Oak Harbor Marina Recertified, Plans Level 3 EV Chargers and Environmental Event

Oak Harbor Marina has been recertified under the Washington Clean Marina program for another three-year period, a City of Oak Harbor press release posted March 4, 2026 announced. The release, labeled FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE on the city website, said the recertification follows the program’s required assessment of marina environmental practices and the development of improvement plans.

City marina staff used the recertification process to identify three primary goals for the renewal period: sponsoring an environment-related event, installing Level 3 EV chargers and pursuing possible purchase of electric vehicles. Alyce Henry, Oak Harbor Marina harbormaster, put the chargers front and center in the marina’s plans: "The Oak Harbor Marina is proud to continue its Clean Marina certification and is looking into implementing greener initiatives in the future, including looking into adding level three electric chargers both upland and dockside."

Oak Harbor Marina, operated by the City of Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island, serves recreational boaters traveling through Puget Sound between Seattle and the San Juan Islands. Marinaworld reports the marina has about 420 slips, including open and covered permanent berths, guest moorage and limited side-tie moorage, and 96 dry storage sheds. On-site services listed by Marinaworld include a marina office, a full-service fuel dock, recycling bins and waste oil collection points.

The Clean Marina program is administered by Washington Sea Grant and was created in 2005 as an expansion of the EnviroStars program, Marinaworld and local reporting note. Oak Harbor first earned Clean Marina certification in 2008 and has renewed the designation periodically; the city’s March 4, 2026 announcement reiterated that the program is voluntary and incentive-based and requires marinas to undergo a rigorous assessment of their environmental practices.

Sources available with the recertification announcement include program background and an example of past marina compliance measures. Islands Sounder’s 2010 coverage of the Islands Marine Center describes steps other marinas have taken to qualify, including preparing a pollution prevention plan and requiring live-aboards to log pump-outs, illustrating the kinds of operational changes the Clean Marina process can prompt.

The press release and accompanying reporting outline intentions but leave several implementation details open: neither the City of Oak Harbor press release nor Marinaworld provides a timeline, budget, number or vendor specifications for the Level 3 chargers, nor exact start and end dates for the three-year certification term beyond the March 4, 2026 announcement. For now, the recertification secures Oak Harbor Marina’s certified status while setting a municipal agenda that ties shore-side and dockside charging infrastructure to water-quality stewardship over the three-year renewal period.