The Harbor Column -- Mike Whitehead

Ahoy.

The Orange County Coastal Coalition, in conjunction with Supervisor

Tom Wilson’s office, will present a public awareness and education

symposium on water quality educational programs Thursday morning.

The slogan is “cleaning the water -- cleaning the beaches -- education

is part of the solution.”

This forum will allow organizations like schools to hear about the

diverse water quality educational programs available from nonprofits and

other groups. Surfrider, SeaGrant and other nonprofits will present their

programs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday at the Newport Beach City

Library, 1000 Avocado Ave. You must RSVP for the symposium, and you can

sign up to give a brief 5-minute presentation about your water quality

educational program by calling Wilson’s office at (714) 834-3550.

I know that having educational programs in all the schools will help

the awareness level increase However, these programs must extend from the

coastal communities inland so that we are not singing to the choir. Our

local programs’ goals should include building awareness in landlocked

counties and the states west of the Continental Divide. Even in

landlocked areas, the urban runoff directly affects rivers, lakes, the

ground water and the final destination -- the coastal waters.

Speaking of ground water, you may remember the water wells recently

affected in our water districts. However, I think the biggest polluter is

the MTBE (methyl tertiary-butyl ether) that California requires to be

added to gasoline as an oxygenate. California uses 600 million gallons of

MTBE annually, making our state the largest market in the nation for

MTBE.

There is good news as 11 other states have banned MTBE and Gov. Gray

Davis has decided to phase out MTBE by the end of 2002, but we will still

dump untold gallons until year’s end. I think boaters and everyone should

pressure Sacramento to put an end to MTBE now. Environmentalists and some

scientists consider this as the most serious environmental catastrophe

since DDT.

Almost all two-stroke outboards used on boats, older personal

watercraft and some gasoline-powered inboards have unburned gasoline

exiting into the waters through the exhaust system. Plus, recent

inspections of the new dual-lined underground fuel tanks show that most

are still leaking fuel. Some lakes, including Lake Tahoe, have banned

the use of all two-stroke engines on the lake due to the environmental

concerns of MTBE, and when MTBE is no longer an additive, I wonder if the

ban will be lifted.

In my mind, there is a simple solution: Stop requiring the use of the

additive now and the problem will stop. I have not read or heard about

any studies that show the benefit of MTBE as a fuel additive that

outweighs the risks in the water.

Most outboard manufactures and personal watercraft manufacturers are

engineering new four-stroke engines with greatly improved fuel efficiency

that dramatically decreases or stops blow-by fuel into the exhaust

system. Boaters can help with MTBE and the next to be announced additive

from entering the waterways by planning to upgrade their two-stroke

outboards to newer models, keeping the engines tuned and carefully

filling the fuel tanks to prevent spillage.

***

Tip of the week: Fill out a float plan and leave it with someone

reliable before you cruise offshore. The plan will help find you if you

don’t come home or show up at your destination. Remember, it is a big

ocean and you are nothing more than a dot on the horizon. The float plan

narrows down the search area and provides the necessary information to

conduct a proper search sea and landside.

Some private towing companies like Vessel Assist allow their members

to file a float plan that a dispatcher monitors. Otherwise, you can fill

out a form similar to the Coast Guard’s online form for your trip (o7

www.uscgboating.org/reg/reg_fr_SafetyTips4.aspf7 ; just fill in and then

print out a few copies).

You should include the people onboard with emergency phone numbers,

vessel make, length and colors, trip expectations such as from point A to

point B or cruising off Newport’s coast looking for whales, and onshore

vehicle information such as these cars are parked at this marina.

Leave this with someone who you will call upon trip completion or, if

you don’t call, then the Coast Guard or Harbor Department can be

notified.

On my long-range trips, I leave a float plan with a few people as

backup, and I have check-in points to someone who notifies the

plan-holders of the updates. This narrows the search area from the whole

route to a specific section and, in a few instances, helps alleviate the

anxiety of those loved ones shore side, especially when crossing to

Hawaii or running coastal in rough weather.

Oh, the reason for the vehicle information is sometimes people wander

on the way home and if the cars are missing and the boat is in the slip,

then searching the ocean is not necessary.

Safe voyages.

* MIKE WHITEHEAD is the Pilot’s boating and harbor columnist. Send him

your harbor and marine-related thoughts and story suggestions via e-mail

to o7 Mike@BoathouseTV.comf7 or o7 www.BoathouseTV.comf7 .