Marinas and Class 4 facilities
Our requirements and recommendations for marinas and Class 4 facilities help prevent and prepare for spills of oil or hazardous material.
State requirements for Class 4 facilities
Class 4 facilities are marinas or other small fueling facilities that transfer oil to non-recreational vessels with a total oil capacity of less than 10,500 gallons. Here's what we require for Class 4 facilities:
Equipment
Our facility oil handling standards rule requires Class 4 facilities to keep enough spill response equipment on standby to clean up a spill of 25 gallons. Class 4 facilities are required to:
- Inspect, maintain, and replace response equipment as needed.
- Keep a list of the locations of the response equipment on site.
Notifications at the dock
Our facility oil handling standards rule requires Class 4 facilities to post spill notification information at the dock for fueling customers. Required notifications:
- Call 911, if necessary.
- Notify marina manager/owner or after-hours contact.
- Contact the spill response contractor, if necessary.
- Report spill to both of the following numbers:
- 800-424-8802 (U.S. Coast Guard National Response Center)
- 800-OILS-911 (Washington Division of Emergency Management)
We inspect Class 4 facilities annually. These inspections are typically arranged beforehand by our inspectors, and take about an hour or two to conduct.
Our main areas of focus are:
- Condition and status of oil transfer equipment.
- Response and recovery equipment.
- Training records.
- Spill notification information.
Our inspectors will review any issues found with the people in charge at the site and may send a letter detailing significant issues that are found during the inspection.
Facility owners and operators can use our Class 4 inspection checklist to learn what to expect during our inspections. Learn more about our requirements for oil-handling facilities in the Facility Oil Standards rule.
Oil transfer equipment
We require Class 4 facilities to properly inspect and maintain oil transfer equipment in accordance with our facility oil standards rule.
Oil transfer reporting
We require Class 4 facilities to submit reports twice a year on over-water oil transfers.
We do not require Class 4 facilities to have a spill response plan. We do recommend that Class 4 facilities and marinas develop and maintain response plans, which help facilities meet our regulatory requirements and be better prepared to respond to spills.
Recommendations and prevention materials for marinas and Class 4 facilities
Class 4 marinas are not required to submit a written spill response plan for our approval, but in most cases, a written response plan will help owners and operators comply with our rules. We strongly recommend that each facility develop a written plan.
Response plans include this information:
- Initial actions list
- Required notifications and additional contact information
- Emergency shutdown procedures
- Facility description and site plan
- Response equipment and equipment maintenance program
- Sensitive areas
- Waste disposal
- Training
- Material safety data sheets (MSDS)
- Semi-annual reporting requirements
- Plan review and update
Prevention handbook for marinas
Washington Sea Grant produced the Pollution Prevention for Washington State Marinas manual in partnership with the Puget Soundkeeper Alliance and Ecology. This handbook guides marina managers and staff in reducing water pollution at their facilities.
Pumpout Washington
Pump-out stations and adapters reduce spills. Get adapters for your customers, or help them find a pumpout station.
We are a member of the Pacific Oil Spill Prevention Education Team (POSPET), which develops "Spills Aren't Slick" materials to promote spill reporting. These materials include fuel tags, stickers, rack cards, and metal signs.
Related links
Contact information
Jason Reichert
Oil Transfer Inspector Lead
jason.reichert@ecy.wa.gov
360-584-2799