Vessel Maintenance

1. Vessel Maintenance Amanda M. Bittinger October 2006

2. Outline • Importance of Boat Maintenance • Pollution & Impacts • Best Practices for Management and Maintenance • Boat Maintenance & Repair Checklist

3. Importance of Maintenance • Keep YOU and others safe. • Toxins that enter the water may pollute water supplies and be absorbed or eaten by marine organisms, which may bioaccumulate through the food web. • In 2002, per capita food supply of fish, crustaceans, and mollusks was estimated to be about 16.2 kg worldwide3. • Preserve and protect the environment. • Small discharges of oil, fuel, sewage, and toxic products can add up. • Proper waste handling and hazardous materials management reduces the risk of exposure and long term injury, loss, or illness. • Using best management practices reduces spills and discharges, reducing the potential for incident liability. • Preventative maintenance is the best way to minimize leaks of oil and fuel that end up in the bilge. • Reduce bilge discharge • Increase the life-time of your vessel.

4. Pollution & Impacts • Toxicity • Increased Pollutants • Habitat Destruction • Erosion

5. Pollution & Impacts: Toxicity Pollutants result in toxicity of the water column due to spills, storm water run off, and boat discharges. • Toxicity can be caused by the following examples: • Low dissolved oxygen levels • Organics in discharged sewage require high levels of oxygen to decompose. This creates low dissolved oxygen conditions, limiting a necessary resource to marine life. Few organisms can sustain life in low-oxygen and anoxic environments. • Metals • Lead is used for paints, fuel additives, and ballast. • Copper, tin, zinc and chromium are also found in paint. • Dissolved forms of the metals can be released through bilge discharge and improper paint removal polluting the water. • Petroleum hydrocarbons • Careless refueling and bilge discharge can add harmful oil-based fluids. One pint of oil can cover an acre of the water’s surface.

6. Pollution & Impacts: Increased Pollutants • Pollutants don’t only effect the water column. They can be found accumulated in marine organisms and sediments. • Filter feeding organisms (oysters, clams) bioaccumulate metals from the water column. Persistent amounts can cause mutations and harmful effects if eaten by other organisms and humans. • Metals and petroleum based hydrocarbons can be found in benthic sediment layers. • Toxin levels can be correlated to the presence and abundance of pathogenic organisms. • Boats are significant sources of fecal coliform bacteria in areas with high boat densities and low hydrologic flushing.

7. Pollution & Impacts: Habitat Destruction • Improper boat handling and maintenance can cause habitat destruction. • Sediment resuspension increases turbidity and reduces light levels. • Propellers cut off and/or uproot plants, damage reefs, and scour the bottom. • Dredging or sediment removal can alter the natural water circulation increasing erosion.

8. Pollution & Impacts: Erosion • Currents and wave are natural sediment transport mechanisms. • Boat wakes and boat generated waves contribute to shoreline erosion. • Factors influencing vessel-generated shoreline erosion include the distance of the boat from shore, boat speed, side slopes, sediment type, and depth of the waterway. • To reduce erosion slow boat speeds and increase the distance from shore. A smaller wake will do less damage and contain less energy to dissipate.

9. Best Practices for Management and Maintenance • Best management practices reduce spills and discharges, as well as, the potential legal liability associated with an incident. • Regular maintenance ensures that your vessel maintains its integrity inside and out. • Replacing oil, filters and valves at the specified number of usage hours prevents harmful pollutants from entering the environment. • Dilution is NOT the solution. • Follow the guidelines in the Boat Maintenance & Repairs Checklist

10. Boat Maintenance & Repair Checklist • Cleaning • Maintenance • Storing Hazardous Materials & Wastes • Prevention and Response to Spills • Hazardous Waste Transport, Disposal & Recycling • Product Substitution and Waste Minimization

11. Boat Maintenance & Repair Checklist: Cleaning • The best way to protect the water is to limit in-water cleaning and maintenance to minor touch ups. • Large jobs should be done shore side or in a boat yard with waste collection and treatment systems. Tarps should be suspended in the slip between the boat and the dock to catch any falling debris and spills. • Refrain from cleaning with soft sloughing or ablative bottom paints designed to slough off during cleaning. • Always use the least abrasive cleaning method possible. • Use more elbow grease and less cleaning product. • Remember to wear protective clothing for all types of cleaning and maintenance.

12. Boat Maintenance & Repair Checklist: Maintenance • Limit sanding to small jobs using a vacuum or use a wet sander over a lawn or porous surface to prevent debris from entering storm drains. • Major paint jobs should be done shore side with high volume low pressure (HVLP) or high efficiency low pressure (HELP) paint sprayers. • Do NOT drain oil into the bilge. If oily water is in the bilge, pump it out in a bucket and find a service station to process the mixture. • Be sure to recycle zinc anodes (if used) at the local scrap metal recycler.

13. Boat Maintenance & Repair Checklist: Prevention and Response to Spills • Check lines, hoses, gaskets and other areas for deterioration and leaks. • Keep oil absorbent and cleaning materials on board as a preventative measure. • Use spouts, funnels, and drip pans to prevent spills. • Keep local spill clean up phone numbers available for emergency use.

14. Boat Maintenance & Repair Checklist: Storing Hazardous Materials & Wastes • Cover materials to limit rainwater contamination and exposure to sunlight, which may degrade containers. • Store in contained area should a leak or spill occur. • Maintain containers in good condition with proper fitting lids. • Label containers properly as hazardous waste, used oil, contaminated, etc. • Maintain distance between materials to prevent cross-contamination of incompatible wastes.

15. Boat Maintenance & Repair Checklist: Hazardous Waste Transport, Disposal & Recycling • Use tightly sealed containers. • Recycle and dispose of hazardous waste at proper facilities. • Segregate waste to prevent contamination. • Examples of hazardous waste: oily rags, solvents, saturated absorbents, aerosol containers, oily filters, lead acid batteries

16. Boat Maintenance & Repair Checklist: Product Substitution and Waste Minimization • When feasible use water-based paints and solvents. • Keep solvent covers secure to reduce vapor loss. • Use re-useable solvent. • Use less-toxic cleaning products and deodorizers in heads. • Reduce the amount of product that becomes waste. • Use all of older products before buying new.

17. Think CLEAN, Think GREEN! • Safety first! • Preserve and protect the environment. • The best management practice is proper routine maintenance. • Be sure to use the proper tools & methods for cleaning, maintenance, spill prevention or response, and removal or disposal of hazardous wastes.

18. References • Gordon, Miriam. Dec 2001. Clean Green Boat Maintenance. California Coastal Commission. • EPA. Jan 2003. Guidance Specifying Management Measures for Sources of Nonpoint Pollution in Coastal Waters. Chapter 5: Management Measure for Marinas and Recreational Boating. EPA 840-B-92-002. [Online Oct, 2006] http://www.epa.gov/OWOW/NPS/MMGI/index.html