Deal reached to reduce boatyards' toxic runoff

Boatyard owners, the state and environmentalists have agreed to explore new ways to reduce toxic runoff, a compact that all sides lauded as a step toward a cleaner Puget Sound.

At issue is storm water tainted with copper and other heavy metals that rinses off of some boatyards in the state. Copper is a key component in the bottom paint that protects boats from barnacles and other marine life. But the same ingredients that make it effective make it toxic.

To protect water quality, the state Department of Ecology issues a storm water permit affecting more than 70 boatyards around the state. But new standards set in 2005 have been challenged in court by boatyard operators who said they were unattainable. Meanwhile, Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, an environmental group, also has sued, saying the standards are not stringent enough.

To break some 15 months of impasse in litigation, the Northwest Marine Trade Association, representing the boatyards, and the Soundkeeper Alliance and the state Ecology Department announced the settlement Monday.

Under it, a pilot program will be set up to test the effectiveness of new technology to reduce toxic runoff from boatyards. The program could help develop a standard that actually works in the real world.

Sampling undertaken by boatyard operators indicates runoff often is higher than standards now in place allow. But the question is what is realistic and affordable, said Michael Campbell, president of the Northwest Marine Trade Association.

"The answer is not to shut down boatyards," Campbell said. "We want clean water as much or more than anyone."

Sue Joerger, executive director of the Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, called the settlement historic. Money that otherwise would be spent on lawyers now will be spent on controlling pollution, she said.

Finding a workable answer for boatyards may also work for other industries, she added. "We are looking for solutions," she said.

Lynda V. Mapes: 206-464-2736 or lmapes@seattletimes.com