New York Sea Grant's
Marina Pollution Prevention Web Site

Section 5: Facility Management - Landscaping

Potential Environmental Impacts

Excess pesticides and fertilizer that you put on grassed areas and plantings can eventually run off into the marina basin and harm marine and aquatic life. Landscaping techniques can be used to reduce environmental impacts on marina basins and can save money by requiring less water and maintenance, while creating an attractive location for customers.

Best Management Practices

Use native plants for landscaping. Plants that are native to the region and climate compete well with weeds and other pests. They also require less fertilizer and pest control than non-native plants. Native plants can be purchased at your local nursery.

Avoid planting invasive species. Invasive species multiply rapidly and take over areas very quickly. For more information on invasive species by state, click here. Your local Soil and Water Conservation District or Cooperative Extension Service should also be able to provide you with information on invasive species specific to your area.

Save water by watering in the early morning or late afternoon. Oscillating sprinklers can lose up to 50% of water to evaporation on hot days.

Use composted fish waste as fertilizer for your plants. See "Fish Waste," click here for more information.

Plant a vegetated filter strip or buffer between impervious areas and the marina basin. A vegetated filter strip is a densely vegetated strip of land engineered to accept runoff from upstream development as overland sheet flow. For more information on controlling runoff at your marina, see Stormwater Runoff Management Practices, click here.

Minimize fertilizer use. When it comes to fertilizer, more is not better! The excess nutrients from unused fertilizer will run off into the marina basin and potentially cause an algal bloom. Plus, the more you fertilize, the more frequently you have to mow. Leave grass clippings on the lawn areas since they act as a natural organic fertilizer.

If you must use fertilizer, apply it in late April and again in September. If a third treatment is needed, apply in late May. Apply only a half pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of lawn at each application. To figure this out, divide 100 by twice the percentage of nitrogen (N) in the fertilizer. This will give you the application rate in pounds of fertilizer per 1,000 square feet of lawn.

Regulatory Issues

Before disposing of old or unused lawn additives, particularly pesticides, conduct a hazardous waste determination to establish whether or not their disposal is subject to hazardous waste regulations. To determine if waste lawn products are hazardous, the generator must either have waste materials tested or utilize reliable "knowledge of process" information for the waste (if available) [40 CFR 262.11, click here]. Such information could include information from product labels, testing by haulers, or studies by industry trade groups. For more information on New York hazardous waste testing requirements, click here. If hazardous, waste lawn products must be managed in accordance with hazardous waste storage and handling requirements [40 CFR 262.11, click here]. For more information on New York's Hazardous Waste Regulations and storage requirements, click here.