Keeping It Clean

Marina owners Bill Reiser and Lisa Stowell know that running an environmentally friendly business is not only good for Chesapeake Bay, but good for their pocketbooks, too. With that in mind, they have shelled out some serious money to make sure their customers keep coming back.

To keep the waters near their business clean, they have replaced old underground fuel tanks with two new above-ground tanks. They have also installed state-of-the-art sewage pumping equipment and allow boaters to pump out their inboard tanks for free. Dozens of trash containers dot the piers at Wormley Creek Marina so fewer gum wrappers and paper cups end up floating in the bay.

Reiser and Stowell also believe in recycling when it makes sense. For heat, they burn scrap wood and oil, and Reiser distills used paint solvent so it can be reused.

Tom Griffin, a pollution-prevention specialist with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) says, "One of the things they're really doing is saving money, but they're also helping the environment. They're very aware of the fact that they are closely tied to the resource and if things are mucking up the water right at the marina, then that's not a very pleasant experience for the customers."A recent newsletter from the DEQ highlighted the marina as a model for small, environmentally friendly businesses.

(The marina was bought in 1999 by Pam and Doug Truston who continue the same environmentally sensitive practices as their predecessors.)