Tips to prevent small spills
Small spills maybe little in volume but overtime can add up. Common ways smalls spills happen is when refueling, transferring material from one container to another, bilge discharge or leaks from loose bolts and equipment changeouts. Keeping a vessel well maintained is the first step in preventing spills. Follow this handy check-list for a few easy ways to your vessel in-check:
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Check and tighten bolts and loose fittings
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Replace any cracked or worn lines and tubing.
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Use some sort of oil tray or drip pan (or even a cookie sheet) when working or changing parts
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Equip your vessel with absorbent pads to clean up any oily discharge
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Avoid overflows when refueling by knowing the size of your tank and leave some room for fuel expansion.
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Use absorbent pads or fuel collars to catch drips
If a spill does occur, it is important to respond and manage the spill immediately. Please report by calling The National Response Center 1-800-424-8802.
If you feel the spill poses a threat to human health immediately contact 911.
Current Projects
Oil Detection & Monitoring-Evaluation and pilot application of low-cost in situ oil sensors
Multipartner Research Initiative, Center for Freshwater Research and Education, LSSU.
In the past decade, there has been tremendous development in low-cost in situ hydrocarbon (fluorometric) sensors that can be deployed long-term and provide real-time data through cellular network. However, testing and applications of in situ hydrocarbon sensors to detect oil spills has been primarily in marine environments. If effective in freshwater environments, these in situ sensors could be an effective solution for early detection and monitoring of oil spills in high risk or highly sensitive areas. Sensors could be added to existing autonomous buoys, or deployed as a separate network to provide high temporal and geographic coverage.
Ten low-cost in situ oil sensors will be deployed from Lake Erie to Lake Superior to evaluate their effectiveness, longevity, and maintenance needs in real-world conditions. This approach will determine the utility of using low-cost in situ sensors for real-time monitoring of oil, which can support early detection systems and post-spill monitoring at potentially high temporal and geographic resolution for relatively low cost. Bay Mills has deployed two sensors, one in the St. Mary's River and a second in the Waishkey River (picture above).
BAY MILLS INDIAN COMMUNITY
THE PLACE OF THE PIKE