These small spills from commercial and recreational vessels threaten our marine resources, as well as recreational fishing, boating and related tourism. The Port Isabel-San Benito Navigation District and the GLO cooperatively built this facility to provide a site for commercial fishing and recreational vessels to pump out their oily bilge water. Since completion, the facility has proved very successful. The Port Isabel facility has collected 65,800 gallons of used motor oil from fishing vessels, with approximately 300,000 gallons of water cleaned and discharged. There is no charge to use the facility, and the used oil collected is recycled by a local company.
Vessels can register at the Navigation District where the facility is operated and maintained.
Bilge Water Reclamation System Click the diagram above to view a larger image. Facilities have been constructed in Palacios and Port Lavaca. The Port Lavaca Palacios facilities have collected 38,000 gallons of used oil and cleaned over 117,000 gallons of contaminated water. Collectively all the facilities have collected and recycled 104,000 gallons of used oil. In addition, the facilities have processed and cleaned over 400,000 gallons of contaminated bilge water.