Eco-Friendly Hull Paint Funds Set to Expire Soon

Byline: Taylor Hill NEWPORT BEACH — For the past three years, Orange County Coastkeeper has been running an incentive program for boaters with slips in Balboa Yacht Basin, offering to pay for a portion of the cost to switch hull paints from copper-based antifouling coatings to non-biocide paint. So far, one private boater and one city-operated vessel in the 172-slip basin have taken advantage of the program, which is scheduled to run its course at the end of this year — leaving more than $80,000 in unused grant funds still available. “It’s not over yet, and we’re working on getting an extension,” said Ray Heimstra, associate director of OC Coastkeeper. The purpose of the program is to reduce the amount of copper in Newport Bay, which has been listed as an impaired body of water by the state. Leaching copper from hull paints has been determined to be one of the main culprits in copper pollution in the harbor. The program gives boaters the chance to switch over to more-expensive non-biocide paint at a fraction of the cost, with the grant covering 75 percent of the bottom paint application cost up to $4,000. So, for a 30-foot boat, the cost for a non-biocide paint job is...