Winterize your boat and prevent oil spills

Washington State Department of Ecology

Department of Ecology News Release - Oct. 30, 2003

03-210

Winterize your boat and prevent oil spills

OLYMPIA - Winter may be bringing an end to the boating and jet-skiing season, but the threat of fuel spills from recreational watercraft remains.

"A lot of fuel gets spilled during the summer months when thousands of boats and jet skis are active in our lakes and marine waters," said Dale Jensen, spills manager for the state Department of Ecology. "But before people cover up their boats for the winter, they should take some steps to make sure spills don't occur while the boat is unattended."

These steps include:

Check oil and fuel leaks, and fix them before putting the boat away for the winter.
Keep the boat rainwater-proof. Inspect all cockpit drain plugs and make sure the holes are clear. If the boat is left in the water, cover it so rainwater can't flood into the bilge area and sink the boat.
If the boat's engine uses coolant, drain the existing fluid, recycle it and replace it with non-toxic, propylene glycol-based antifreeze - taking care not to spill any in the water or on the ground in the process.
Carefully replace the engine's old gear oil with fresh oil. Use the oil recycle center to get rid of used oil and old boat batteries.
Fill the fuel tank with non-oxygenated fuel and add the proper amount of fuel stabilizer to the gasoline. Full fuel tanks prevent condensation from forming on the side of the tanks, thus avoiding corrosion and future leaks.

Bruce Marshall, harbor director at the Port of Olympia, recommends putting a clean absorbent pad in the bilge-pump area, since many boats have a bilge pump that is activated by an automatic float switch to prevent them from sinking. Accumulating rain water, boat spray and minor leaks automatically kick the pump on.

"Once oil or fuel gets in your bilge area and your pump goes on, it will be pumped out with the water and foul the marina," Marshall said. "Little spills add up."

He added that the Port of Olympia gives away absorbent pads for free to help prevent oil from getting into the water, and there's a recycling center at Swantown Boatworks that is open to the boating public.

Although small spills may seem inconsequential, cumulatively they can cause significant damage to the marine environment. Petroleum products are toxic and contain organic chemicals and heavy metals. Gasoline has more than 100 hydrocarbon compounds that harm fish larvae, shellfish and other marine organisms.

If an oil spill happens, report the spill to Ecology at 800-OILS-911, the marina operator (if at a marina), and the U.S. Coast Guard (800-424-8802).

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Media Contact: Mary-Ellen Voss, Public Information Officer, phone 360-407-7211, pager 360-956-8296

Ecology's Spills Program: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/spills/spills.html