ENGINEMAN 1 & Cof the surfactants are not degradable; and they,or the materials with which they are mixed, maybe toxic to microorganisms and aquatic species.By dispersing, they distribute the oil throughoutthe water column, extend its area of influence con-siderably, and have a resultant adverse biologicalimpact. Also, dispersant may have a short effec-tiveness period; and the oil is released and resur-faces. In fact, dispersion is not really a removalmethod but rather one of spreading the oil andreducing its visibility.oiled debris is properly disposed of by the Navyactivity or contract operator, it can and willbecome a problem at the disposal site. Theconventional disposal methods listed in Table 8-2,for example, may allow the oil to recontaminatesurface or ground waters, degrade the airquality, or present fire hazards. Damages re-sulting from any unauthorized disposal of oilby the Navy or its contractor may lead tolitigation.2. Sinking Agents. Sinking agents arematerials such as clay, fly ash, sand, or crushedstone which when applied to spilled oil will sinkit. Sunken oil will cover and smother or taint thebottom (benthic) organisms, including shellfish.Additionally, it will move and resurface as a resultof turbulence or microbial degradation. For thisreason the use of sinking agents is prohibited byFederal regulations.The disposal options are essentially limited to(1) reuse; (2) disposal by soil cultivation tech-niques; (3) controlled burning; or (4) placementin “approved” sanitary landfills.Reuse of the oil collected from the spill is3. Gelling Agents. These materials absorb,congeal, entrap, and fix the oil to form a semi-rigid or gelatinous mass, which may be more easilyrecovered, or will inhibit the spread of the spill.Gel agents include soap solution, wax, fatty acids,and various polymers.to be preferred where it is possible. The re-covered oil may be “re-refined” and recycledfor beneficial use. Re-refining facilities arenot always readily accessible from spill sites,but the possibility of reuse should always beconsidered.4. Burning Agents. The loss of volatilecomponents and the incorporation of water makeoil spills difficult to ignite and sustain in theburning condition. The use of burning agents isessential if burning is to be pursued, andapproved, as a disposal means. These agentscontain combustion promoting and sustainingchemicals. Their use may be authorized bythe OSC when it will prevent or substantiallyreduce hazard to life or property. Such instancesare rare in inland waters, and burning should beavoided.MITIGATION.—Oil spills will affect thebeneficial uses of the water or land with whichthey have contact. Mitigation deals with theremoval of oil from the area to the degreenecessary to permit resumption of the original useof the water or area.Mitigation operations are response actionswhich may not involve much removal of the pollu-tant, but are desirable to lessen the impact of thespill.DISPOSAL.—As oil is recovered from thespill area, it must be pumped to a storage areaor container where oil/water separation is initiatedor continued. Gravity separation, centrifugation,and other separation techniques are available incommercial equipment. The concentrated oil isthen removed to transport facilities and conveyedto recycle or disposal sites.Once oil has been removed from the spill site,the major battle may have been won; but theconflict goes on, because unless the oily waste orRestoration activities may include shovelingup asphaltic or tarry residues of the spill; applica-tion of hot water washes on rocky shorelines; ex-tensive manual or mechanized efforts to collect,reclaim, and reestablish affected beach sand; ortrenching of estuaries to remove as much oil aspossible. Most restoration efforts deal with beachareas, where the procedures selected vary with thetype, age, and amount of spilled oil and the typeof beach affected. Generally, lighter oils (lessviscous) penetrate the sand more rapidly, and re-quire the use of techniques that include harrow-ing in sorbent material to foster degradation, sandpickup, reclamation and/or replacement. Treat-ment of beach sand to remove oil can only bejustified where beach sand is scarce and its8-10
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