Hammer Dropping on Hull Cleaning in SIYB

[Fstbttms]

If you keep a boat in San Diego's Shelter Island Yacht Basin, you should be aware that the Port of San Diego is proposing to drastically limit in-water hull cleaning activities there. Here is what the Port’s Director of Environmental Services (Dave Merk) has in mind:

Boat Cleaning Guidelines

1. NO use of any power equipment such as power brushes or hydro washers.

2. Light wiping of anti fouling with soft cloth or soft carpet only. Material to be approved by Marina Manager.

3. NEVER allow cleaning to produce a "cloud" in water.

4. Limit to 8 Cleanings per year. Every other month from October to May (November, January, March, May) and monthly in the Summer months (June, July, August, September) This is the most direct way to lower the pollution to the sediment and the water column. Eight cleanings in one year is a good start, 6 are better, 0 is best.

5. Never clean hard growth off of anti-fouling paint. If the vessel needs aggressive cleaning stop cleaning until owner has the vessel hauled and re-coated. If diver continues to clean, management could ban diver from marina and should. No "pre haulout"cleanings. Divers must notify marina staff of hard growth. Marina staff will notify boat owners that their boats are excessively fouled and may not be cleaned in their slip. They must be hauled out and cleaned at a boatyard.

6. Props, Shafts, etc. can be scrubbed and scraped as needed, as long as they are not coated with toxic paint.

7. Boatyards to report to marina the condition of vessel bottom when hauled. Evidence of hard scrubbing and paint removal to be reported. If found to have paint removed, marina staff could ban diver from their marina.


If you have any questions or would like to know how to oppose these draconian measures, contact the California Professional Divers Association:

California Professional Divers Association
info@prodivers.org
619.222.3483

[artbyjody]

California was the first if not leading state to start the issue with bottom paint requirements (ie stipulating what can be used) as well as marina dockyard restrictions. WA is following closely. Is there a professional organization that represents your industry in laws / restrictions such as this?

The odds are that the regulations are designed due to studies on ablative paints used for bottom painting. New laws restrict the use or percentage of metals and other toxin that can be used. So - is this not yet another double whammy?

Not only from the perspective that this effects those that do not use diving services, but I can see the impact that it will have on yours (especially racers which use it - what they will now have to haul out...)....

gimmney crickets...

[Fstbttms]

Originally Posted by artbyjody

Is there a professional organization that represents your industry in laws / restrictions such as this?...

The California Professional Divers Association exists primarily to represent the hull cleaning industry to the regulatory powers that be.

Originally Posted by artbyjody

The odds are that the regulations are designed due to studies on ablative paints used for bottom painting. New laws restrict the use or percentage of metals and other toxin that can be used. So - is this not yet another double whammy?

These particular guidelines are based on a study done for the Port of San Diego that focused specifically on copper introduced into the water column during in-water hull cleaning activities, using two types of anti fouling paint, one silicone-based, the other a modified epoxy. No ablatives were used in this study.

Originally Posted by artbyjody

I can see the impact that it will have on yours (especially racers which use it - what they will now have to haul out

The Port clearly wants to end in-water hull cleaning altogether. As usual, the bureaucracy ignores the real problem (copper-based paints) and aims at the easy target (hull cleaners).

[artbyjody]

So what can WE do other than being appraised of the situation. It makes no sense actually as it is the ablatives that are the source of the problem based on other studies from the EPA...as I understand it...I'd be curious of the expoxy and silicone based as they have not nearly the toxic or reduction that ablatives have - aren't those kind of bottom paints considered "hard" - meaning they do not dissolve - and requires more work (for you in terms of effort to scrub / scrape etc...)...

[Fstbttms]

Originally Posted by artbyjody

So what can WE do other than being appraised of the situation. It makes no sense actually as it is the ablatives that are the source of the problem based on other studies from the EPA...as I understand it...I'd be curious of the expoxy and silicone based as they have not nearly the toxic or reduction that ablatives have - aren't those kind of bottom paints considered "hard" - meaning they do not dissolve - and requires more work (for you in terms of effort to scrub / scrape etc...)...

All copper-based anti fouling paints work by leaching cuprous oxide into the water, modified epoxies and silicone paints included. I am unaware of any hard evidence that ablatives do any more actual harm than other types although they do put more "stuff" into the water as they shed their carrier along with the toxic metal.

What you can do is contact the CPDA in San Diego and ask them to voice your concerns to the Port. Or contact the Port and make sure Dave Merk knows that what he is proposing is unrealistic and poorly thought-out.

[artbyjody]

Originally Posted by Fstbttms

All copper-based anti fouling paints work by leaching cuprous oxide into the water, modified epoxies and silicone paints included. I am unaware of any hard evidence that ablatives do any more actual harm than other types although they do put more "stuff" into the water as they shed their carrier along with the toxic metal.

What you can do is contact the CPDA in San Diego and ask them to voice your concerns to the Port. Or contact the Port and make sure Dave Merk knows that what he is proposing is unrealistic and poorly thought-out.

I'd recommend posting contact info / email/ phone/ etc.. next meeting of council etc... not much us out of stater can do but quite a few here are local...

Thanks for the expanded info...

[Fstbttms]

Originally Posted by artbyjody

I'd recommend posting contact info / email/ phone/ etc.. next meeting of council etc... not much us out of stater can do but quite a few here are local...

See my first post for CPDA contact info.

[artbyjody]

Perhaps you can do the elimination of the middleman and post direct contact numbers of what they recommend one contact? It kinda benefits everyone involved...A non diver contacting a diving org... not so great results when we have a great means of getting the info just out there beyond just the impacts but everyone one can contact... its your thread - just a suggestion...more people will be prone to protest and voice concerns when they have a direct contact info to those that matter in terms of the new rules...nothing against the org - as I did ask about it - but that is your industry and was wondering what they were doing about it... but as regular joes - they want to talk to city council, the port authority, etc... that are responsible...

Also note - contact news orgs, write editorials etc... the org may not be doing enough - "make it aware" which is the great thing about this medium - we can make it happen when no other means listen....

[Rockter]

Interfering, big government, crap.
Merk probably gets paid for this drivel.

[T34C]

I really like the parts about how the diver and the boat yard that are hired / paid by the boat owner, are required to report the condition of the boat to the marina.