Stormwater hoods help marina become environmental steward

Protecting Chesapeake Bay is not a commitment to be taken lightly, says Jim High, a former owner of the Baltimore Boating Center in Essex, Maryland, and current publisher of Upper Bay Boating Magazine. The Maryland certified “Clean Marina” 20 miles east of Baltimore city, is a full-service marina with 70 slips, 125 high and dry, a marine store and is home to Charly’s Waterfront restaurant.

The marina has four power-wash bays that have catch basins that are 2-feet wide, 18-feet long and 2-feet high and all are equipped with the SNOUT and Bio-Skirt to capture pollutants. The SNOUT, a vented stormwater hood, is made of marine grade fiberglass and marine hardware making the SNOUT strong, resilient but at the same time lightweight. The Bio-Skirt is a floating skirted-boom, treated with a non-leaching anti- microbial to preserve the fabric’s service life. This attaches to the SNOUT to target hydrocarbons, like emulsified oils and PAHs, and it can actually hold about a gallon of oil." The principle of the SNOUT is simple, it acts as a baffle. When installed in a catch basin it separates the floatable pollutants on the surface, allowing heavier materials to sink to the bottom. The Bio-Skirt traps the oils on the surface and the cleaner water exits through the bottom of the hood and is piped away to the stormwater system or a discharge point.

A 12-inch SNOUT along with a Bio-Skirt is what BMP calls their “Marina Kit” and is available online as a discounted package for marinas. High adds the SNOUT system has been perfect for them for several years.

“A marina has a stake in the game in being a good environmental steward, so they all need to keep their facilities functioning, clean and happy places,” High said.

Best Management Products Inc. 

 410.687.6256 | bmpinc.com