| In 1997, 34 percent of the oil spill responses along the Texas coast were attributed to "mystery spills" that could be coming from fishing vessels.. |
Oil, gasoline, and diesel fuel can collect in a boat's bilge, and there are few inexpensive and easy ways for commercial or recreational fishermen to dispose of this contaminated bilge water. Coastal resource managers in Texas are working hard to keep this oily water from going overboard.
"There are thousands of commercial fishing and recreational vessel owners along the Texas gulf coast who must deal with the disposal of their contaminated bilge water," says
Dale Smith, program manager for the Texas General Land Office's Bilge Water Reclamation Program. "Our main goal is to prevent the oily discharge or contaminated water from entering coastal waters, which not only hurts us ecologically, but also costs us money to clean up the spill."
One of the solutions, Smith says, has been to build six bilge reclamation facilities at marinas along the Texas gulf coast. Two more facilities are under construction in the state.
Commercial and recreational fishermen can use these facilities, usually sited conveniently alongside areas where boat operators take aboard fuel and ice, to pump the oily bilge water from their vessels.
There is no cost to fishermen to use the facilities, which separate the water and oil so that the oil can be recycled and the water properly treated.
Information on the facilities is communicated through brochures, which are written in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
Smith notes that in a typical year, the Texas Oil Spill Prevention and Response Program responds to between 1,200 and 1,300 reported oil spills. In 1997, 34 percent of the oil spill responses along the Texas coast were attributed to "mystery spills" that could be coming from fishing vessels.
A survey of stakeholders confirmed that many of these mystery spills were "intentional improper disposal of oil, mostly oily bilge water, due to the inconvenience and high cost of proper disposal options." It also confirmed, Smith says, that vessel owners and operators would gladly use bilge pumping facilities if they were less expensive than the alternative.
The state has paid to build five of the six facilities, and partners with the relevant navigation district, city or county, and others to manage and maintain them, Smith says.
The program is funded by a two-cent-per-barrel fee on crude oil that is transported into and out of Texas ports. Each reclamation facility is site-specific and has cost anywhere from $80,000 to $250,000 to construct, depending on the size of the vessel population, tank and pump size, and other factors.
Since the first facility was constructed in 1996, the bilge water facilities have collected more than 650,000 gallons of oil and 700,000 gallons of contaminated water, and local officials in areas with the facilities report dramatically improved water quality and less oil washing up on nearby beaches.
Interest in the facilities has come from as far away as the Middle East, and Smith believes similar facilities would be just as successful elsewhere along the U.S. coastline.
"It's not rocket science," Smith says. "It should be pretty simple to make them work anywhere."
For more information, point your browser to www.glo.state.tx.us/oilspill/. You also may contact Dale Smith at (512) 475-1513, or dale.smith@glo.state.tx.us.
