More questions about copper

More questions about copper

Re: Budgeting Copper: TMDL’s Origins and Costs (March 13 issue). I own a 55 foot. pilot house trawler that is at San Diego Yacht Club. When I brought the boat from the East Coast in 2008, I decided to put non-toxic bottom paint on the boat. The product was put on my boat’s bottom at Shelter Island Boat Yard. I was not impressed with the longevity of the product so in 2010 I switched to a different non-toxic bottom paint put on by the same yard. The continued disappointed quality of the non-toxic paints became apparent when they didn’t last very long and my bottom cleaning had to be kicked up which was more expensive.

In 2012 I put a low copper (38 percent) paint on the bottom of my boat and I was much happier with the frequency of bottom cleaning I needed. This year (2015) I repeated with the same bottom paint. This time I am experimenting with not having a diver clean the paint for a number of months. I will have him clean the metals, thru hull entrances and transducer. I do think it is important to not have any aggressive cleaning of the paint by a diver.

I have heard that the issue now is that the testing that was done many years ago created a level of copper in the Shelter Island Yacht Basin that was a low parts-per-billion. This has caused the basin to be listed on the RWQCB list of impaired bodies of water. Now it comes out that the number was too low and a higher number should have been used. This would mean that this body of water would not be impaired.

I also understand talking to scientist s that copper is not necessarily bad if it is in low enough concentration. The copper in bottom paint will slowly leech off the bottom of the boat and is only in concentration next to the bottom of the boat. Once the copper leaves the bottom it becomes dissolved in the salt water and is not a danger to the plants and animals in the water. This is the thinking now in San Diego but good science needs to back this up and the RWQCB should answer this question for the public. Is copper really a problem once it leaves the bottom of the boat?

Thanks Parimal for your efforts in making this subject clearer.

H. P. “Sandy” Purdon
Submitted via email.

Thoughts on MPA bill

Re: California Assemblywomen proposes MPA enforcement bill (March 13 issue). Other law enforcement agencies would need to want to do this first. There would be legal and technical issues that may fall outside their training. There was considerable resistance to the MLPA by California Fish and Game agents when it was first proposed.

Cliff Klinert
Submitted on The Log’s Facebook page.

Boater warns others to stay away from Puerto Salina Marina

Re: Ensenada Race boat grounding reveals nav. Hazard (May 1, 2013 issue). This marina is not  a marina – the entrance is shoaled and  now a beach DO NOT attempt to enter. The marina has been without maintenance, dredging is not available. Humans have lost their lives trying to come into the marina. Stay away! Do not let the sailboat masts visible fool you they have been for years prisoners of the marina as are all boats stuck there.

Joe
40-foot yacht owner
Submitted on Thelog.com.

No relation whatsoever? 

Re: Ask the Attorney (March 13 issue). “McCain has proposed numerous bills to repeal the Jones Act. His most recent attempt was made through a proposed amendment to the Keystone XL oil pipeline bill. That legislation has no relationship whatsoever to maritime commerce….” That was not an entirely accurate factual statement, and not really related to the law, but was more of a pure political comment.

Anonymous
Submitted on Thelog.com.