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The water at Tellico Marina is so clean that it's easy to pick out the carp with the fishing lure still attached to its lower lip. It's also the playland of two white ducks, Af and Lac, better known together as AFLAC, that most often come when called.

Armed with recycle bins, a well-read monthly newsletter, a notebook full of directives, and the right equipment, Harbormaster Scott Morton and his crew intend to keep it that way.

"The main thing is getting tenant and boater involvement with what you are trying to accomplish," Morton said. "Getting everyone on board with pollution, waste, recycling (including oil) any angle of the environment that we can encourage and reinforce, to ultimately help the environment and the water."

Tellico Marina, located on Highway 72 East, one mile off Highway 411, boasts 260 wet slips, 125 dry stack slips and a restaurant now managed by the marina. What's most important, however, is the "Clean Marina" designation it received. Steve Akers, TVA watershed representative, said the Clean Marina Initiative, started several years ago, was designed to promote sound, environmentally responsible marina and boating practice. The designation means marina management focuses on such things as sewage and fuel management; solid waste and petroleum recycling and disposal; vessel operation, maintenance, and repair; marina siting, design and maintenance; storm-water management and erosion control; and boater education, according to the TVA web site.

The designation means Morton and his employees must keep the water and area clean. Akers said the organization provides a notebook with "a huge checklist" to follow.

"It is part of their goal to make sure all of our marinas are Clean Marinas, and are working with the environment and TVA," Morton said.

Two years ago, Tellico Marina changed management and kicked into high gear a complete overhaul. Darby Campbell, who manages Louisville Landing and Concord Marina, now holds a 10-year lease to manage Tellico Marina. Morton, Maintenance Supervisor Troy Cooper and a crew hauled trash, old boats, tires, paint cans, a lot of junk, and huge bags of trash from the area.

"Then, (management) put in almost a million dollars of upgrades," Morton said. "They put in black plastic floats, which are more eco-friendly. We are making a slow transition to get the whole marina eventually to that point."

Upgrades included new trash containment and recycle areas, pump-out stations at each dock, new restrooms, a laundry facility and completely remodeling the restaurant building. The crew also refloated the restaurant and several larger docks with the black plastic floats and reroofed all of it.

"We provide free pump out service," Morton said. "If you have people coming off the water and pull up to the gas dock, we will pump them out for free, just to encourage them to stay pumped out because we don't want anything to go into the water."

A large box sets on the dock near the gas pumps and control shack. Inside it is everything the marina will need to contain a fuel or oil spill of any size. It includes a boom and pieces of material that will soak up petroleum-based spills, but not absorb water. Morton gives smaller versions of the material to any boater who asks for one to help contain hazardous materials in their boats.

To encourage boaters to recycle aluminum cans, Morton said all proceeds from the cans will go directly to the Monroe County Animal Shelter. So far, the marina has donated $40 to $50 a month to the shelter, and expects that amount to rise as more people use the facilities and recycle their cans. In fact, Morton anticipates they could donate a couple hundred dollars a month.

Morton started out using the newsletter as a way of 'ramping everyone up' to get them on board with the renovation and new way of doing things. The newsletter not only communicates changes and directives, Morton also selects a "Boater of The Month." That boater receives a coupon for a free lunch at the restaurant. Signage also plays an important role. Everything is marked as to what can and can't be done. For example, all drains are stenciled "No dumping, drains to river." More signs encouraging boaters and visitors to keep the marina clean will be installed this summer. A bulletin board at the top of each dock keeps everyone up-to-date on rules and regulations.

"The beautiful part of posting the rules is that it becomes self-policing after a time," Morton said. "When people know the rules, they help you enforce them."

Morton said the operating budget for the marina each year will include more capital improvements, which means more changes will be made to continue its quest to become more envorinmentally friendly and clean.

Now that Tellico Marina is clean, employees and boaters often see wildlife such as deer and eagles around it. Morton said fishing has even improved, and the fish are healthier because of the changes. Af and Lac, two white ducks -- the marina mascots -- also seem to enjoy their clean home. In a recent newsletter, Morton tells tenants that the ducks apparently are enjoying the increased number of boaters who come out now that the weather is warmer.

"They only come around when they want now," the newsletter reads. "They must be finding other breadwinners. They are also very pleased with everyone's continuous effort to keep our marina 'Clean.'"