Risk Assessment for Potentially Polluting Wrecks in U. S. Waters

Download or read book Risk Assessment for Potentially Polluting Wrecks in U. S. Waters written by Daniel J. Basta and published by . This book was released on 2013-07-25 with total page 195 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There are concerns about potential environmental impacts from eventual release of cargo and fuel from the 20,000 shipwrecks in U.S.waters. Although a few are well-publicized oil pollution threats, most wrecks, unless they pose an immediate pollution threat or impede navigation, are left alone and are largely forgotten until they begin to leak, often becoming the source of "mystery spills" that harm coastal economies and environments. This report finds that 36 sunken vessels scattered across the U.S. seafloor could pose an oil pollution threat to the nation's coastal and marine resources. Of those, 17 were recommended for further assessment and potential removal of both fuel oil and oil cargo. The report identifies the location and nature of potential sources of oil pollution from sunken vessels, which are a legacy of more than a century of U.S. commerce and warfare. The scope of the problem is much more manageable than initially thought. Tables and figures. This is a print on demand report.