Greenbrier cited as clean marina

August 11, 2004|by TAMELA BAKER

ANNAPOLIS - Greenbrier State Park was one of 15 facilities recognized Tuesday by the Maryland Clean Marina Initiative for efforts to protect the state's waterways from pollution, according to the Department of Natural Resources.

Program coordinator Donna Morrow said Greenbrier was cited as a clean marina partner, smaller than other marinas but servicing "a lot of boaters."

The program involves a formal process in which the marinas must meet criteria for minimizing waste and educating visitors about the need to keep the facilities clean, she said. DNR officials visit each site to see whether it meets standards for certification.

Many of the criteria are related to how the marinas contain waste and handle fuel, she said.

A total of 87 Maryland marinas and marina partners have been certified through the Clean Marina Initiative, representing about 14 percent of the marinas in the state.

"This is kind of unique for Greenbrier," Morrow said. "We usually do a lot of private marinas." But in certifying Greenbrier, she said, "it's sort of leading by example with the state certifying its own facility."

Last August, the lake closed its swimming areas after several swimmers tested positive for shigellosis, an illness caused by fecal coliform bacteria.

This year, the Washington County Health Department gave the lake a clean bill of health, and the park implemented precautions, including requiring babies to wear rubber pants or swimming diapers in the lake after two diapers were found in swimming areas.

Those precautions were unrelated to the Clean Marina Initiative, Morrow said.

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