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1989-06-01 Regular MeetingKodiak Emergency Services Council June 1, 1989 @ 5:00 p.m. Kodiak, Alaska EXXON VALDEZ OIL SPILL BRAD BALCH (USCG): Working on Big Bay. Otter went to Cape Douglas and down Katmai to Cape Chiniak. Nothing reported. Sighting near Cape Chiniak/Hallo Bay but don't know what it was. GIL BLINN (PARKS): Our biologist went there and on the beaches, he reported oil and mousse streamers. BALCH: It was a couple hundred yards long. BLINN: Our people said it could be a mile and more --pretty extensive. BALCH: The weather service called and gale warning will be updated to full storm warning from early this evening until noon tomorrow --60 knot winds. I spoke with shoreline committee and Jim to get a handle on information coming in and going out. Right now, I am concentrating on one area and what will be available to me. The cleanup being done is being done responsibly. Quite a lot of work being done but am working to get a handle on how to tell you. Two more communication sets on Barb M and Pacific Alliance, which gives us good clear communication. We are able to communicate with them on a fairly regular basis if they aren't moving around a lot. We have a much better communication with the boats carrying cleanup crews. JEROME SELBY (KIB MAYOR): What we had in mind for the meeting with the Senator is something like we what we had with the Admiral. BALCH: Most of today was arranging personnel. I had a turnover with my crew. Also, arranged for monitoring teams with setnetters and boats going around to setnet sites doing pickup. SELBY: Are you moving some of the waste barges? JIM WADE (EXXON): We have three. On the barge at the dock, we are waiting for totes, etc. Two are with teams on Katmai working the west side of Kodiak. Totes were shipped today by SeaLand. BALCH: Beach walking on Raspberry and Spiradon is being done and will get reports to you. SELBY: Just deliver reports or fax them. Exxon is bringing boat locations each morning. If you want, put them in the package. BLINN (PARKS): We flew two aircraft. One has checked in; the other is not back. They did report mousse in Hallo Bay and significant amounts of new mousse on beaches. Kodiak Emergency Services Council - 6/1/89 Page 1 04094 SELBY: Nothing in bays on either side? BLINN: Hallo has new oil; Chiniak has oil but is not new. Sea otters on rocks south of Cape Chiniak. I don't believe we have any oil in that area. We have area commander and his group of operations coming in tomorrow, and they want to see what is going on. Several of us hope to get over to Brooks Cabin and talk with group there on long term plans. New biologist will be coming in. Jim, you have two barges with crew on Katmai Coast? WADE: They moved with same team and are on this side. BLINN: Any idea when they will be going back? WADE: Looks like new activity so hopefully will be soon. MATT ROBUS (FISH & GAME): Exxon helicopter left with three Fish & Game on board. They are back but don't have information from them. They were looking at setnet sites starting at south end. Spent time working on how to track cleanup operations and how to clarify different stretches of group so we can keep list updated. SELBY: Did we get contracts back to test fishery boats today? ROBUS: As I left to come here, they were still meeting. We are getting concerned about that issue. WADE: I think that has been resolved. SELBY: Can you verify that? WADE: I think it was a thirty day contract that they wanted. SELBY: I know they felt they shouldn't be getting less money than the other charters. Let's get it done and get test fisheries out there. WADE INTRODUCED CARL BENDER WHO IS A MEMBER OF THE OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT TEAM IN VALDEZ. BENDER: We agree 100% and will have seven test boats out there. I really came down to get a sense of public sentiment, and I sure have. SELBY: I am glad you came down. We are really serious. MIKE GOODWIN (PARKS): I was flying with DEC to look at area signed off by the Coast Guard and Exxon, the first of shoreline treatment approvals. On the east side of Shuyak, we have video footage. There certainly is still oil there. Concentrations of mousse intermixed with cobbles on beach and a lot of oiled logs and debris. Sightings of sheen. New kelp being deposited on beaches that is oiled. The cleanup crew is doing a good job on materials at high tide line. But, stuff is being redeposited. We need to make a decision on either going back and picking it up or leaving it there. Long stretches of beaches still have mousse and still have evidence of cakes and patties of mousse. Still quite a bit of material. Didn't see too many dead birds. I just have a strong Kodiak Emergency Services Council - 6/1/89 Page 2 04095 feeling that the ocean and natural process is just mixing this stuff up and burying it. In Big Bay, the crews are still working. We did find a couple of recent deer kills and took samples to analyze. SELBY: Who all has signed off on the cleaned beach document? GOODWIN: Jim (Wade) and Commander Ford. DEC had noted they weren't a member of that party that had signed so they didn't sign off. DISCUSSION OF SIGN OFF DOCUMENT. JAY BELLINGER (KODIAK NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE): 11,806 dead birds give us more dead birds than any other response area --also more dead whales. 41 dead sea otters, 10 dead bald eagles, and 5 dead whales. LT. TOM CALLAHAN (NOAA): Talked to fellow from Port Lions and in the white substance in water in Ouzinkie, he found mousse in the center. He is going to bring me some more samples. JOE TALBOTT (NOAA): We seeing white stuff in areas not affected by .the spill DISCUSSION ON SPECULATION OF WHAT WHITE STUFF IS. ARNIE SITYROCK (DEC): We did accompany Mike on Shuyak and our fellow felt it was not an ideal survey. There are still areas in the rocky tidelands. We have sent a sample of white stuff to the FDA here in town that are working at the canneries. They are training people on what to look for. I would comment further, the implications on sign off sheet should be thought about. Of course, if there is no further Federal interest, that doesn't mean the State relinquishes their interest. SELBY: The Federal Government's interest is having those beaches 100% complete as they can be, and I can guarantee the Federal Government wants them to be clean. The Federal Government will see to their being cleaned, if I have to go to Washington, D.C. We have been told we can pick typar up but can't use it. CALLAHAN: I have a 6x6' section that will be sent to Valdez for testing to see how effective it is for stretching out on beaches. SELBY: If there are other documented tests, we want the results of those. What we would like to do is to use stuff here the most effective way. SITYROCK: We have a number of setnetters that could set up a monitoring program, but we need something to do it with. I think Exxon can release typar but not deploy. SELBY: If no one can use it, we aren't going to accept it. We have been discussing that with Exxon. WADE: I don't think it was said you couldn't use it. The material was offered to you to do as you wish. You asked if we could leave it aboard vessels as boom, and I told you we had been told not to use it because of the litigation. Kodiak Emergency Services Council - 6/1/89 Page 3 04096 SELBY: What I need to know is if I could take it and put it in the hands of beach people. WADE: I have been given permission to turn typar over to you. SELBY: Have we a green light to put straight typar into the hands of beach cleanup crews? WADE: I don't see a problem but whether our people can distribute it, I don't know. ARNIE SITYROCK INTRODUCED MIKE LEWIS OF THE DEC OFFICE. MIKE GOODWIN INTRODUCED DAVE MCMAHAN OF THE STATE HISTORICAL PRESERVATION OFFICE. WADE: Team A is deployed in Big Bay area with 17 men. Teams 1, 2, and 3 are in Raspberry Island and Kupreanof Straits. Team 4 is in Fowl Bay and moving to Spiradon. Village teams are cleaning at Ouzinkie, Karluk, and Larsen Bay. We are installing the communication system on various mountains so we can communicate with all vessels and aircraft. Arnie was invited to accompany us. SITYROCK: We are doing our own beach assessment. WADE: We couldn't find any oil and even dug down and for that reason signed off. Area covered runs from Big Fort Island north to Point Banks. DISCUSSION BETWEEN JIM WADE AND MIKE GOODWIN ON BEACH CLEANUP SIGNOFF COASTLINE. SELBY: Could it be a re -oiling? GOODWIN: It is unlikely. Possible, but unlikely. SELBY: I guess that when they go to sign off, they need to walk beach. TALBOTT: Our point is that there is a review process and this was not done. SELBY: Process needs to be followed and spot check for final needs to be very thorough. WADE: Manpower in Kodiak section: 236 people currently involved in beach cleanup that we call the oil spill response technicians, including village crews. 579 people involved in effort over all, including boats. The setnetters program will add 150 people. SELBY: Have you put together some additional beach crews. WADE: We are looking at that. BENDER: We will firm that up tomorrow. We are certainly aware that there is substantial sentiment in the community that what we have been doing is not enough. So, I will commit to you tonight that we will add additional crews. Kodiak Emergency Services Council - 6/1/89 Page 4 n Ann.,. It all has to be done in a orderly fashion, so aren't promising you it will be tomorrow. SELBY: I appreciate your efforts. The longer it stays on the beaches, the harder it will be to clean up. BENDER: We certainly remain to our initial intentions to restore beaches to the way they were. I am sure there will be complaints. The Coast Guard will be the ultimate tie-breaker. We will restore beaches to where they will be safe for wildlife. There will be places it will be impossible to remove oil stain. We will stay with it until authorities tell us it is no longer needed. HERMAN BUEKER (CITY OF KODIAK): Rumor has it you plan to take the boat cleaning station out of the harbor. WADE: That is not our intentions. There is confusion on who the operator will be. SELBY: How are you coming on the other three. WADE: They should be delivered any day. BALCH: I got a call and the machines are in, but they are propane. I checked regulations and there is no problem with propane. SELBY: Jim, could you check on fish claims for oiled fish through your claims folks. At one point, they said they could pay within two or three days. Can you check to see if it has been changed to same-day payment? 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