Boat owners play an important role in protecting water quality. What you do while boating and maintaining your boat can help keep our waterways safe and clean for everyone to enjoy.
Use oil absorbent pads in your bilge and under your engine to catch drips. Check pads often and dispose of them properly at the marina.
Use an oil change pump to transfer oil to a spill-proof container. Wrap a plastic bag around the oil filter to prevent oil from spilling into the bilge.
Don't top off your gas tank and leave room in the tank for fuel to expand as temperatures rise.
Never use soap to disperse fuel and oil spills. Soap pushes oil into the water column rather than letting it evaporate.
Whenever possible, do maintenance out of the water. If you must do in-water repairs and maintenance, use tarps and vacuum sanders and collect all drips and debris.
Use a hard, less toxic or nontoxic antifouling paint. Use non-abrasive underwater hull cleaning techniques to reduce paint discharge. Dry storage reduces the need for antifouling paints and saves money.
Safely dispose of used oil and filters, batteries, unused paint, solvents, antifreeze, cleaning products and other chemicals at a hazardous waste collection site.
Do not discharge treated or untreated sewage into our waterways. Many marinas provide sewage pumpout as a free or low-cost service. Pierce County's South Sound Mobile Pumpout Program offers free pumpouts on weekends and holidays during the boating season. Learn more here.
Never throw your trash, cigarette butts, fishing line or other garbage into our waterways. Properly recycle or dispose of all garbage at a marina or other onshore location.
Use phosphate-free, biodegradable soaps. Minimize discharge by washing dishes and taking showers on shore whenever possible.
Pierce County wants to hear from you. Please select one of the following to talk to elected officials and staff, or to report problems in our community.