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4.8. LIQUID MATERIAL MANAGEMENT

Management Measure for Liquid Material Management:

Provide and maintain appropriate storage, transfer, containment, and disposal

facilities for liquid material, such as oil, harmful solvents, antifreeze, and

paints, and encourage recycling of these materials.

Management Measure Description

Marinas store a variety of liquid materials for boat

and facility operation and generate various liquid

wastes through the activities that occur on marina

property. Adequate storage and disposal facilities

are important if these materials are to be kept out

of the environment. Proper storage is also important to ensure that liquid materials do not become

contaminated while in storage and have to be

disposed of prematurely. Marina patrons and

employees are more likely to properly dispose of

liquid wastes if adequate and safe disposal

facilities are provided. Many states have mandatory or voluntary programs that address this

management measure.

Proper storage and disposal of potentially harmful

liquid materials can eliminate their entering marina

waters and harming the aquatic environment,

aquatic organisms, and marina or customer

property. Liquid materials for sale or use at the

marina, such as fuels, oils, solvents, and paints,

should be stored in a manner that minimizes the

chance of a spill and contains a spill if one occurs.

Liquid wastes, such as waste fuel, used oil, spent

solvents, and spent antifreeze, should be similarly

stored until they can be recycled or disposed of

properly.

Small quantities of many liquid wastes, including

antifreeze, waste oil, pesticides, cleaners, solvents,

and paints, can be harmful or deadly to people,

wildlife, pets, fish, and other aquatic organisms.

Discharge of these materials into marina waters

not only is environmentally damaging but also

destroys the overall clean, healthy environment

that a marina can provide to its patrons. Dirty

marinas affect boater satisfaction and present a

poor image to prospective patrons. A clean

marina reinforces the public image that boating is

clean and that marinas are beneficial for the

environment.

Regulations also play a role in proper liquid

material and waste management. Approved spill

protection materials and methods might be

required by the local fire department and are

necessary for marine environmental and liability

insurance coverage. Regardless of whether a

liquid waste material is eventually recycled or

disposed of, careful documentation of how much

material is collected, how it is removed from the

facility, and where it is ultimately going is extremely important. These records are invaluable if

there is ever any question from state or federal

authorities about the marina’s hazardous waste

collection and disposal practices.

Marina staff and boaters should be informed

about safe storage and disposal of liquid wastes.

If a marina collects waste oil for recycling or

disposal, precautions need to be taken to prevent

contamination of one waste type with an incompatible type. Contaminated or mixed liquid wastes

are very expensive to dispose of because commercial removal companies charge their highest

rates for unknown mixtures. Some marinas have

received costly fines by not controlling what is

dumped into waste oil containers or who dumps

materials into them. Holding tanks for liquid

wastes should be kept locked, and a staff person

should be responsible for moving waste from a

collection site to the storage facility.
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Applicability

This management measure is applicable to

marinas where liquid materials used in the maintenance, repair, or operation of boats are stored.

Best Management Practices

With respect to all BMPs mentioned in this

section, please consult with your state and local

regulatory authorities for specific requirements

and make sure your facility is in compliance.

Where state and local regulations contradict the

recommendations provided in this guidance, the

facility must follow regulatory requirements.

♦ Build curbs, berms, or other barriers

around areas used for liquid material

storage to contain spills.

To contain spills, curbs or berms should be

installed around areas where liquid material is

stored. A general guide is to build berms or curbs

to be capable of containing 10 percent of the total

volume of liquid material stored or 110 percent of

the volume of the largest container in storage,

whichever is greater. Drains in the floor would

defeat the purpose of the curbs or berms, so any

drains present should be permanently closed.

♦ Store liquid materials under cover on a

surface that is impervious to the type of

material stored.

Containers of hazardous liquid materials are best

stored in a protected place where rain will not

lead to the containers’ rusting and rupturing. It is

equally important that the surface on which the

containers are stored and of which the berms or

curbs are made be impervious to the contents of

the containers. If they aren’t, a spill could quickly

destroy the spill containment material and spread.

♦ Storage and disposal areas for liquid

materials should be located in or near

repair and maintenance areas, undercover,

protected from runoff, with berms or secondary containment, and away from flood

areas and fire hazards.

♦ Store minimal quantities of hazardous

materials.

A good idea is to conduct a regular review of the

facility’s hazardous materials inventory to identify

any materials that can be stored in smaller

amounts, or that are no longer needed or that

have expired on the shelf. Buying only as much

material as will be used within a year, or on a

project basis, can save money and reduce waste.

♦ Provide clearly labeled, separate containers for the disposal of waste oils, fuels, and

other liquid wastes.

Waste oils include waste engine oil, transmission

fluid, hydraulic fluid, and gear oil. Waste fuels

include gasoline, diesel, gasolines/oil blends, and

water contaminated by these fuels. Other liquid

materials of concern include used antifreeze/

coolant, solvents, acetone, paints, and, if a restaurant is present, edible cooking oils and fats. Each

of these liquids needs a separate container that is

clearly marked to prevent mixing with other

liquids and to assist in its identification for proper

disposal. The containers should be covered in a

Elliot Bay Marina (Washington) has its

staff pick up almost any hazardous waste

directly from the boat owner. This saves

the potential high cost for disposing of

hazardous materials that have been

accidentally mixed by customers, thrown

into dumpsters, or left on the dock where

they could fall or leak into the water. This

practice has worked well and has resulted

in lower disposal costs, a spill-free marina,

and happier customers who do not have to

handle the waste product (USEPA, 1996:

Clean Marinas—Clear Value).

Deep River Marina (Connecticut), Conanicut Marine Services (Rhode Island) and many

other marinas use portable oil-changing units that use a vacuum tank to suction oil out of

an engine through the dip-stick tube. The unit is rented to boaters for do-it-yourself oil

changing (USEPA, 1996: Clean Marinas—Clear Value).
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manner that prevents rainwater from entering

them. Used oil filters are best drained before

disposal by placing the filter in a funnel over the

appropriate waste collection container. Waste

should be removed from the marina site by

someone permitted to handle such waste, such as

a hazardous material contractor, and receipts and

records of all materials disposed of and hauled

away should be retained for inspection.

Paint cans with unused paint should be opened in

well ventilated areas and left to dry until solid,

then disposed of with normal trash. For information on how to handle particular types of hazardous wastes and which wastes are hazardous and

which are not, contact a local extension service,

waste hauler, or fire department.

♦ Recycle liquid materials where possible.

The decision to recycle is usually based on the

type of waste and the availability of recycling

facilities. Where a recycling program is available,

consider participating and encouraging the participation of all marina patrons. Liquids that are often

acceptable for recycling include waste or used oil

and used antifreeze. Drop-off at a hazardous

waste collection point may be necessary.

♦ Change engine oil using nonspill vacuum-type

systems to perform spill-proof oil changes or

to suction oily water from bilges.

♦ Use antifreeze and coolants that are less

toxic to the environment.

Care should be taken to avoid combining different

types of antifreeze/coolants. Propylene-glycolbased antifreeze (with a pink color) should be

used because it is less toxic to the environment.

Ethylene-glycol-based antifreeze (identifiable by

its blue-green color) is very toxic to animals and

should be recycled when it is used.

♦ Use alternative liquid materials where

practical.

When possible, use low-toxicity or nontoxic

materials, such as water-based paints and solvents and propylene-glycol antifreeze, in place of

more toxic products. The use of nontoxic, highbonding, easily cleaned coatings can be encouraged among marina patrons. Solvents with low

volatility and coatings with low volatile organic

compound (VOC) content are available, as are

long-lasting and nontoxic antifouling paints.

♦ Follow manufacturer’s directions and use

nontoxic or low-toxicity pesticides.

At both marinas and boat launch sites, all pesticides (herbicide or insecticide) should be applied

according to the directions provided on the

container and should be applied by someone

trained in pesticide application. All precautions

should be taken to avoid allowing any pesticide to

enter surface waters. Herbicides that are not

toxic to aquatic life are safest to use. A local

extension service is a good source of information

on the relative safety of pesticides and where and

when they can be safely applied. Using mulches

in gardens and under shrubs can be as effective a

method for controlling weeds and is more environmentally friendly than using herbicides.

♦ Burn used oil used as a heating fuel.

EPA permits burning used oil as a heating fuel

(though some states might not permit it) if special

high-temperature furnaces are used. This eliminates disposing of the used oil as a hazardous

waste (Figure 4-14). Normally, the only oil that

can be used as a fuel for high-temperature

furnaces is that collected as part of normal

maintenance and boat service work, but check

with the furnace manufacturer. Also, verify that

use of this system is permissible with the local

environmental authority.

♦ Prepare a hazardous materials spill recovery plan and update it as necessary.

If large amounts of hazardous materials and/or

wastes are stored even for short periods of time

on marina property, a spill prevention and recovery plan should be adopted. The plan should list

the types and volumes of materials that could

potentially be spilled. This information is important

because spill response action depends on the type

of material spilled. A spill response plan for

hazardous material can be integrated into an oil

spill response plan and should include the same

components:

• Who: Clearly identify who is responsible for

taking what action.
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• What: Explain what action should be taken

during a spill event and, based on multiple

scenarios, what equipment should be deployed.

• When: Specify when additional resources

should be called for assistance.

• Where: Tell where the material is located in

the facility.

• How: Explain how the equipment should be

used and disposed of.

♦ Keep adequate spill response equipment

where liquid materials are stored.

Equipment that is suitable for the variety of

materials stored and can contain spilled material

and prevent it from entering surface waters

should be readily available near where spills are

likely. Many hazardous materials do not remain on

the water surface if they do enter surface waters,

so absorbent materials should be used as soon as

possible after a spill to contain them. These

materials should then be disposed of properly.

BMP Summary Table 8 summarizes the BMPs

for Liquid Material management mentioned in this

guidance.

Figure 4-14. West Access Marina (Illinois) installed

a high-temperature furnace in 1993, which extended

the marina’s boat maintenance activities into and

through the winter. The marina’s engine maintenance service collects between 1,000 and 2,000

gallons of waste oil a year. It is collected in small

containers and stored in a 1,000-gallon drum. The

furnace burns very cleanly at 3,000 EF. The furnace

saves the marina thousands of dollars each year in

waste oil removal costs (USEPA, 1996: Clean Marinas—Clear Value).
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that are less toxic to the universally recommended toxicity products protect propylene-glycol based
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