NOAA Magazine Online (Story 79)

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NOAA’s OIL SPILL RESPONSE AND RESTORATION EFFORTS

Photograph of workers transporting captured, oiled wildlife to a rehabilitation center for cleaning. February 18, 2003 — The Prestige spill in Spain last November washed over 18,000 tons of oil ashore, affecting more than 500 beaches, and killing untold numbers of birds, fish and other wildlife. Response crews are still trying to plug the holes in the sunken vessel that has leaked up to 125 tons of oil a day. Because of its decades-long experience in responding to such incidents, NOAA was asked by the government of Spain to provide technical and scientific expertise on how to clean up the oil, and how to assess and restore the injured resources.

Unfortunate as the Prestige spill is, it is not an isolated incident. In the United States alone, thousands of oil and hazardous substances spills into waters occur each year, often from accidents involving marine vessels or transportation pipelines. These releases kill wildlife, destroy habitat and contaminate critical resources in the food chain for years. They are equally destructive to local, regional and national economies heavily dependent upon a healthy coastal environment. The ecological and economic impacts from an oil spill can last for decades, affecting geographic areas and communities both large and small.

Once a spill occurs in U.S. coastal waters, at least three different entities respond.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or U.S. Coast Guard, which leads the cleanup effort;
The party responsible for the incident; and
NOAA, which assists with cleanup and assesses and restores injured natural resources and ecological services.

These parties work together to ensure that cleanup and restoration occur quickly and cost-effectively.

Photograph of the ARGO MERCHANT, which spilled oil when it ran aground near Nantucket Island, Mass. NOAA’s Role
NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration — part of the NOAA Ocean Service — is the focal point for the agency’s spill preparedness and response efforts and natural resource damage assessments for coastal and marine resources. NOAA provides scientific expertise and serves as a trustee on behalf of the public to protect and restore coastal and marine resources injured by oil and hazardous substance releases. Congress established NOAA’s responsibilities in several laws, including the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) and the Oil Pollution Act. OR&R fulfills NOAA’s stewardship responsibilities associated with oil spills through both its Hazardous Materials Response Division (Hazmat) and its participation in the Damage Assessment and Restoration Program (DARP).

Scientific Support for Spill Response
OR&R’s Hazardous Materials Response Division (Hazmat) provides 24-hour support for spill events for the entire US coastline, including the Great Lakes, the Gulf of Mexico, Alaska, and Hawaii. In the last 25 years, hazmat officials have responded to virtually every major marine spill in the United States, and contributed scientific assistance following several international spills. In 2002 alone, hazmat responded to more than 90 events.

Hazmat’s interdisciplinary team of oceanographers, modelers, biologists, chemists, geologists and NOAA Scientific Support Coordinators provides and coordinates critical advice on science and natural resource issues for EPA or Coast Guard during spill events (as well as for drills, exercises and contingency planning). Specifically, hazmat forecasts the movement and behavior of spilled oil and chemicals, evaluates the risk posed to resources, and recommends protection priorities and appropriate cleanup actions. NOAA’s Scientific Support Coordinators oversee and coordinate spill science and provide answers to EPA, Coast Guard, industry and the public. The questions most asked after a release are:

What got spilled?
Where will it go?
How is the area affected?
What can be done to speed recovery?

Additional hazmat activities include providing standard techniques for observing oil both on water and along shores, assessing shoreline impacts and evaluating and selecting cleanup technologies. For example, Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) atlases identify vulnerable resources and habitats in advance of and during emergencies so that appropriate response actions can be planned and implemented. Hazmat works with local experts throughout the country to develop and update these maps. Hazmat also provides training to individuals in industry, government and the public on the scientific aspects of oil and chemical spill response. The goal of Hazmat training is to share scientific expertise and experiences with the broadest possible audience to ensure more efficient planning and spill response.

Photograph of NOAA scientist surveyng an rocky shoreline recently impacted by a nearby oil spill. Damage Assessment and Restoration
While Hazmat officials work with EPA and the Coast Guard providing scientific and technical information and training before and during a spill, officials from the Damage Assessment and Restoration Program (DARP) assess the extent of resource and service injuries and what restoration actions will reverse these losses. DARP is a multi-office program that spans the NOAA Ocean Service, NOAA Fisheries, and the NOAA Office of General Council. After the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill, NOAA established DARP to serve as the focal point in the agency for conducting natural resource damage assessments. DARP’s mission as a trustee is to act on behalf of the public to assess and restore coastal and marine resources injured by oil and hazardous substance releases. Trustees use funds recovered from those responsible for these releases to conduct appropriate restoration activities.

After a release
DARP’s team of scientists, economists and attorneys works with state, tribal, and other federal trustees, the public, and the responsible party to:

Evaluate Natural Resource Injuries: Information is collected from the spill site, scientific literature is reviewed and studies are conducted to determine the extent of injury to the public’s natural resources and services (e.g., recreational uses). For example, trustees may evaluate how many fish were killed and how many fishing trips did not occur as a result.
Identify Restoration Options: Injury information is used to identify restoration opportunities and to develop a restoration plan to reverse the loss. For example, trustees may determine how to restore injured fish stocks and compensate for lost fishing opportunities.
Implement Restoration Projects: Restoration may involve, for example, replanting wetlands to improve fish nursery habitat and providing improved access for recreational fishing. Once the projects are completed, DARP monitors the restored area to measure effectiveness and make necessary corrections.

Since its establishment, DARP and co-trustees have generated more than $300 million to restore coastal and marine resources across the country. DARP has conducted damage assessments at oil spill sites in Alaska, Hawaii, Texas and Washington.

Photograph showing oil spill response technologies, including dispersants, skimmers, booms, and burning. In April of 1993, for example, a freighter collided with two barges, spilling 300,000 gallons of oil near the mouth of Tampa Bay, Fla. To address natural resource injuries, NOAA, its co-trustees and the responsible party planted mangroves, established turtle recovery programs, removed discarded fishing lines (a major cause of bird mortality) from bird nesting islands, installed educational signs describing proper disposal methods for fishing lines and improved access for recreational anglers and beach-goers. By identifying the full range of injuries and implementing restoration projects that addressed these injuries, NOAA and its co-trustees ensured that the public’s natural resource interests were fully restored.

NOAA expertise is critical before, during and after an oil spill. By providing training, the necessary science, and on-the-ground assessment and restoration efforts, NOAA continues to protect the public’s resources and meet the pollution challenges facing the coastal and marine environments. NOAA serves as a leader both domestically and internationally when it comes to the science of responding to oil spills and restoring injured resources.