by Sejal Choksi, San Francisco Baykeeper
To patrol the thousands of miles
of waterways in the vast and beautiful San Francisco Bay, skippers
of San Francisco Baykeeper and its Bay Chapter, Deltakeeper Chapter and
Petaluma Riverkeeper Chapter log countless hours in six patrol boats.
Like all Waterkeeper programs, Baykeeper walks the talk to reduce the
ecological impacts of our own operations. Along with following best
practices for refueling and maintenance, Baykeeper has equipped all six
of our boats with four-stroke engines.
Four-stroke engines are a little
heavier, a little more expensive, and require more maintenance than their
two-stroke counterparts, but they are far less polluting. Older style two-stroke
models can dump up to 30 percent of their fuel, unburned, into the water.
This fuel poisons birds and aquatic wildlife. MTBE, a chemical found in
some fuel, is particularly dangerous to drinking water supplies. While
new direct fuel injection technology has substantially reduced this problem
in some two-stroke models, four-stroke engines emit fewer hydrocarbons,
run more quietly, and burn fuel more efficiently. All in all, four
stokes are a sound choice for any boater concerned about protecting
the environment.
• Clean your hull on the shore, contain the debris, and dispose of it in the trash.
• Cleaning products that will harm you, will harm the environment – look for alternatives that don’t say “do not get in eyes” or “always wear gloves.”
• Buy only non-toxic and phosphate-free cleaners – look for the Green Seal of approval (www.greenseal.org).
• Use a marine pump out station at the end of each day.
• Never dump untreated sewage into any lake, river
or coastal water.
• Avoid holding tank products that contain quarternary ammonium compounds (QACs) and formaldehyde.
• Stow it, don’t throw it – throwing trash overboard is illegal everywhere.
|
|