Letters

Featured letter: A safer boat paint can protect environment

COURTESY PHOTO | Water tubers in the Peconic Bay.
COURTESY PHOTO | Water tubers in the Peconic Bay.

To the editor:

It’s that time of year when preparations are being made to launch your boat.

Recreational boating is one our most popular activities here on the North Fork. We’re also aware of just how important our marine environment is to our quality of life and our local economy. It’s the responsibility of every boat owner to make every effort possible to protect our valuable marine resources.

We wish to once again bring to attention to the technology incorporated into the manufacturing of bottom paints. It’s a fact that the only bottom paints that were effective in the past for battling harmful marine growth used copper as an active ingredient. These copper paints leached into our waters toxic metals that were dangerous to the marine ecosystem.

Over the past few years a new bottom paint additive called Econea has been developed that is both safe and effective for use on all boats. Econea is the future of antifouling paint technology. This copper-free biocide offers unsurpassed protection at very low concentrations. Econea’s copper-free composition breaks down quickly in the environment, producing by-products that are totally biodegradable.

The Southold Town Trustees are asking all boat owners to do their own research and consider having their boat bottoms painted with products that include Econea rather than traditional copper or toxic metals. There are various manufacturers that currently offer these paints on the market.

We encourage you to discuss this matter with either a local boatyard manager or marine supply store before selecting bottom paint for the coming season.

As always, we thank you for your efforts in helping us protect our waters.

Trustee Dave Bergen, for the Southold Town Trustees

To read more letters to the editor, pick up a copy of this week’s Suffolk Times or click on the E-Paper.