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complicating the emergency response to such an event. <br />As a major industrial nation, the U.S. produces, distributes, <br />and consumes large quantities of oil. Petroleum-based oil is <br />used as a major power source to fuel factories and various <br />modes of transportation, and in many everyday products, such <br />as plastics, nylon, paints, tires, cosmetics, and detergents <br />(Environmental Protection Agency, 1998). At every point in the <br />production, distribution, and consumption process, oil is stored <br />in tanks. With billions of gallons of oil being stored throughout <br />the country, the potential for an oil spill is significant, and the <br />effects of spilled oil can pose serious threats to the <br />environment. <br />In addition to petroleum-based oil, the U.S. consumes millions <br />of gallons of non -petroleum oils, such as silicone and mineral - <br />based oils and animal and vegetable oils. Like petroleum <br />products, these non -petroleum oils are often stored in tanks <br />that have the potential to spill, causing environmental damages <br />that are just as serious as those caused by petroleum-based <br />oils. To address the potential environmental threat posed by <br />petroleum and non -petroleum oils, the U.S. Environmental <br />protection Agency has established a program designed to <br />prevent oil spills. The program has reduced the number of <br />spills to less than 1% of the total volume handles each year <br />(Environmental Protection Agency, 1998). <br />Indian River County has about 22 miles of Atlantic Ocean <br />coastline that is subject to contamination caused by an oil spill. <br />By Executive Order, the responsibility for preparing response <br />plans for coastal oil spills is designated to the Department of <br />Environmental Protection, Division of Florida Marine Patrol. <br />The Florida Coastal Pollutant Spill Plan has been prepared to <br />coordinate response procedures and recovery efforts after a <br />spill. There are to active oil field regions in Florida: Escambia <br />and Santa Rosa counties in the Panhandle, and Collier, Dade, <br />Hendry, and Lee counties in southwest Florida. <br />e. Wellfield Contamination <br />The development of wellfield protection programs is a major <br />preventative approach for the protection of community drinking <br />water supplies. Wellfield protection is a means of <br />Indian River County Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan Basic Page 32 <br />