Keeping Oil Out of Our Waterways

Oil and water don't make for a healthy environment

By Greg LeBreton

I doubt there’s a boater in the Great Lakes who has not watched oil spilling through the Gulf of Mexico and counted themselves fortunate that it hasn’t happened on our shores. I’m afraid I may be about to change that.

This spring, I purchased a new boat. She’s a lovely vessel. Unfortunately, she came accompanied – or maybe possessed by – something I can only refer to as “Mr. Engine Sir.” Besides not starting when required, “Mr. Engine Sir” seems unable to hold his oil and I have beautiful rainbows of colours on the water in my bilge. Other boaters on our dock with a similar engine demon feel there’s only a problem when “Mr. Engine Sir” stops leaking oil. This leaves me concerned that I may be single-handedly responsible for an epic freshwater oil slick in the near future.

We’ve all seen the results of such oil spills on our waterways. Colourful sheens slithering their way across the harbour leave no question about who’s accidentally spilled fuel or oil while messing about on their boat. Oil and water don’t make for a healthy environment. Thin layers of oil create a barrier between water and air and reduce the diffusion of oxygen into the water. In addition, oil on the water can damage the feathers of water birds. Remember the cute baby swans and goslings paddling about the harbour this spring?

Read the full article

Share on: Facebook del.icio.us Digg StumbleUpon Twitter