The Village of Ephraim has announced that its two marinas, both Firehouse Marina and Anderson Dock Marina, have been certified as a Wisconsin Clean Marina. The designation highlights their commitment to maintaining a healthy lake and prioritizing boater safety practices. 

Through the program, certified clean marinas must meet federal and state pollution and safety laws and applicants can become verified after demonstrating optimal management practices that help make the local waterways both cleaner and safer. In Ephraim, the certification process was a joint effort between the Marinas Committee and Green Tier Legacy Committee, and accompanied efforts the marinas had already been employing.

“We brought in some more swim buoys and protective throws so if someone were to fall off, we also added swim ladders for situations if someone were to fall off the dock, they have access points to get back up on land,” said Marina Harbormaster Brent Bristol, “ we also bought additional spill kits in case of small spills or fuel or petroleum-based things so we have materials in place to clean that up.”

Bristol said working to acquire the certification gave the committees an opportunity to take a step back to examine their policies and procedures. He noted that while the process itself was fairly involved, certain factors like the fact the marinas don’t have dump stations or gas pumps, made the process less complex.

“For residents and visitors, I think this is a valuable preparedness thing,” Bristol added, “initiatives like this and opportunities to collaborate with the DNR and various state agencies allow us the due diligence to look and protocols, procedures, and policies to keep our marinas safe for boaters and for all to enjoy.”

In Door County, in addition to Firehouse Marina and Anderson Dock Marina, the Egg Harbor Marina also holds a Wisconsin Clean Marina certification. 

Photo Credit: Village of Ephraim