—Chattahoochee River, Georgia (1963). A burst 
pipeline spewed 60,000 gallons of kerosene into 
the river five miles above one of Atlanta’s water 
supply intakes. The river was polluted for three 
weeks. A treatment plant supplying one-fourth of 
Atlanta’s water was shut down for two days, after 
which greatly increased chemical treatment of the 
water was necessary. 
—Coosa River, Alabama (1963). A tractor-trailer 
hit a bridge and spilled 25 tons of barium 
carbonate. Downstream water supplies were 
threatened. 
—Minnesota River (1962). A storage facility pipe- 
line broke, releasing about 1,400,000 gallons of 
cutting oil, light mineral oil, and zylene into the 
river. 
—Illinois River (1961). At Peoria, Illinois, a hose 
ruptured during the unloading of anhydrous 
ammonia from a barge. Forty-two persons were 
hospitalized, and 5,000,000 fish were killed. 
—Mississippi River (1960). Industry drained several 
tons of phenol into the river near Baton Rouge. 
Water supplies for New Orleans and nearby 
communities were contaminated. 
These are only a few of the almost continuous 
series of similar experiences reported across the 
nation in lakes, rivers, and territorial waters. 
Oil and other hazardous materials constitute a 
major pollution threat to the Nation’s water 
resources. The danger exists both inland and along 
the coasts. Whether the spill is large or small, 
occasional or continuous, each source must be 
evaluated for (1) the relative hazards involved, (2) 
the preventive measures that should be instituted, 
and (3) the damage-control and cleanup capabili- 
ties that may be needed. 
(1.) Waterborne Sources of Oil Pollution With 
the growth of world and domestic commerce, 
increasing numbers of vessels of generally larger 
capacity have been required. Almost exclusively, 
oil is the fuel of the waterborne commercial fleets, 
and perhaps one vessel in five is engaged also in 
transporting oil. Thus, water transport constitutes 
a great potential pollution threat. The great 
numbers of these possible pollution sources and 
the fact that they are mobile over extensive water 
areas require both government and industry to 
give careful attention to pollution control meas- 
ures. 
The quantities and varieties of oils and other 
hazardous materials transported and stored by 
industry are staggering. For example: 
—Four billion barrels of petroleum and natural gas 
liquids are used annually in the United States, and 
the figure is expected to reach 6.5 billion barrels 
by 1980. 
—Twenty-five billion pounds of animal and vege- 
table oils are consumed or exported annually. 
—Eighty billion pounds (1964) of synthetic 
organic chemicals are produced annually by some 
12,000 chemical companies. These chemicals, 
many toxic or with unknown effects on aquatic 
and even human life, range from everyday food 
flavorings to pesticides. 
No readily available compilation exists of the 
number, size, and character of facilities for moving 
and storing these materials. However, the quanti- 
ties indicate the high probability of pollutants 
spilling into the Nation’s waters from transporta- 
tion and terminal facilities. 
Newspaper headlines seldom announce the flow 
of 10 or 30 or even 300 gallons of waste oil into a 
nearby stream or lake. The event is proclaimed 
only by the trail of grime and damage left behind. 
These catastrophes might go unnoticed except that 
they are repeated so often. 
(2.) Pipelines This country is laced by 200,000 
miles of pipelines with pressures to 1,000 pounds 
per square inch. These lines carried more than one 
billion tons of oil and other hazardous substances 
in 1965. Many sections are laid in and across 
waterways and reservoirs. Lines are heavily con- 
centrated where the demand for petroleum prod- 
ucts is great—in the most populous areas along the 
coasts, rivers, and lakes. Thus, our pipeline system 
threatens pollution of our waterways, port areas, 
and sources of drinking water. There are enough 
leaks from accidental punctures, cracked welds, 
and corrosion to require alertness and technical 
improvement. 
(3.) Offshore Petroleum Offshore oil and gas 
operations are being conducted in the Gulf of 
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