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Pumped up for Clean Boating

When a twig or a piece of paper got sucked into John Cruger-Hansen's old diaphragm pump, it had a "tendency to explode," says the Antioch Marina harbormaster. Cruger-Hansen replaced the "awful unit" - used to pump sewage out of small boat holding tanks and into shoreline treatment systems- with a "fantastic" vacuum-style Waubaushene. Since the replacement in 1995, he's seen a large increase in clientele and a visible improvement in local water quality - not to mention a lot more fish and fishing.

"People come here from all over the river to pump out," he says, explaining that not only does his new machine clean out a 25-gallon tank in 23 seconds (versus its predecessor's half hour) but it's also free, self-service and open 24 hours. Many marinas charge a fee or shut down the pump when the harbormaster goes home for the day. "I just wanted to make it as convenient as possible, so boaters have no excuse," he says. "I even leave the hook-up fittings and tools out all night."

Getting more boaters to, as one slogan says, "pump-don't-dump" is one aim of National Clean Boating Week, to be held July 11-19 along rivers, coasts and bays across the country. Other aims of the week - sponsored by the Marine Environmental Education Foundation - are to tell boaters about how to prevent fuel spills and leaks, keep trash out of the water, and maintain their paint jobs without compromising water quality.

Joining in on the education bandwagon at the state level is the California Department of Boating and Waterways (which paid 75% of the costs of Cruger-Hansen's new pump and has funded 125 new and replacement pumps statewide since 1994 through federal Clean Vessel Act programs. The Department has also helped the S.F. Estuary Project distribute over 300,000 pumpout maps and other educational materials to Bay-Delta boaters. During Clean Boating Week, the Estuary Project will be broadcasting radio PSAs and promoting media coverage in magazines and newspapers. For his part, Cruger-Hansen continues to distribute many of the good boatkeeping materials developed by the Estuary Project. "Boaters here now understand the necessity and the result of clean boating, they can see with their own eyes that their effort really counts," he says. To get a copy of the 1998 Guide to Bay or Delta pumpouts or other materials call (510)286-0775.

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