Honey Pot Day for waste-free harbors in SoCal
June 15, 2019
The Bay Foundation’s environmental program returns from June 1-Sept. 30 to educate boaters about sewage disposal and offers a free pumpout voucher.
MARINA DEL REY—It’s always a good time to manage your boat’s sewage. The Bay Foundation’s Honey Pot Day, which runs from June 1 through Sept. 30, aims to educate boaters about proper waste disposal while also offering a mobile app for free pumpout services.
Nobody wants to run into toilet waste while enjoying the water – that goes for swimmers, boaters and outdoor recreationists alike. The Bay Foundation, in partnering with San Francisco Estuary Partnership, California Division of Boating and Waterways and Sport Fish Restoration, positions Honey Pot Day as a means to educate boaters about how levels of bacteria affect the local waterways. When boaters use the mobile app, which is currently available for download, participants receive a voucher coupon redeemable at a local mobile pumpout company.
“Our program starts and stops with the needs of the boating community to ‘boat clean.’ The various tools we’ve developed are available online, in print, at boat shows and dockside through interactions with our Dockwalker volunteers,” Victoria Gambale, The Bay Foundation’s Community Engagement Program Manager, said.
“This multifaceted approach helps us reach the [more than] 179,000 registered boaters in southern California and improves the health of our coastal waters,” she continued.
According to a statement by The Bay Foundation, dumping one toilet flush of untreated sewage can cause the same environmental impact as 10,000 homeowners flushing their own toilets. Since Honey Pot Day launched in 2009, nearly 32,000 gallons of sewage has been properly disposed (that’s the equivalent of 9.14 million flushes!).
“The Honey Pot Day Program is a valuable environmental education program with a strong incentive,” Michael Blenk, real property agent for L.A. County Department of Beaches and Harbors, stated.
“This program empowers boaters to understand and act on the significance of proper sewage disposable. This program increases stewardship and ultimately makes for a healthier harbor,” Blenk continued.
While this program is available in Marina del Rey, King Harbor in Redondo Beach, Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach all provide pumpout services for Southern California’s Honey Pot Day.
“Honey Pot Day is funded by the California State Parks Division of Boating and Waterways’ Clean Vessel Act program and a federal Clean Vessel Act grant through the Sport Fish Restoration Program,” a statement by The Bay Foundation said.
Boaters can sign up for the program by visiting honeypotday.org. Those who sign up will be prompted to watch two short videos on how to operate a sewage pumpout unit, a brief publication to read and will be asked to take an online quiz.
For any additional information about the program, which is currently celebrating 11 years, email Georgia Tunioli at gtunioli@santamonicabay.org. Learn more about The Bay Foundation, a non-profit environmental group founded in 1990, at the official website santamonicabay.org.
