DuSable Harbor


Clean boating
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Get aboard clean boating


Although boats along Chicago's lakefront add to the beauty of the city's summer season, routine marina and boating activities bring with them metals, chemicals, and other pollutants that threaten the health of the lake. These can degrade water quality, harm aquatic wildlife, and force beach closures.

To help marina operators and boaters protect water quality and coastal habitats, Illinois established a clean marina program. Marina operators who join this effort are given 'how to' information to help reduce negative environmental impacts. Most of the practices are easy and affordable, like being careful to do boat maintenance without washing debris into the water and scheduling construction to ensure that nearby habitats are protected.

Illinois is one of six states in the region – including Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin – that is protecting the Great Lakes and local waterways through a clean marina program. The volunteer program launched in 2013 and certified six marinas, including DuSable Harbor, in roughly its first year. 

Watch a short video about the Illinois Clean Marina Program.
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