On average, over 10 million people visit Miami every year. Many of them bring their own boats to enjoy the beautiful waterways around the Miami area. While exploring new areas with your boat isn’t bad, all of us in Miami care deeply about preserving our waterways and their wildlife. Follow these tips for preventing water pollution while boating so you can respectfully enjoy Miami and other waterways around the world.
Watch for Slow Zones
Different waterways have different rules. Around Miami and other popular boating locations, you may see signs about shallow water or no wake zones. Often, you must slow down to about five miles per hour to safely navigate these zones. This protects your boat from scraping the bottom of the waterway and preserves the sediment there. Some sediment carries phosphorus, which can feed algae. Algae can hurt plant and animal life in waterways. Leave these waterways untouched by boating at slow speeds.
Use Environmentally Friendly Cleaning Supplies Between Waterways
Organisms, both visible and invisible to the naked eye, can cling to boats after they exit a waterway. If you don’t wash your boat in between waterways, you can accidentally introduce these organisms into a new environment. These organisms can then contaminate this location in addition to the original location, which can hurt the local plant and animal life.
Cleaning your boat between waterways can prevent this contamination from happening. However, some cleaning agents can also cling to your boat and pollute water. Use environmentally friendly cleaning supplies to prevent this from happening.
Service Your Engine Between Seasons
While you can enjoy the water around Miami year-round, many people visit and do most of their boating in the warmer summer months. If you’ve kept your boat in storage during colder months, service your engine before this popular summer season. Otherwise, your engine may have an undiagnosed problem that can leak oil and gas into your next water destination. If you want to prevent this problem, you must understand the importance of regular outboard motor maintenance.
Upgrade Your Motor
Some engines need more than maintenance. Older two-stroke boat motors can release air-polluting fumes and water-polluting gas and oil mixtures. Upgrade to a four-stroke motor to protect the air and water while enjoying your boat in Miami and elsewhere.
These tips for preventing water pollution while boating around Miami and other waterways are important. Every step we take from shopping for cleaning supplies to servicing our boats can make a difference if we make the right choice.
Texas Outdoors
Latest posts by Texas Outdoors (see all)
- The Best Ideas for Storing an Outboard Motor – July 9, 2024
- Safety Tips for UTV Off-Roading in Icy Conditions – July 9, 2024
- How To Take Care of Your Golf Cart in the Summer – July 2, 2024
Leave a Reply