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About Us

With California's beautiful and plentiful waterways, it comes as no surprise that recreational boating is a popular leisuretime activity, contributing $13 billion to the economy annually. But safety concerns have brought this pastime under the jurisdiction of state and federal law covering required equipment and safe and legal operation. Over the years beginning in the 1950's, aquatic recreational trends have become topics of interest, from water-skiing to fishing to windsurfing to personal watercraft operation.

The Department of Boating and Waterways (or "Cal Boating" for short) was created to help develop convenient public access to the waterways and promote on-the-water safety. Funded by vessel registration fees, boating fuel tax dollars, and boating facility construction loan payments, Cal Boating's programs include:

• officer training, financial aid and equipment grants for the more than 100 local and state agencies that provide boating law enforcement;
• voluntary education for boaters in Kindergarten through college and non-students;
• loans for the construction of marina and grants to build boat launching ramps;
• aquatic pest control in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta; coastal beach erosion control;
• vessel sewage pumpout stations grants; and
• helping local agencies pay for abandoned vessel removal.