How Simple Absorbents Help Marinas Comply With Federal Regulations

There are many marine facilities operating in the USATo help boaters, marinas and boatyards comply with
today. Millions of people use the waterways daily forthe various pollution control and water safety
recreational and commercial activities. It is estimatedregulations; spill control materials and special
that marine recreational activities contributes morecontainers for emergency clean up are available from
than US $30 billion to the US economy each year,commercial suppliers.
while supporting nearly 300,000 jobs in theThe choices for these types of containers include
manufacturing, retail, and service sectors.flexible-sidewall portable spill containment berms that
This industry includes marinas, boatyards, marineare the easiest to use. This flexible sidewall
retailers, recreational and commercial vehicles. Cleanequipment can provide an affordable hazardous
water is an essential resource for this industry.material storage unit. Berms provide incidental spill
Without clean water this multi-billion dollar industry willcontrol during temporary storage of drums, machine
cease to exist.parts, tanks and generators. Berms can also be used
Marinas and boating enthusiasts often use variousin other capacities as a wash down pad or pumping
levels of preventive equipment and products to keepstation.
the waters safe and avoid costly spills. Oil absorbentsA mobile storage or spill containment unit is always
pads are one way to contain oil spills on the water.the preferred choice. A mobile unit is a cost as an
This simple product can be used for environmentalalternative to hard plastic pallets. The hard plastic
spill cleanup and remediation purposes by marinas andpallets need to be moved by a forklift. These pallets
boaters.are always bulky and take up valuable space. Portable
There are economic benefits realized by marinaspill containment berms eliminates the need for bulky
managers who implement preventative safetyhard plastic pallets.
measures. Products that improve the efficiency ofMarina Owners should always provide a spill
these operations are in high demand. Boatyards andcontingency plan that list the specific products
marinas are in constant need of bilge containmentrequired to operate their facilities in the safest
products.manner possible. The second element of the spill
The marinas as well as boatyards generate specialcontingency plan is training of employees who will
wastes such as bilge water, used oil, used oil filters.respond to the spill.
Other contaminated materials include old gasoline,This plan is always required to be in written form and
hazardous wastes such as acetone, paint andupdated on a yearly basis. The plan can be updated
washing solvents. These industries are required tomore frequently if required. This spill containment plan
use products that are environmentally safe andis part of a total safety quality control plan. The
specifically designed to contain and manage oil spills.marina/boatyard's fueling contingency plan provides a
The products that are used to contain the spills alsolist of products and procedures to handle incidental
must be managed and disposed of in a prescribedspills quickly and safely. Products that are EPA
manner. The methods of this type of disposal issanctioned are always the best defense against
outlined in Title 40 Code of Federal Regulations Partsuncontrolled spills that could harm the safety of our
260-268 (see Hazardous Waste Management, pagewaterways.
39)