New York Sea Grant's
Marina Pollution Prevention Web Site

How To Use This Site

This web site works best with Internet Explorer. We have tried to make it compatible with the most popular browsers, but in some cases you may experience unexpected results, especially when accessing outside links.

The main part of this site is divided into 7 sections representing the major operational areas for most boating facilities:

• Mechanical Activities
  
• Painting and Fiberglass Repair
  
• Hauling and Storing Boats
  
• Fueling
  
• Facility Management
  
• Emergency Planning
  
• Boater Education

Clicking your mouse on any of these headings on the opening page brings up another page for that Section. Additional topics available for the selected Section are shown on the left hand side of the screen as subtopics. Clicking on a subtopic brings up another page with detailed information and resources. These pages include sections on Potential Environmental Impacts; Best Management Practices; and Regulatory Issues associated with each of the activities.

The basic concepts and practices presented here are generally applicable to most recreational facilities. This website was developed in New York, but we have tried to cover the pertinent federal laws and regulations in the Regulatory Issues for each topic where possible. As most marina operators are aware, however, environmental laws, rules and regulations can vary by locality, region and state. It is extremely important the user contact the appropriate authorities in his area to ensure the legality of any action being considered. (Please, see the Disclaimer section accessed through the opening page.)

Two additional buttons can be found at the bottom of most of the pages. Clicking on NY Regulatory Compliance Requirements for this Topic takes you to sections of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's publication Environmental Compliance, Pollution Prevention, and Self Assessment Guide for the Marina Industry, that address the specific topic of the page. (See Related Links, click here.) The Additional Information and Resources on this Topic button provides access to websites, reports and other materials that include additional technical and regulatory information and resources related to the topic.

About the links

The website incorporates numerous embedded links that take you to other useful information found on other web sites, in other parts of this site or on files and documents that can be downloaded. These links are an extremely valuable part of the site and allow you to quickly access a wide range of information on environmental products and services, including technical specs, costs, manufacturers and suppliers and evaluations by independent organizations. (The links are usually indicated by bold face lettering in a different color than the surrounding text (for example: click here) or, in some cases, by the entire address of the link (for example www.seagrant.sunysb.edu). Your cursor will change from an arrow to a hand when positioned over a link. Clicking your mouse will then activate it.

Some of the links open files of a particular type known as a portable document format or "pdf." To read these files your browser needs a program called Adobe Acrobat Reader. It can be downloaded free of charge from the Adobe acrobat reader download page, click here. It is recommended you use Acrobat Reader version 6.0 or higher. Some PDF documents may not open properly with older Acrobat Reader versions.