BY LISA FUSS
lfuss@herald.com

ISLAMORADA -- An Upper Keys marina was designated Wednesday as one of the cleanest in Florida by the state Department of Environmental Protection as part of its newly formed Clean Marina Program.

Bayside Marina at WorldWide Sportsman, an Islamorada outdoors megastore, is the first Keys marina to be recognized by the DEP for operating its facility in an environmentally conscious manner. Only two other marinas, both in Pensacola, have received the honor since the program's 1999 inception.

The designation comes at a critical time in Monroe County, where government officials are frantically trying to address a decline in near-shore water quality caused by aging sewage systems. Bacterial residue and live viruses have been detected in canals throughout the Keys, which boasts a thriving marine community of recreational and commercial boaters.

The Clean Marina Program, administered through the DEP's Department of Law Enforcement in partnership with Marine Industries Association, is designed to benefit boatyards, marinas and boaters to help keep clean Florida's coast and waterways.

All state marinas are eligible to participate in the program, but certain criteria must be met in order to obtain clean marina designation. More than 200 marinas have asked to attend a Clean Marina Workshop, including 13 in the Keys.

George Hommell, general manager of WorldWide Sportsman, said the plaque and clean marina flag awarded Wednesday were the result of a long-standing mission to protect and preserve the Keys' ecosystem.

Johnny Morris, who founded WorldWide Sportsman as part of his Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World chain, is an avid conservationist whose multimillion dollar Islamorada facility exceeds DEP requirements.

During a massive renovation of WorldWide Sportsman five years ago, Morris began laying the groundwork for a store that would be environmentally unparalleled in the Keys. Projects included underground fiberglass gas tanks that are double-walled and electronically monitored and the installation of a water runoff system from U.S. 1 and the store parking lot that filters storm water before it enters Florida Bay.

In addition, WorldWide Sportsman has met nearly a dozen other DEP goals and guidelines that encourage good boating habits and clean water, including a sewage pump-out system and recycling and water quality monitoring programs. In an effort to meet other Clean Marina Program criteria, store management initiated weekly cleanup sessions, installed U.S. Coast Guard-approved channel markers on all entrances to outlying Little Basin and posted manatee warning and environmental signs.

Although the clean marina designation doesn't come cheaply, its benefits far outweigh the costs involved, said Gus Rios, Monroe's environmental administrator for the state Department of Environmental Protection. By adhering to the program's criteria, marina personnel are policing themselves by taking steps to correct and prevent environmental violations.