Port of San Diego To Halt In-water Hull Cleaning Activities In SIYB For Two Months This Winter
- Thread starter fstbttms
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Missing one monthly/bimonthly cleaning seems worth the minor concern to demonstrate the impact on the local environment.
You completely miss the point. This is just how it starts. The Port claims that its copper remediation efforts over the years have got them about two thirds of the way to their federally mandated water quality goals. Now they want to see how close they can come if they were to ban in-water hull cleaning altogether.
That's really the only answer. But the multinational corporations that manufacture anti fouling paints have deep pockets and a vested interest in keeping copper in their products. That's why several legislative attempts to ban copper in this state have failed already.
That precisely the point (which I didn't "miss"). "Two thirds" isn't compliance, it's part way toward compliance and this study is apparently intended to determine if and what part hull cleaning plays in getting there. We are supposed to be stewards of the environment and not whine about incremental improvements.
Here in RI at Point Judith we anchor away from the marina and the diver runs his inflatable out, ties up to us, and does the cleaning. Is that possible where you are?
BTW, I thought the practice of cleaning hulls in the marina was dangerous due to stray electrical current?
No, you missed the point. The point is that in-water hull cleaning activities do not contribute a significant amount of copper to the water column and multiple studies bear this out. The point is that the only way the the Port of San Diego is going to reach their federally mandated water quality goals is to ban copper in anti fouling paint. But not only is that a politically unpopular solution, it is one the paint manufacturers will make sure never happens.
Here in Puget Sound, hull cleaning has been outlawed for years with ablative bottom paint.
This is due to a perceived (and never measured) copper level issue. They even went so far
as to outlaw copper-based bottom paints for recreational boats. They have moved the
deadline up a couple of times because there isn't yet a workable alternative.
This is due to a perceived (and never measured) copper level issue. They even went so far
as to outlaw copper-based bottom paints for recreational boats. They have moved the
deadline up a couple of times because there isn't yet a workable alternative.
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There are copper free anti fouling paints. I've been using them for about 4 years. At least in freshwater, they work well. This is the second year for Petitt Hydrocoat Eco. The slime that was on it last year came off with a hose and a soft brush after haul out.
There's a reason non-metal anti fouling paints have never gotten much traction in place where fouling is an honest-to-God issue. The reason is that those anti fouling paints are not particularly effective in places where fouling is an honest-to-God issue.
I don't need to know your experience with a non-metal paint. I have plenty of my own.
On Vancouver Island they have rules about sewage discharge from boats, when the cities and towns dont treat their sewage.
Guess where the pumpout stations send the poo.
Same thing here. So you eventually force boaters to get expensive haulouts to clean hulls, hereby lining the pockets of vested interests and driving up costs.
Those boats are then cleaned on land, and the contaminants simply get into the ecosystem another way.
It always makes me laugh when cities, which all pollute more than boats and ships, are concerned about others and not themselves. There a much bigger and easier fish to fry when it comes to marine pollution. It's Eco lip service basically. "Those damn boaters.. Not me."
Like you say..the solution is a non-copper paint that works well in true fouling locations.
I think that is a pipe dream in the long term, because anti fouling paint, needs to be toxic in some way, to do it's job. The rules will just become more stringent and they will be verboten. (Unless we can develop the ultimate dream of a nonstick coating that lasts years and nothing will stick to)
Guess where the pumpout stations send the poo.
Same thing here. So you eventually force boaters to get expensive haulouts to clean hulls, hereby lining the pockets of vested interests and driving up costs.
Those boats are then cleaned on land, and the contaminants simply get into the ecosystem another way.
It always makes me laugh when cities, which all pollute more than boats and ships, are concerned about others and not themselves. There a much bigger and easier fish to fry when it comes to marine pollution. It's Eco lip service basically. "Those damn boaters.. Not me."
Like you say..the solution is a non-copper paint that works well in true fouling locations.
I think that is a pipe dream in the long term, because anti fouling paint, needs to be toxic in some way, to do it's job. The rules will just become more stringent and they will be verboten. (Unless we can develop the ultimate dream of a nonstick coating that lasts years and nothing will stick to)
So what is this they say in your link?
"New, hard-coatings and epoxy-based hard paints are now available for boat hulls. They provide a slick surface and they are safe for in-water cleaning. The surfaces discourage organism growth, last longer, and minimize harm to the environment. Best of all, these surfaces can improve your boat’s performance and save fuel costs. One of these coatings could be right for your boat."
Are any of them any good?
What studies?
The fundamental principle by which copper ablatives work is by releasing copper. Mechanical cleaning exacerbates the release by the light abrasion of the surface layer. I’d like to read how that isn’t true.
Cleaning would increase copper release at that specific time of course, but the actual total amount released over the life of the paint would likely be the near the same... since the life of the paint is based on how.much copper is left to do the job.
The paint has the same amount of copper no matter what you do with it.
So does cleaning radically.reduce the life of the paint ?
I dont think it matters though. it will end up in the water anyhow, even if cleaning is done on land. The copper doesnt magically disappear just because of where it is removed. Just makes people feel better.
Like the soil remediation stupidity when then clean contaminated soil at decommissioned gasoline stations. They just haul it.somewhere, toss it like.compost and let the fuel vent into the atmosphere faster than it would have in it's original location. Then haul it back and dump it in the hole it came from.
Shuffling deck chairs.
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