in their coastal

management areas. The 1993 guidance continues

to apply to that program.

This national management measures guidance

modifies and expands upon the supplementary

technical information contained in the coastal

management measures guidance both to reflect

circumstances relevant to differing inland conditions and to provide current technical information.

It does not set new or additional standards for

state Nonpoint Source Management Programs

under section 319 of the Clean Water Act (CWA)

or section 6217 of CZARA. It does, however,

provide information that government agencies,

private sector groups, and individuals can use to

understand and apply measures and practices to

address nonpoint source pollution from marinas

and recreational boating.

National Water Quality Inventory

The nation’s aquatic resources are among its

most valuable assets. Although environmental

protection programs in the United States like

those implemented under the CWA have brought

great improvements to water quality during the

past 30 years, many challenges remain. Significant

progress has been made in reducing pollution to the

nation’s waters from industrial and municipal

wastewater treatment systems. Nevertheless,

EPA reported in its 1998 National Water Quality

Inventory, published in June 2000, that more than

35 percent of the inland waters and estuaries

assessed are still too polluted to support their

designated uses (based on survey information

submitted by states, territories, and tribes). The

health of these waters is primarily degraded by

nonpoint source pollution, which is described more

fully on page 1-4.

Every 2 years, EPA reports to Congress on the

quality of the nation’s waters in the National

Water Quality Inventory. States, territories, and

tribes survey the water quality in a sample of the

rivers and streams; lakes, ponds, and reservoirs;

estuaries; ocean shorelines; and/or Great Lakes

shorelines in their jurisdictions and report the

findings to EPA for the Inventory. Because each

state, territory, and tribe surveys its jurisdictional

waters according to individual priorities, the

survey results cannot be generalized as the quality

of the nation’s waters overall, but the results do

provide a snapshot of nationwide water quality

and water quality trends.

The 1998 National Water Quality Inventory

summarizes the water quality assessment reports

submitted by states, territories, and tribes.

Table 1-1 lists the overall percentages of each

waterbody type surveyed and the water quality of

those waters in terms of designated use support.

States, territories, and tribes designate waters as

suitable for particular uses, depending on location,

surrounding land use, and other factors. For

instance, a river passing near an urban area might

be designated to be used for noncontact recreation (such as fishing or boating), while a stream

in a state park might be designated for aquatic life

support. Water quality criteria are set for each

waterbody according to its designated use(s).

The types of pollutants that degrade these waters

are

Designated uses are set by states as

water quality goals for individual

waterbodies. Designated use goals

include drinking water supply, primary

contact recreation (such as swimming),

and aquatic life support. Each designated

use has a unique set of water quality

requirements or criteria that must be met

for the use to be attained.
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National Management Measures Guidance

• Nutrients (excess nitrogen and phosphorus).

• Sediment (from soil and shoreline erosion).

• Disease-causing bacteria (from animal waste

washed into surface waters and inadequately

treated sewage).

• Toxic metals (from mining runoff, stormwater runoff from urban and industrial areas,

and industrial processes).

• Toxic organic chemicals (such as dioxins and

polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs).

• Oxygen-depleting materials (organic materials

like leaf litter that consume oxygen as they

break down in the water).

• Pesticides (including insecticides and herbicides).

• Petroleum compounds (such as fuel, oil, and

grease).

• Noxious or invasive aquatic plants (such as

Eurasian water milfoil and water hyacinth).

The leading sources of these pollutants are

agriculture, municipal point sources, industrial

discharges, nonpoint sources (in general), urban

runoff/storm sewers, atmospheric deposition,

hydrologic modification (dams and shoreline

modification), habitat modification, and mining.

Although marinas are not one of the major

sources of pollution to our nation’s rivers, lakes, or

estuaries, they are centers of recreation, and poor

or inadequate pollution prevention practices in

them can result in human health problems and

local water quality degradation. Examples of

potential nonpoint source pollution problems at

marinas include poor water circulation and

flushing within the marina, petroleum spills from

storage tanks and boat fueling, bilge oil discharges, and runoff from boat hull maintenance

and engine repair areas. Nonpoint source pollution

at marinas can also result from poor housekeeping

practices (such as in-water boat washing with

polluting detergents), a lack of containers for

recycling solid and liquid waste materials, and

inadequate sanitary facilities.

What Is Nonpoint Source Pollution?

Nonpoint source pollution results from rainwater

and snow (or snowmelt) carrying pollutants

picked up from the atmosphere or the ground to

surface water and ground water. It is also

associated with land runoff from irrigation or lawn

watering, ground water drainage from mines and

Table 1-1. Percentages of surveyed waters supporting designated uses.

Waterbody Type

Percent

Surveyed

Fully

Supporting

All Usesaa

Threatened for

One or More

Usesaa

Impaired for

One or More

Usesaa

Quantity of

Waterbody

Type in US

Rivers &

Streams (miles) 23 65 10 35 3.7 million

miles

Lakes, Ponds, &

Reservoirs

(acres)

42 55 9 45 41.6 million

acres

Estuaries

(square miles) 32 56 9 44 90,465

square miles

Ocean Shoreline

(miles) 5 88 8 12 66,645

miles

Great Lakes

Shoreline (miles) 90 4 2 96 5,521

miles

a

 Percent of units of waterbody type surveyed in this category. For example, 9 percent of the 32 percent of estuaries

surveyed were threatened for one or more uses at the time of the survey.

Source: USEPA, 2000 (1998 Report to Congress)
SECTION 1: Introduction

1-5

landfills, seepage from broken or leaking pipes,

and hydrologic modification. Hydrologic modification is anything that alters natural water currents,

such as dams and levees or changes to natural

shorelines with hard structures or excavation,

such as riprap or cement. These are considered

nonpoint sources of pollution because of the harm

that can occur to the biological and physical

integrity of surface and ground waters as a result

of them. The nonpoint source pollutants that

cause the greatest harm to surface waters are

nutrients, sediments, organic matter, pathogens,

and toxic compounds (including petroleum compounds and toxic metals).

Technically, the term nonpoint source is defined

to mean any source of water pollution that does

not meet the legal definition of point source in

section 502(14) of the CWA of 1987:

The term “point source” means any

discernible, confined and discrete

conveyance, including but not limited to

any pipe, ditch, channel, tunnel, conduit, well, discrete fissure, container,

rolling stock, concentrated animal

feeding operation, or vessel or other

floating craft, from which pollutants are

or may be discharged. This term does

not include agricultural storm water

discharges and return flows from irrigated agriculture.

Although diffuse runoff is usually treated as

nonpoint source pollution, runoff that enters and is

discharged from conveyances like those described

above is treated as a point source discharge. Point

sources typically enter receiving water bodies at

some identifiable site, such as the end of a pipe,

and they are usually the result of a discharge from

some industrial process or construction activity,

not rain or snowfall. The distinction between point

and nonpoint sources of pollution is an important

one because point source discharges such as

municipal and industrial wastewaters and storm

sewer outfalls from urbanized areas are regulated

and issued permits under the CWA, whereas

nonpoint sources are not subject to federal permit

requirements.

Watershed Approach to Nonpoint Source

Pollution Control

Marinas, by nature of their business, are positioned in a watershed, where the activities of

others in the watershed affect water quality in the

marina basin. Water quality at any specific point

along a river is influenced by all upstream and

upgradient locations in the river’s watershed.

Marinas located on rivers and reservoirs are

potential recipients of the runoff from sources

located upstream and along upstream tributaries,

and from all upgradient land-based activities in the

watershed. Lakes are the natural sinks for runoff

from activities in their basins, and the water

quality in marinas on lakes is potentially influenced

by all of the activities in the watershed and

activities that occur on the lake. The water quality

of marinas in estuaries and coastal areas is

similarly influenced by the numerous activities that

contribute runoff and pollutants to the water

flowing into the marina basin. The runoff from

marinas in urban settings is often mixed with

runoff from nearby areas because runoff is

directed toward the surface waters where

marinas are located. Similarly, marinas in watersheds where agriculture is abundant may receive

a lot of runoff from upland agricultural sources.

Marinas can benefit from cooperative environmental protection efforts that involve and educate

those who potentially contribute pollutants to the

surface waters in the watershed where the

marina is located and seek responsible, shared

solutions to water quality problems.

Since 1991 EPA has promoted the watershed

protection approach as a comprehensive framework for addressing complex pollution problems,

such as those from nonpoint sources within a

defined geographic area. The watershed

protection approach is not a new centralized

government program. It is a flexible framework

for focusing and integrating current environSurface waters include ponds, lakes,

streams, rivers, estuaries, bays, and

oceans. Ground water is the water in

soils and aquifers.
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National Management Measures Guidance

mental protection efforts and for exploring

innovative methods to achieve maximum

efficiency in using resources and obtaining

positive environmental effects.

The watershed protection approach is a comprehensive planning process that considers all natural

resources in a watershed, as well as social,

cultural, and economic factors (Figure 1-1). The

process tailors workable solutions to ecosystem

needs through the participation and leadership of

stakeholders.

Although watershed approaches might vary in

terms of specific objectives, priorities, elements,

timing, and resources, all should be

based on the following guiding

principles:

• Partnerships: People affected

by management decisions are

involved throughout and help

shape key decisions. Cooperative

partnerships among federal,

state, and local agencies; Indian

tribes; and nongovernmental

organizations with interests in the

watershed are formed. This

approach ensures that environmental objectives are well

integrated with those for economic stability and other social/

cultural goals of the area. The

approach also builds support for

action among the people who

are economically dependent on

the natural resources of the

area.

Watershed projects typically

involve state environmental,

public health, agricultural, and

natural resources agencies; local

and/or regional boards, commissions, and agencies; EPA waterand air

programs; other federal agencies; private

wildlife and conservation organizations;

industry sector representatives; and the

academic community.

• Geographic focus: Resource management

activities are coordinated and directed within

specific geographic areas, usually defined by

watershed boundaries, areas overlying or

recharging ground water, or a combination of

both. Watershed projects encompass all or

most of the landscape in a well-defined

watershed or other ecological, physiographic,

or hydrologic unit, such as an embayment, an

aquifer, or a lake and its drainage area.

• Sound management techniques based on

strong science and data: Collectively,

watershed stakeholders employ sound

scientific data, tools, and techniques in an

Watersheds are areas of land that drain to

a single stream, lake, or other water

resource. Watersheds are defined solely

by drainage areas and not by land ownership or political boundaries.

Figure 1-1. Schematic of a watershed. Sources of pollutants from

throughout the watershed are carried downstream in surface water

runoff and ground water flow. The watershed approach involves

examining all pollution problems in the watershed, setting priorities,

and taking an integrated approach to addressing the problems.
SECTION 1: Introduction

1-7

iterative decision-making process. Typically,

this process includes:

– Assessment and characterization of the

natural resources in the watershed and the

people who depend on them.

– Goal setting and identification of environmental objectives based on the condition or

vulnerability of resources and the needs of

the aquatic ecosystem and the people. Welldefined goals and objectives are established

for the watershed, including objectives for

chemical water quality (e.g., reduced

toxicity), physical water quality (e.g., temperature, flow, circulation), habitat quality

(e.g., channel morphology, health of biotic

communities), and biodiversity (e.g., species

number, range, replacement of exotic species

with native species).

– Identification of priority problems. Watershed projects identify the most significant

threats to water quality, based on a comparative risk analysis of the potential human

health, ecological, and economic impacts.

The resources of the participants in a

watershed project are then targeted in a

coordinated fashion toward the high-risk

problems.

– Development of specific management

options and action plans. Based on the

priorities that have been set, integrated

action plans that will achieve the goals and

objectives of the watershed protection

project are devised.

– Implementation, evaluation, and revision of

plans as needed. All appropriate authorities

and techniques are employed to achieve the

goals and objectives set forth in the action

plans. Normally, existing programs of local,

state, and federal agencies; private environmental and civic groups; and industries and

corporations form the basis of the framework for implementation of the action plans.

These separate efforts are merely coordinated and redirected to work together more

efficiently to achieve common goals. Cost

savings due to this coordination of efforts

are often realized by the participants.

• Getting Organized: Working as a task force,

stakeholders reach consensus on goals and

approaches for addressing a watershed’s

problems, the specific actions to be taken, and

how those actions will be coordinated and

evaluated. Coordinated action can be taken in

areas such as voluntary pollution prevention

(BMP installation) and source reduction

(waste minimization).

Programs to Control Nonpoint Source

Pollution

Several federal laws and programs that address

nonpoint source pollution in one form or another

are in effect. The most important ones are

discussed below.

National Nonpoint Source Pollution Control

Program

During the first 15 years of the federal water

pollution control program to abate and control

water pollution (1972–1987), EPA and the states

focused most of their water pollution control

activities on industrial and municipal wastewater

point source discharges. They regulated point

sources through the National Pollutant Discharge

Elimination System (NPDES) permit program

established by section 402 of the 1972 Federal

Water Pollution Control Act (Clean Water Act).

Discharges of dredged and fill materials into

wetlands were also regulated by EPA and the

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers under section 404

of the CWA.

As a result of these activities, by the mid-1980s

pollutant loads from point source discharges had

been greatly reduced and considerable progress

had been made in restoring and maintaining water

quality. However, the gains made in controlling

point sources had not achieved the desired level

of water quality improvement. Recent studies and

surveys by EPA and by state water quality

agencies indicate that most of the remaining

water quality improvement impairments in rivers,

streams, lakes, estuaries, coastal waters, and

wetlands result from nonpoint source pollution and

other nontraditional sources, such as urban storm

water discharges and combined sewer overflows.
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National Management Measures Guidance

In view of the growing national awareness of the

now-dominant influence of nonpoint source

pollution on water quality, Congress amended the

CWA in 1987 to focus pollution control efforts on

nonpoint sources. The amended CWA added a

fundamental principle to section 101, “Declaration

of Goals and Policy”:

It is the national policy that programs

for the control of nonpoint sources of

pollution be developed and implemented

in an expeditious manner so as to

enable the goals of this Act to be met

through the control of both point and

nonpoint sources of pollution.

Supporting the section 101 Declaration, Congress

enacted section 319 in the 1987 act, which

established a national program to control nonpoint

sources of water pollution. Under section 319,

states, territories, and Indian tribes address

nonpoint source pollution by assessing the problems and causes of nonpoint source pollution and

implementing management programs to control

them. Section 319 authorizes EPA to issue grants

to states and tribes to assist them in implementing

management programs or the portions of management programs that have been approved by EPA.

In 1990–2001, EPA awarded more than $1.3

billion in section 319 grants to help states, territories, and tribes implement their nonpoint source

programs.

Further information about nonpoint source pollution control is available at EPA’s web site,

http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps.

Storm Water Permit Program

The CWA prohibits the discharge of any pollutant

to waters of the United States from a point source

unless the discharge is allowed under a National

Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)

permit. The NPDES permitting program is

designed to track classes of point source discharges, monitor the discharge of pollutants from

specific sources to surface waters, and require

the implementation of the controls necessary to

minimize the discharge of pollutants.

As pollution control measures for industrial and

municipal wastewater sources were implemented

and refined, studies showed that storm water

runoff draining large surface areas, such as

agricultural and urban land, was also a significant

cause of water quality impairment.

In 1987 Congress amended the CWA to require

implementation of a comprehensive national

program for addressing problematic nonagricultural sources of storm water discharges. As

required by the amended CWA, the NPDES

Storm Water Program is implemented in two

phases:

• Phase I requires permits for separate storm

water systems serving large- and

medium-sized communities (those with more

than 100,000 inhabitants) and for storm water

discharges associated with industrial and

construction activity involving at least 5 acres

(see Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations [CFR], Part 122).

• Phase II addresses urban areas with populations of less than 100,000; construction sites

of 1 to 5 acres; and retail, commercial, and

residential activities.

Further information is available on EPA’s NPDES

Storm Water Program web page,

http://www.epa.gov/owm/npdes.htm.

Information on the applicability of the Storm

Water Permit Program to marinas is provided in

Section 4.5.

Coastal Nonpoint Pollution Control Program

In November 1990 Congress enacted CZARA.

The amendments were intended to address the

impacts of nonpoint source pollution on coastal

water quality. Section 6217, “Protecting Coastal

Waters” (codified as 16 U.S.C. section 1455b),

provides that each state with an approved Coastal

Zone Management Program must develop and

submit a Coastal Nonpoint Pollution Control

Program to EPA and the National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for approval.

Section 6217 required NOAA to recommend and

states to determine the geographic area in each

coastal state within which land and water uses

have a significant effect on coastal water quality,

and states are to implement control measures
SECTION 1: Introduction

1-9

within this 6217 management area, or coastal

management area.

Coastal Nonpoint Pollution Control Programs are

not intended to supplant existing Coastal Zone

Management Programs and Nonpoint Source

Management Programs. Rather, they are to serve

as an update and expansion of existing nonpoint

source management programs in the 6217 management area and are to be coordinated closely

with the Coastal Zone Management Programs

that states and territories are already implementing. The legislative history indicates that the

central purpose of section 6217 is to strengthen

the links between federal and state coastal zone

management and water quality programs and to

enhance state and local efforts to manage land

use activities that degrade coastal waters and

habitats.

Section 6217(g) of CZARA required EPA to

publish, in consultation with NOAA, the U.S. Fish

and Wildlife Service, and other federal agencies,

“guidance for specifying management measures

for sources of nonpoint pollution in coastal

waters.” EPA published Guidance Specifying

Management Measures for Sources of Nonpoint Source Pollution in Coastal Waters in

1993. In that document, CZARA management

measures and BMPs were defined and described

for marinas and recreational boating, as well as

for urban development, agriculture, hydromodification and wetlands, and forestry.

Further information on CZARA and coastal

nonpoint source pollution control can be found at

the EPA web site for CZARA and section 6217:

http://www.epa.gov/owow/czmact.html.

Clean Vessel Act Pumpout Grant Program

The Clean Vessel Act (CVA) Pumpout Grant

Program makes matching grants available,

through a competitive process, to all states and

territories for construction and education

efforts and to coastal states (excluding Alaska)

to conduct surveys and develop plans for the

installation of pumpouts for onboard sewage

holding tanks. States match grant funds at a 3:1

(federal-to-state) ratio. The program benefits

boaters, who will have more numerous and

convenient pumpout facilities to use as a result

of the program, and the public and environment as

a whole through reductions of disease-carrying

microorganisms contained in sewage discharges

and improvements in dissolved oxygen concentrations. Further information is available at

http://fa.r9.fws.gov/cva/cva.html.

International Convention for the Prevention

of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL)

The International Convention for the Prevention

of Pollution from Ships, known as MARPOL 73/78

(for Marine Pollution) is an internationally accepted

treaty that, together with U.S. laws and regulations, sets out operational waste discharge

requirements for ships. MARPOL 73/78 contains

five annexes designed to reduce marine pollution

by controlling or prohibiting discharges of harmful

substances from ships (see box). It covers

intentional and accidental discharges of wastes of

all kinds from vessels and applies to ports, terminals, and marinas as well. The United States is

signatory to MARPOL 73/78 and Annexes I, II,

III, and V; Annex IV is not currently in force

internationally.

In the United States, MARPOL 73/78 is implemented through the Act to Prevent Pollution

from Ships of 1980, as amended. The U.S.

Coast Guard is responsible for promulgating

regulations and enforcing the treaty. Regulations

for ships are included in 33 CFR Part 151; those

for port reception facilities are included in 33

CFR Part 158.

MARPOL 73/78 ANNEXES

Annex I: Oil

Annex II: Noxious liquid substances in

bulk

Annex III: Harmful substances carried

in package form

Annex IV: Sewage

Annex V: Garbage and all other

ordinary ship-generated solid

and liquid waste not covered

by Annexes I, II, III, and IV
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National Management Measures Guidance

MARPOL 73/78 Annex V is implemented in the

United States by the Marine Plastic Pollution

Research and Control Act (MPPRCA) of 1987,

Title II of Public Law 100-220. Annex V prohibits

disposal of plastics at sea and restricts at-sea

disposal of other vessel-generated trash. It also

requires shore reception facilities for the plastics

and other trash brought to shore for disposal.

Recreational boating facilities, along with other

ports and terminals, are required to have a trash

reception facility that is capable of receiving trash

from those vessels that do business with them

(33 CFR Part 158). Vessels 26 feet or longer

must display a placard that explains MARPOL

73/78 Annex V ocean disposal regulations

(Figure 1-2).

Oil Pollution Act (OPA) and Regulations

The Oil Pollution Act (OPA) is a comprehensive

prevention, response, liability, and compensation

regime for dealing with vessel- and facilitygenerated discharges of oil or hazardous substances. Under the OPA, any hazardous waste

spill from a vessel must be reported by the owner

of the vessel and vessel owners are responsible

for any costs of a resulting environmental cleanup

and any damage claims that might result from the

spill. Marinas are responsible for any oil contamination resulting from their facilities, including

dumping or spilling of oil or oil-based paint and the

use of chemically treated agents.

The OPA also requires Area Committees to

prepare an Area Contingency Plan for approval

by EPA and the Coast Guard. An Area Contingency Plan provides details of how to respond to

a spill within a specific geographic area. Marinas

are subject to a broader range of claims and

liability than vessel owners, and marina owners

should consult their Area Contingency Plan for

proper remedial actions.

There are other laws that relate directly and indirectly to marinas and recreational boating. The major

tenets of those laws are presented in Appendix D

and on EPA’s web site at http://www.epa.gov/oilspill.

Sources of Further Information

Other information about nonpoint source pollution

and its control can be accessed at the Office of

Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds page of the

EPA web site, http://www.epa.gov/owow.

USCG. 1994. Managing Waste at Recreational

Boating Facilities. U.S. Coast Guard, Marine

Figure 1-2. MARPOL placard
SECTION 1: Introduction

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Environmental Protection Division, Environmental

Coordination Branch, Washington, DC. April.

USEPA. 1993. Guidance specifying management measures for sources of nonpoint pollution in coastal waters. EPA 840-B-92-002. U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency, Office of

Water, Washington, DC. January.

USEPA. 1996. Clean Marinas—Clear Value:

Environmental and Business Success Stories.

EPA 841-R-96-003. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water, Washington, DC.

August.

USEPA and USDOC. 1993. Coastal Nonpoint

Pollution Control Program: Program Development and Approval Guidance. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water,

Washington, DC, and National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration, Washington, DC.

January.

Watershed Resources

EPA’s Surf Your Watershed web site offers a

Web-based source of information about watersheds throughout the United States. The site

contains information about watershed size,

pollutants, stressors, and condition. Access

information for any watershed in the nation by

clicking on maps at http://www.epa.gov/surf.

USEPA. 1991. The Watershed Protection

Approach. EPA/503/9-92/002. U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency, Office of Water, Washington,

DC. December.

USEPA. 1995. Watershed Protection: A Project

Focus. EPA841-R-95-003. U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency, Office of Water, Washington,

DC. August.

USEPA. 1997. Top 10 Watershed Lessons

Learned. EPA840-F-97-001. U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency, Office of Water, Washington,

DC. October. [This document discusses some

very important lessons in ensuring the success of

watershed protection projects, gained from

experience with the watershed approach for

addressing environmental problems. The document contains case studies of watershed projects

that have been implemented throughout the

country and lists of contacts for further information and technical assistance. It is available at

http://www.epa.gov/owow/lessons.]

Other references and information on organizations

related to pollution prevention in marinas can be

found in the bibliography and Appendix E. Other

information about nonpoint source pollution and its

control can be found at the EPA Office of

Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds web page:

http://www.epa.gov/owow.
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National Management Measures Guidance