A quick fix

June Casagrande

No one admits they do it, but the offenders are out there

somewhere: Boaters who, for sake of convenience, sometimes pump the

contents of their boat bilges into the ocean.

It seems harmless enough, just flushing out accumulated ocean

water, until you consider that just about any filled boat bilge

contains a significant amount of oil and gas. And these pollutants

contribute to the destruction of fragile marine environments.

A new program is aiming to change all of this. The Environmental

Health division of the county’s Health Care Agency has started a

pilot program in Newport Harbor. Boaters can pick up free absorbent

bilge pads at the Shell Station at the Newport Landing Fuel Dock.

Vessel operators simply lay down the pads over their bilge water and

the pads do the rest -- absorbing the oil and gas without absorbing

water.

Then, boaters just turn in the used pads for recycling and get new

ones every time they change their vessel’s oil.

“It’s easy and it’s free,” said Steven Kim, hazardous waste

specialist for the county agency.

The pilot program is paid for by state environmental grants funded

largely through surcharges consumers pay for every quart of oil

purchased. The agency also hopes for state funding to expand the

program into a permanent one that would include a free bilge pump-out

station.

“If you’re a resident or anyone else who enjoys the marine

environment, it’s clear why this is a good thing to participate in,”

Kim said.