Those marinas that fulfill clean marina requirements receive recognition and often enjoy free publicity through press releases and boater guides.

The Clean Texas Marina Program is managed by a partnership of the Texas Sea Grant Program, Marina Association of Texas, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Texas General Land Office and Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, with Sea Grant serving as a program administrator.

The Corpus Christi Marina voluntarily has taken many measures to reduce pollution. For example, the marina offers free contaminated bilge water pump outs to interested boaters, regardless of whether they are personal boats, commercial fishing boats, or even patrol boats from the Coast Guard or FBI.

The Corpus Christi Marina also provides details and printed information on environmental practices in the marina. Those efforts have shown results. The shrimp catch has come back, and more brown pelicans are being seen.

The marina provides training on how to use the free pump out facilities and even offers demonstrations.

To date, about 50 Texas marinas have been certified under the Clean Texas Marina Program. Another 40 have also pledged to do so, and are making progress in fulfilling program requirements.

Ninety-four percent of marina managers who have received certification as a Clean Texas Marina indicate that they have experienced fewer problems with customers and/or contractors leaving messes for the marina staff to clean. More than 80 percent said they have benefited from free publicity about their marina being in the program and nearly 70 percent said they had attracted new customers.

Clean marinas also have increased revenue. Nearly 50 percent said they had increased their revenues, and nearly 70 percent said that they saved money through better environmental standards or reduced costs.

All across the country, boaters and anglers are joining in the Clean Marina Program. Seventeen states, plus the District of Columbia and the Tennessee Valley Authority, have Clean Marina Programs. Four more are developing Clean Marina Programs. National Parks all across the country are also involved with the initiative.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is a direct partner in the Clean Marina Program, through its Clean Vessel Act program.  The program is helping to prevent the overboard flushing of hundreds of thousands of gallons of sewage by recreational boaters. It provides up to $10 million annually to State agencies for the installation and maintenance of sewage pump-out facilities. The Clean Vessel Act also uses a portion of the funding for educational outreach, so that boaters can learn how to avoid improper sewage disposal.

The grant program has helped clean up America’s waterways. Thanks to the program, some areas that were previously closed to commercial oystering due to high sewage levels have now become available.