[Southsider2k12]

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/porter/...2ca5855226.html

[quote]The Portage Public Marina has been designated a Clean Marina by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, the agency announced Thursday.

The announcement makes Portage the fourth marina in Northwest Indiana to receive the designation, joining the Hammond Marina, Washington Park Marina in Michigan City and Sprague Point marina in Michigan City.

To receive the designation, marinas must implement a high number of best management practices recommended in the IDNR's Clean Marina guidebook.

Portage Marina signed a pledge to become a Clean Marina in 2009. By April, the marina had implemented 85 percent of the best practices recommended by the IDNR, exceeding the requirements necessary for designation as a clean marina.

"It takes considerable effort and commitment from marina staff and boaters to become a designated Clean Marina," Colin Highlands of the IDNR's Lake Michigan Coastal Program said in a statement issued Thursday. "This is something that the city of Portage can really be proud of."