Current through Register Vol. 46, No. 39, September 25, 2024
No person shall launch, or attempt to launch, a watercraft
or floating dock into a public waterbody unless the following reasonable
precautions of (a) cleaning, (b) draining, and (c) treating have been
taken:
(a) Cleaning. Cleaning shall
include all of the following reasonable precautions:
1. inspecting the watercraft or floating dock
and removing any plant or animal, or parts thereof, visible to the human eye,
in, on, or attached to any part of the watercraft or floating dock, including
livewells and bilges, the motor, rudder, anchor or other appurtenant, equipment
or gear on the watercraft or floating dock that may come in contact with the
waterbody; or the trailer or any other device used to transport or launch a
watercraft or floating dock that may come into contact with the waterbody
before launching into a public waterbody; and
2. any plants, animals, and parts thereof,
including bait or other fish parts, visible to the human eye, shall be disposed
by depositing these materials in a refuse receptacle where available or other
receptacle designated for invasive species disposal, or if no receptacle is
available, disposing the materials upland from the mean high water mark of the
waterbody and in a manner to avoid contact by the material with the waterbody;
and
(b) Draining.
Draining shall include all of the following reasonable precautions:
1. draining water from the watercraft and the
watercraft's motor, bilge, livewell, bait wells and ballast tanks and other
areas of the watercraft capable of holding water before launching a watercraft
into a public waterbody at a distance from the waterbody and in such a manner
to avoid contact of the drainage with the public waterbody; and
2. for personal watercraft only, draining
water from the cooling system of personal watercraft immediately following its
removal from the water by running the motor out of water for five seconds,
unless advised differently by the manufacturer and at a distance from the
waterbody and in such a manner to avoid contact of the drainage with the public
waterbody; and
(c)
Treating. Treating shall include at least one of the following reasonable
precautions:
1. Drying method. Treatment by
drying must include one of the following steps:
i. Removing any boat cover and air dry
watercraft, trailer or floating dock out of the water and in an area exposed to
the sun or in a heated building for a minimum of five (5) days; or
ii. Storing watercraft and trailer or
floating dock in subfreezing temperatures for a minimum of three (3) days;
or
iii. If the drying methods
described in subparagraph (i) or (ii) above and the rinsing methods described
in paragraph 2 below are not available prior to launching, towel dry portions
of the watercraft hull, engine, trailer and associated equipment that have been
in contact with the waterbody prior to launching in another waterbody;
or
2. Rinsing method.
Treatment by rinsing must include one of the following steps:
i. If equipment is available at the launch
site or other reasonably accessible location prior to launching, consistent
with manufacturer's directions, spraying/rinsing hull and other external areas
or equipment with high pressure (2,500 psi) hot water (140 degrees F for 30
seconds) at a location that does not drain into a waterbody; and if equipment
is available at the launch site or other reasonably accessible location prior
to launching, consistent with manufacturer's directions, rinsing/flushing water
cooled motors with water for two (2) minutes at a location that does not drain
into a waterbody; or
ii. If
equipment is available at the launch site or other reasonably accessible
location prior to launching, consistent with manufacturer's directions,
rinsing/flushing the bilge area, live wells, bait wells and other water-holding
compartments with hot water at a temperature of 140 degrees F for 30 seconds at
a location that does not drain into a public waterbody. If water is being
drained via a pump, flushing the bilge area, live wells, bait wells and other
water-holding compartments with the hottest water for which the pump is rated;
or
iii. If hot water is not
available at the launch site or other reasonably accessible location prior to
launching, thoroughly rinsing the boat hull and flush waterholding compartments
with the warmest water available at a location that does not drain into a
waterbody. Cold water is acceptable only if it is the only water available; or
3. Painting method to
be used prior to launching into marine and coastal district waters only.
Prior to launching a watercraft or floating dock into a
public waterbody within marine and coastal district waters, treatment shall
include the application and maintenance of anti-fouling paint, in accordance
with applicable laws, rules and regulations, to watercraft hull, floating dock
or any associated trailer or equipment being used to launch the watercraft or
floating dock into marine and coastal district waters, and upon removing the
watercraft from the water, inspecting the watercraft or floating dock and
removing any attached plant or animals, or any part thereof, visible to the
human eye.
