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Pollution control in the Fraser river estuary
Volume 10/Number 2/February 1979
ashore included some of Spain's richest oyster and shellfish centres. The coastline now at risk also suffered the effects of the Urquiola grounding in 1976 when 110 000 tons of oil was spilled at the entrance to La Coruna harbour.
Sea Bed in Focus A new underwater ultrasonic camera that can identify objects as small as 0.5 m m in diameter at a range of 10 m at depths down to 300 m has been developed by the electronics group, EMI. The makers claim that the camera can improve picture resolution by a factor of three over the best previously obtainable. It uses a particularly sensitive method of collecting sound waves reflected back by the objects viewed. The collector is a single quartz crystal about 100 mm in diameter. Behind the crystal a sheet of epoxy resin receives the returned sound waves and converts the sound image into a picture on a TV screen.
Pollution Control in the Fraser River Estuary The estuary of the Fraser River serves as the nursery area for a series of economically very significant runs of Pacific salmon and has important waterfowl habitats. The estuary has become progressively more polluted in recent years, due largely to increasing discharge of toxic and organic wastes, although pollution controls through a provincial permit system have required treatment of sanitary sewage discharged by the City of Vancouver and adjacent municipalities. Pollution control is now to be integrated within a comprehensive management plan involving co-operating departments of both Federal and Provincial governments with citizen input. The stated control objectives are to include estuary-wide waterquality suitable for fish and wildlife, and swimmingquality water at designated areas. Controls will include restricting foreshore industrial developments to designated areas and permitting only those industries dependent on water access. The intent is that there shall be no further net loss of wetlands and that use of toxic chemicals by water-adjacent industries shall be carefully controlled.
D. V. ELLIS
More Tanker Disasters The Greek supertanker Andros Patria carrying 208 000 tons of crude oil was left drifting helplessly 50 km off the coast of N.W. Spain after an explosion ruptured three of its 13 tanks. It was abandoned after fire broke out, and 34 of her crew were lost when their lifeboats were swamped by heavy seas. Early reports indicated that a slick at least 20 km long had spread from the stricken ship within 24 hours of the disaster, and the coastline hit by the first oil to come
The horrific explosion at the Gulf oil port at Whiddy Island two miles off Bantry, in south west Ireland killed 50 crewmen and port workers on board the French tanker Betelgeuse. The disaster happened as the ship's 140000 ton cargo of Arabian crude oil was being unloaded and has added to the growing fears about operations there. The Irish Government has launched a major investigation into the cause of the disaster, and investigations are also being carried out by Total, which chartered the tanker, and the Compagnie Navales des Petrols, which owned the eleven year old vessel. Controversy has always surrounded the siting of the terminal at Bantry, which is one of Ireland's most beautiful bays. Following the series of oil spills in recent year (24 have been reported in 7 years) the Irish Government warned that further incidents could lead to the enforced closure of the oil operations there. Pollution arising from the present disaster appears to be much less than could have been anticipated, probably because much of the 40 000 tons of oil not unloaded was burned in the fire which followed the explosion.
Black Start at Sullom Voe Only a month after the opening of Europe's largest and most sophisticated oil terminal at Sullom Voe, Shetland, an 'unexpected' oil spill quickly highlighted the apparently unavoidable ecological risks posed by such installations and the equally apparent lack of effective 'clean-up' equipment. The tanker Esso Bernicia collided with the terminal jetty, gashed her side and lost 1100 tons of bunker fuel. The terminal operators BP admitted that they had not been prepared for a spill of this particular fuel and as a result the oil lay in the harbour contained by booms until pumping equipment was obtained. After 4 days however one b o o m failed, its replacement also failed and 600 tons of oil escaped. Similar efforts to protect nearby bays by using b o o m s were also unsuccessful. Beaches and rocks were polluted, hundreds of seabirds died and shellfish beds were destroyed. The accident and the ensuing mishaps have done little to reassure Shetland Islanders that a more serious spill could be effectively tackled once the terminal becomes fully operational and is handling 20000 tons of oil an hour.
New Oil Dispersant The first official application in the United States of Exxon's chemical dispersant Corexit 9527 is claimed to have successfully dealt with a spillage of fuel oils from a barge which sank off Breezy Point, Queens, New York, causing pollution on five holiday recreational beaches. 35
ashore included some of Spain's richest oyster and shellfish centres. The coastline now at risk also suffered the effects of the Urquiola grounding in 1976 when 110 000 tons of oil was spilled at the entrance to La Coruna harbour.
Sea Bed in Focus A new underwater ultrasonic camera that can identify objects as small as 0.5 m m in diameter at a range of 10 m at depths down to 300 m has been developed by the electronics group, EMI. The makers claim that the camera can improve picture resolution by a factor of three over the best previously obtainable. It uses a particularly sensitive method of collecting sound waves reflected back by the objects viewed. The collector is a single quartz crystal about 100 mm in diameter. Behind the crystal a sheet of epoxy resin receives the returned sound waves and converts the sound image into a picture on a TV screen.
Pollution Control in the Fraser River Estuary The estuary of the Fraser River serves as the nursery area for a series of economically very significant runs of Pacific salmon and has important waterfowl habitats. The estuary has become progressively more polluted in recent years, due largely to increasing discharge of toxic and organic wastes, although pollution controls through a provincial permit system have required treatment of sanitary sewage discharged by the City of Vancouver and adjacent municipalities. Pollution control is now to be integrated within a comprehensive management plan involving co-operating departments of both Federal and Provincial governments with citizen input. The stated control objectives are to include estuary-wide waterquality suitable for fish and wildlife, and swimmingquality water at designated areas. Controls will include restricting foreshore industrial developments to designated areas and permitting only those industries dependent on water access. The intent is that there shall be no further net loss of wetlands and that use of toxic chemicals by water-adjacent industries shall be carefully controlled.
D. V. ELLIS
More Tanker Disasters The Greek supertanker Andros Patria carrying 208 000 tons of crude oil was left drifting helplessly 50 km off the coast of N.W. Spain after an explosion ruptured three of its 13 tanks. It was abandoned after fire broke out, and 34 of her crew were lost when their lifeboats were swamped by heavy seas. Early reports indicated that a slick at least 20 km long had spread from the stricken ship within 24 hours of the disaster, and the coastline hit by the first oil to come
The horrific explosion at the Gulf oil port at Whiddy Island two miles off Bantry, in south west Ireland killed 50 crewmen and port workers on board the French tanker Betelgeuse. The disaster happened as the ship's 140000 ton cargo of Arabian crude oil was being unloaded and has added to the growing fears about operations there. The Irish Government has launched a major investigation into the cause of the disaster, and investigations are also being carried out by Total, which chartered the tanker, and the Compagnie Navales des Petrols, which owned the eleven year old vessel. Controversy has always surrounded the siting of the terminal at Bantry, which is one of Ireland's most beautiful bays. Following the series of oil spills in recent year (24 have been reported in 7 years) the Irish Government warned that further incidents could lead to the enforced closure of the oil operations there. Pollution arising from the present disaster appears to be much less than could have been anticipated, probably because much of the 40 000 tons of oil not unloaded was burned in the fire which followed the explosion.
Black Start at Sullom Voe Only a month after the opening of Europe's largest and most sophisticated oil terminal at Sullom Voe, Shetland, an 'unexpected' oil spill quickly highlighted the apparently unavoidable ecological risks posed by such installations and the equally apparent lack of effective 'clean-up' equipment. The tanker Esso Bernicia collided with the terminal jetty, gashed her side and lost 1100 tons of bunker fuel. The terminal operators BP admitted that they had not been prepared for a spill of this particular fuel and as a result the oil lay in the harbour contained by booms until pumping equipment was obtained. After 4 days however one b o o m failed, its replacement also failed and 600 tons of oil escaped. Similar efforts to protect nearby bays by using b o o m s were also unsuccessful. Beaches and rocks were polluted, hundreds of seabirds died and shellfish beds were destroyed. The accident and the ensuing mishaps have done little to reassure Shetland Islanders that a more serious spill could be effectively tackled once the terminal becomes fully operational and is handling 20000 tons of oil an hour.
New Oil Dispersant The first official application in the United States of Exxon's chemical dispersant Corexit 9527 is claimed to have successfully dealt with a spillage of fuel oils from a barge which sank off Breezy Point, Queens, New York, causing pollution on five holiday recreational beaches. 35