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What effect do PWCs have on the environment?
Home » Boating » Personal Watercraft » What effect do PWCs have on the environment?Prior to 1990, there were no regulations in the United States for personal watercraft emissions. Most were powered by a two-stroke cycle engine which may have been smaller and lighter than the four-stroke cycle engines, but the pollution element was far too great. Lubricated by a "total loss" process which mixes lubricating oil with fuel, the two-stroke engines would express twenty-five percent of their fuel and oil unburned in the form of exhaust. This exhaust was also combined with other products of incomplete and complete combustion.
When the amendments were made in 1990 to the Clean Air Act, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was given freedom to place stipulations on personal watercrafts as well as other off-road vehicles using internal combustion engines. The Environmental Protection Agency started conversing with the manufacturers of PWCs and other vehicles of the like in 1991 with the resulting stipulations in place by 1996. This presented a challenge to manufacturers to let go of their current pollution causing engines and start selling engines that decrease the pollution factor.
In order to meet the regulations set before them, manufacturers configured an array of improvements to the PWC's engine. PWC engines now have increased use of four-stroke engines, use direct injection for two-strokes, and utilize catalytic converters and other various pollution minimizing measures. These changes have helped decrease the pollution emitted by an estimated seventy-five percent in comparison with engines made prior to the regulations.
In spite of the progress, some environmental groups such as Surfrider Foundation and Bluewater Network believe more improvements can be made to reduce the pollution factor even more in current PWC engines. They are also concerned about the large amount of pre-regulation engines that are still being used and continue to emit large amounts of pollution into the water.
In response to their concerns, the Personal Watercraft Industry Association make note that these environmental groups pay close attention and even cite the pollution levels of the pre-regulation PWCs, without paying attention to the improvements that have been make to the newer models. The PWC Industry believes that personal watercrafts are often blamed for pollution when other powered boats offer the same problem to the environment.
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