BoatBanter.com - Yo Chuck!

On Jun 29, 6:42 pm, John H. wrote:
I just finished "Laws, Flaws, and Sacrificial Lambs" in the latest
NOR'WESTING. It was great. Sure hope you'll reproduce it here so all can
read it.
--
John H

Only because somebody asked.... :-)

Waterfront Watch, June 13 2007

Laws, Flaws, and Sacrificial Lambs

Two issues prior, this column reported that the City of Seattle,
Department of Public Utilities, nearly shut down the January Boats
Afloat Show. Inspectors were responding to a concerned
environmentalist's complaint that dealers and brokers were washing
boats with soap. We reported on a conversation with officials from the
DPU, including the fact that while it is legal to wash a car in
Seattle and flush every conceivable combination of automobile cleaning
chemicals down a storm drain and into local waters, boat owners are
breaking the law if anything other than pure water and elbow grease is
used when washing a boat.

In our last issue, we reported on the Washington State Department of
Ecology's perspective and our discovery that the Washington State DOE
doesn't specifically prohibit the use of soap when washing a boat- the
DOE merely insists that no soapy rinse water can flow overboard during
the process. The DOE also expressed a strong preference that pleasure
boats should be hauled out and washed at a commercial boatyard
whenever the need arises, and suggested that trailer boats should be
parked on the front lawn and washed at home.

We also learned that the proscriptions against boat washing are
selectively enforced, and usually in response to a complaint from a
concerned environmentalist. Virtually every boater is going to need to
wash the airborne industrial fallout, automobile exhaust soot, salt
spray, and seagull poop from the exterior of a boat. With the possible
exception of transom smoke, most of the materials washed into the
waters when a boat is cleaned either originated in the water, (like
salt), or would have fallen into it directly if our boats weren't so
obliging employed as interceptors for falling smog and particulates.
Nevertheless, it's "illegal" to use soap when washing a boat, or at
least to use soap in any way that allows it to get into the water. The
environmental extremists have labeled every boater in the state a
"criminal" for engaging in a common, necessary, and relatively benign
activity.

There aren't enough inspectors to ticket and fine every boater in the
state for cleaning up his or her boat. We are left with an
unenforceable law that defies common sense, that very few are likely
to obey, and one that the state lacks the manpower and political will
to enforce. It would be interesting to learn just how, specifically,
the State of Washington keeps the ferry fleet so clean. We can be
reasonably certain that the "Walla Walla", "Spokane", "Wenatchee", and
"Puyallup" aren't put into dry dock every time the decks get dirty,
and there is no chance that they are ever trucked onto anybody's front
lawn.

The situation is a sticky mess that even the most aggressive "boat
soap" is unlikely to dissolve. There are a couple of steps that would
seem to make sense, allowing us to be good stewards of the environment
while at the same time decriminalizing the proper maintenance of a
relatively expensive asset.

First, we need to get our elected representatives to modify the RCW
that defines a "pollutant". Using a standard that declares anything
except pure water a pollutant is ridiculous. Organic substances of all
descriptions have washed into streams, lakes, rivers, bays and sounds
since long before any type of human habitation occurred in the Pacific
NW. After perhaps millions of years of mud, crud, leaves and carcasses
mixing with fresh and salt water, our forefathers arrived and
pronounced the waters "pristine." That doesn't justify dumping
needlessly complex chemical compounds, strong concentrations of
materials with high pH factors, or pesticides, herbicides and other
toxins into the waters of our state. It certainly does demonstrate
that the earth is not so fragile that it cannot endure or recover from
reasonable and thoughtful use by boaters as well as the general
public.

Second, boaters should be willing to modify some of our customary
practices and the products we use for routine maintenance. Does a boat
need an entire, soapy scrub-down after every occasion some salt spray
is taken underway, or would a freshwater rinse with some judicious
brushing serve the purpose about as well? Do we need to wash our boats
from top to bottom once a week, or would a less frequent schedule
suffice? We're unlikely to encounter very many boaters still dumping a
handful of tri-sodium phosphate into the wash bucket, but shouldn't
more of us take the time to consider exactly what types of chemicals
are included in the products that find a way into our local waters?
Even nuclear waste could be considered "biodegradable" under the most
liberal of standards, so making intelligent choices involves more than
a mere consideration of whether a cleaning product will eventually
break down in the environment.

On a personal level, I will probably continue to engage in the
criminal activity of washing my boat. Having delved into this topic, I
have resolved to use fresh water rinses more frequently and use a rag
and specific "cleaner wax" compound (as recommended by the
manufacturer of my topside paint) for localized dirt. Of course, the
rag soiled with cleaner wax will need to be disposed of somewhere or
laundered- but it won't be dropped into the water. I will also be
experimenting with a new type of organic cleaning compound, (described
as a soap, not a detergent, and containing no petroleum distillates)
for my next boat wash and should be able to include a separate report
on the results elsewhere in this issue. While this product may still
fall short of being entirely legal, it does seem to address some of
the major ecological concerns behind the current legislation. As Bob
Dylan wrote, "To live outside the law, you must be honest."

Politicians remain too eager to offer up boaters as sacrificial lambs
to assuage anguished environmentalists. We don't have a powerful
lobby, and even if we all agreed on most political issues (which of
course we don't) there still aren't enough of us to make a real
difference at the polls. Cracking down on boaters allows elected
officials to point to steps taken to preserve the environment, all the
while running only a minimal political risk. The next time I am
accused of destroying the earth by washing my boat, I'll be tempted to
respond with my very best imitation of a sacrificial lamb. I'll say,
"Baaaah..... humbug."