- 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.
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- 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.
