Solid Waste
and
Storm Water Run-Off
Containment
Summary
Perform abrasive blasting within spray booths or plastic tarp enclosures to prevent residue from being carried into surface waters. If tarps are used, blasting should be closely monitored on windy days to prevent drifting dust.
This management practice focuses on preventing the abrasive material used in sandblasting from entering adjacent waterways. It is applicable to facilities that have abrasive (sand) blasting capabilities. Quantities of the used abrasive material, such as "black beauty", can collect toxic levels of metals from bottom paint and steel hulls that are stripped during the blasting process. Ideally, this process should occur within a rigid walled booth that ensures the containment of the blasting material and the residue.
If a permanent structure is inappropriate because of space, cost or other limitations, then the area around the vessel to be blasted should be enclosed. The tarps should extend high enough above the blasting surface to contain the blasting material and residue. Because tarps do not constitute a rigid structure, they do not eliminate wind flow through the blasting area, allowing wind to carry the blasting material and residue into surface waters. Therefore, if tarps are used, blasting should be closely regulated when wind can carry the blasting material and residue out of the tarped-in area and into sensitive areas. Containment is made easier if the blasting is consistently performed in the same area of the facility. This area should be in a location away from the land-water interface and cleaned regularly.
For instance, a facility may choose to locate the blasting area at the farthest corner from the water's edge. Records that include the volume of blasting material on-site and level of toxins contained in the material should be regularly kept. Used blasting material should be tested and disposed of regularly.
Provide and clearly mark designated work areas for outside boat repairs and maintenance. Do not permit work outside designated areas.
If a facility is large enough, one section of the yard should be dedicated for outside boat repairs and maintenance. Boats should be moved to this location before any maintenance activity (such as sanding, painting, fiberglassing, and woodworking) is undertaken. The work area should be well marked with signs. A list of boat owner responsibilities and limitations, while using the work area, should also be clearly posted. Limitations may include the prohibition of hazardous materials and a maximum time a boat may be left in the area. The work area should allow for easy removal of waste and debris that is generated from maintenance activities. An operational system that is capable of managing requests to access the work area, move boats to and from the maintenance area, and enforce the practice will need to be implemented.
Work areas are often synonymous with hull maintenance areas that are defined by the federal nonpoint source program as areas whose primary function is to provide a place for boats during the scraping, sanding, and painting of their bottoms. Hull maintenance areas are also addressed in the Storm Water Program.
Perform maintenance work inside buildings whenever possible.
When possible, completing boat maintenance work inside an enclosed area is recommended to keep contaminants where rain can't wash them into water and where they can be easily collected and disposed of. This is especially true for activities such as fiberglassing or pressurized painting, where outside material can easily escape during the process and enter the environment.
Having dedicated work areas may not be feasible in many marinas because of various constraints (size of facility, cost). In these cases, locations within the facility where boats are stored can be used as work areas if additional BMPs are implemented. If this option is selected, all the areas where maintenance is performed must be managed for NPS. This may increase the marina's responsibility to install or implement BMPs that are designed to minimize the abundance of solid waste resulting from maintenance activities that can potentially enter adjacent surface waters. Because the maintenance area is not within a contained area, more intense application of BMPs may be necessary. For instance, if bottom scraping is done in a designated, properly designed work area, the need for performing this activity over tarps may be eliminated. If the same activity is not done in a work area, then the use of tarps to collect scrapings will probably be more widespread.
Additional BMPs should include preventive measures to decrease the potential amount of material resulting from the maintenance activity from entering adjoining surface waters. The following BMPs should be considered for implementation whether or not the marina has a dedicated work area. These practices prevent hazardous material (metals, toxins) from being released into an open environment, thereby decreasing the potential for the material's entering the surface water.
Perform outdoor maintenance over tarps or hard surfaces to ease the cleanup process and prevent material from being carried into surface waters. Dispose of collected material properly.
Similar to the BMP on abrasive blasting, this practice prevents paint dust and other waste materials from washing throughout the facility when it rains. This practice should be applied when maintenance is being performed over a surface that is not easily cleaned, such as crushed gravel. Once the maintenance activity is completed, the material on the tarp should be captured and disposed of properly.
Clean (trash, sandings, paint chips, etc.) immediately after any maintenance activity. Dispose of collected material properly.
Require boat owners to spend a few minutes cleaning up their work area after they have performed a maintenance activity that generates waste. Immediate attention to sweeping or vacuuming the work area and collecting and disposing of the waste properly greatly decreases the amount of waste that is available to enter the surface water. To ease in the cleanup, cover nearby storm drains to inhibit waste from being washed into pipes that directly discharge into surface waters.
Use vacuum sanders both to remove paint from hulls and collect paint dust.
This new technology is effective at capturing paint dust during sanding. Immediate capture prevents paint dust from entering the surface water, makes cleaning up the work area easier, and increases the speed at which a boat bottom can be completely sanded. Rentals of these units could also evolve into another profit center for the marina.
Marina operators may consider prohibiting any hull maintenance (sanding, painting, wood or fiberglass work) in locations within the facility that directly abut the land-water interface unless the BMPs that have been implemented can ensure that the material does not enter the surface water. This is often difficult to achieve, and the potential for the material's entering the water increases with proximity of the maintenance activity to the water's edge.
Provide covered containers for solid waste generated within the facility.
Once material that has been generated during maintenance activities is properly collected, it must then be disposed of properly. Containers to collect frequently generated waste should be located near maintenance areas, or locations within the facility that are accessible. The number and type of containers are dependent on the type and volume of waste collected. If containers are outdoors , they should be properly covered to prevent rainwater from collecting in them. A proper cover also ensures that the collected material will not be washed out during a rain event.