- Author: Leigh Taylor Johnson
Zooming across a lake on water skis, motoring to a fishing spot, cruising the islands on vacation, or navigating a sailboat through a crowded marina, boaters know that engines help make boating fun! Boat engines need fuel and lubricating oil that can harm fish, other aquatic life and even human health when they spill into our waterways.
Do an oil drip here and a fuel splash there make a difference? Consider the millions of gallons of oil and fuel that California’s nearly 1 million registered boats use every year. It’s clear that small discharges from each boat scale up to create a problem. How much is too much? An ounce of spilled oil can pollute 120,000 gallons of drinking water and a single pint can cover an entire acre of water!
Smart boaters have a convenient way to keep engine oil and fuel out of the water. Oil-absorbent sheets, pads, donuts, socks and bibs are designed for use in bilges, under engines, and when fueling. Secure them to avoid fouling or clogging bilge pumps, floats, sensors or engine parts. To help prevent drips, periodically inspect engine lines and hoses and fix small leaks. Replace oil pan gaskets and oil seals when the engine is removed for maintenance.
Be sure to check oil absorbents placed in the boat regularly and remove them when they are saturated. Place all used, oil absorbents immediately into a leak-proof bag or other container. Avoid drips while you’re removing them from the boat. Use an oil absorbent sheet to clean up drips, splashes or sheens that you notice and add it to the leak-proof container.
What to do with your used oil? When boating from a marina, ask the management if they provide oil absorbent materials and if they accept saturated ones or used oil. If not, ask them for the location of the nearest, certified, used oil recycling center or call 1-800-CLEANUP (253-2687).
RECYCLING TIPS: NEVER place an oil-saturated absorbent in the trash! Remember NOT TO MIX used oil with other wastes, because then it cannot be recycled.
Quick action is critical to contain and clean up spills, so…
IMMEDIATELY REPORT OIL AND FUEL SPILLS TO:
National Response Center 1-800-424-8802
AND California Office of Emergency Response 1-800-OILS911 (1-800-645-7911)
AND The marina office, park manager or other authority at your boating area
For much more information on preventing oil and fuel spills and on safe fueling, view these two, lively videos by the Boating Clean and Green Program of California State Parks – Division of Boating and Waterways and of California Coastal Commission. Information presented in this article is drawn from these videos.
FUELING POLLUTION PREVENTION & SAFETY TIPS
For tips on many more clean boating topics visit Boating Clean & Green.
Do you agree that oil and fuel spills are a problem?
Do you have other tips to share?
Send us your opinions and tips in the comment box below this article. (If you don't see it, click on the article's title and the comment box should appear at the end of the article.)
- Author: Leigh Taylor Johnson
Who ya gonna call? If you spot a suspected aquatic invader, where you report it depends on the critter or weed.
Remember to take photos with a camera or, even better, geo-tag them with a smartphone. Take a snapshot that shows just where you saw the invasive species, such as a streambed, lake or pond. Next, photograph the whole animal or plant and then add close-ups of distinctive features. For example, check mussels for “byssal” threads that attach them to surfaces and photograph them. If it’s a waterweed, add close-ups of leaves, flowers, roots, etc. Handle shellfish and plants carefully. AVOID picking up or getting close to crayfish, snapping turtles, clawed frogs, snakes or others that may be able to bite or scratch you!
If it’s an animal (mussel, clam, snail, crayfish, crab, fish, frog, snake, turtle, etc.) or a marine plant (such as the brownish Asian kelp that's also called wakame, or the little bright-green feathers called Caulerpa taxifolia), contact California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (CDFW’s) invasive species hotline. You can reach them at (866) 440-9530. The message says it is the quagga and zebra mussel hotline, but they also handle other invasive animals and marine plants. Or, you can email them at invasives@dfg.ca.gov
Visit the CDFW online for their Invasive Species Report Form that you can fill out on your computer. Either print the form and send it with pictures or samples to the address on the form. Or, “print” the completed form as a .pdf file and email it to the above address along with e-photos. And, because dead creatures and seaweeds rot quickly, pictures may be the better way to go!
You will need to tell CDFW the name (if you know it) of the suspected invader and whether it is a plant, shellfish, snake, fish, frog, etc. Next, describe its size, color, shape and other distinctive features. Give the date and the California county where it was sighted, plus directions to the location where you saw it. (If you have geo-coordinates, give them, too.) Give the name of the land owner or manager, for example “John Doe” or CA Department of Parks and Recreation.
CDFW may need to contact you for more information, so they also ask for the first and last names and contact information of the person who sighted the suspected invasive species.
If the suspected invader is a waterweed, report sightings to the Agricultural Commissioner’s Department in your local county government. A list of county Ag Departments is available from California Department of Food and Agriculture First, click your county on the map. Look for your local Ag Department’s address and a phone number to call for instructions on how to submit a report and a sample. If you can get there quickly, you may be able to bag, tag, chill and deliver a waterweed specimen before it rots. Otherwise, spread out the waterweed, place it between sheets of absorbent paper and add a weight, so it will dry flat. Change the paper often, until the sample is completely dry.
Cooperative Extension Advisors Leigh Johnson, Sabrina Drill and Darren Haver trained 181 staff of public agencies and a UC research center in a Spring 2013 workshop series on how to recognize, report and decontaminate their gear to avoid spreading suspected aquatic invasive species.
- Author: Leigh Taylor Johnson
How can boaters, anglers, and anyone else who works or plays in wet places help stop aquatic invasive species from conquering new territory? Decon (decontamination) is critical. Invaders can hide in mud on the tread of your boots, cling to the hem of your pants, lurk in damp reels and creels, hang out in bait wells and bilges, yatta yatta! They’re experts at surviving, so you can carry them to the next spot.
What’s the first step in decon? Just take a look! In other words, carefully inspect for mud, weeds, seeds, eggs, animals, shells, slime, etc. that may harbor (or be) invaders.
Next, scrub a dub! Scrubbing and washing boots and gear BEFORE LEAVING the site will cut risks of moving them to a new place. If you have to leave the site without scrubbing gear and boots, seal them into a heavy plastic bag or other secure container. When you arrive home or back to your headquarters, scrub and wash them where the wash-waters cannot run into a storm drain, creek, pond, lake, etc. Wear gloves and eye protection. Use a stiff-bristled brush to remove all visible traces of mud and aquatic life. Pay special attention to crevices. Seal debris that you remove into bags and dispose them in trash containers that will go the landfill.
After scrubbing, allow boots and gear to dry completely, preferably in the sun. Clothing may be put into a clothes dryer for 30 minutes on “high.” Or freeze your boots and gear for 8 hours before using them again. If you want to use the clothes dryer or freeze items, be sure it will not damage them! If you plan to visit another site before you have time to completely dry or freeze your scrubbed gear, consider having two sets and take turns using them. Either way, it’s best to visit just one site in a day.
People who use boats for work should use a boat only at a particular site. If this is not possible, then inspect and decontaminate the boat and allow it to dry completely (including bilges, wells, etc.) before visiting the next site.
Boats need extra care, because they have so many places for aquatic invaders to lurk. CA Dept. of Fish & Wildlife has a handy “Boat Cleaning Guide Book” that shows how to inspect and clean your boat to get rid of aquatic invasive species. CA Dept. of Parks & Recreation’s Division of Boating & Waterways has a great diagram showing where to look for invaders on your boat.
Check out the 100th Meridian Initiative guidelines for drying boats contaminated with quagga or zebra mussels. These guidelines also apply to other invasive species you need to let die before putting your boat or gear back in the water.
The information in this article was presented in workshops conducted by UC Cooperative Extension Advisors Leigh Johnson, Sabrina Drill and Darren Haver and Staff Research Associate Michelle Lande for 180 employees of Public Works, Watersheds, Flood Control, Public Utilities and Parks departments in San Diego, Orange, Los Angeles and Ventura Counties California during Spring 2013. It can be used by anyone who works or plays in lakes, wetlands, watersheds, creeks, streams, etc.
