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1989-08-28 Regular MeetingKodiak Emergency Services Council August 28, 1989 @ 5:00 p.m. Kodiak, Alaska EXXON VALDEZ OIL SPILL MIKE GOODWIN (PARKS): The FOSC has signed off giving approval for geotextile program. All the permitting process has been taken care of. If everything went well, the FOSC should have flown up to Shuyak this morning for test study sights. BOB BRODIE (CITY OF KODIAK MAYOR): How many in your area? GOODWIN: As of September 1, we will have two. We are trying to solicit more volunteers. JIM SELLERS (GOVERNOR'S OFFICE): Do you know anything about state modem system? GOODWIN: Apparently they are doing Kenai Peninsula completed. They have asked me to approach the Coast Guard. I am requesting, through Juneau, permission for a helicopter for microwave unit. They are supposed to be here the first week in September. SELLERS: Crew should be here tomorrow. I talked to Mike today. BRODIE: How is cabin occupancy? GOODWIN: Running 30% occupancy for cabins compared to 30-40% in fall. We had our first refund request. First specifically related oil spill refund. DICK HENSEL (ADF&G): Tugidak--Island cleanup complete for duration of season. One hundred three bags oiled debris and two booms loaded. Salmon stream assessment plan --60 plus streams for oil sediment samples commences Wednesday and through September. Everybody is in the process of either planning to put out transects, and I can see a real snafu unless means transect can be channeled into central location --I think the ISCC meeting. I urge a letter from that committee to submit to DEC filing of location of transects. BRODIE: Is there some mention of federal plan? HENSEL: I think it would be. I think all agencies should be --Exxon, SCAT, etc. I can see benefits that can come from system whereby there is a central point to deposit information. JEROME SELBY (KODIAK ISLAND BOROUGH MAYOR): AutoCad? Kodiak Emergency Services Council - 8/28/89 Any reason why we can't use Page 1 03968 ARNIE SHRYOCK (DEC): That would be wonderful. LARRY NICHOLSON (ADF&G): When was decision made to go to 60 streams for sampling? HENSEL: Back in latter part of June and by the Anchorage office. There was a crew organized to do this starting in Prince William Sound. They found many salmon streams not cataloged --over 400 needed sampling. They can't do the schedule, so we get notified on Monday that we do it here. Stream selection is predicted on streams that support salmon that are oiled. NICHOLSON: No additional oilings at Chignik Lagoon and Anchorage Bay. On the subsistence plan, there is to be no selling of subsistence fish. Kitoi came in around 7 --better than three -fold what was forecast. PAUL BURKE (USF&W): Seven hundred fresh killed birds from Tugidak in the last ten days. Many are lightly oiled and many are fresh, meaning less than a week old. There has been considerable excitement because of fresh mortality. They have asked that the birds be analyzed by Exxon, and I am seeking approval. We will be doing collecting; they will just go to Exxon lab. Petroleum toxicity has been found in mineral tracks. Now sending tissue samples to NOAA to fingerprint. Mike Barker (Exxon) is to look at Tugidak to see if there are any other fresh birds. The residents of that Island have said there are still fresh birds. Chignik Bay area has same conditions. Fresh oiling of 700 birds collected. I have not had a chance to see the birds or log data. We are going to try to get some fresh samples from the recent Coast Guard trip for fresh birds. Those birds we shipped live to Seward have died in Seward. They will be sampled. On the report of the dead oiled whale in Metrofinia, it has been turned over to NMFS and suggested they do the same in testing. Draft of winter operations has been sent to region office. It comes down to what the region feels it can afford to commit to and what we need to do and what we can do. JERRY HAMMOND (NATIONAL PARKS): In Chignik, our ranger protection guard reports a few birds. We are working on winter replacement for my position to arrive in the middle or latter part of September. Will have a permanent employee for the winter. The main operation will be our of Anchorage. Three or four vessels are working up and down Katmai coast and still picking up a lot of material. Our research groups are working well and able to find transects, and we plan on completing that program by September 10. Most appraisal groups are reporting that beaches signed off for Type A cleanup are getting quite a bit of oil in subsurface --14" to 18". A lot of sheening coming off these beaches. Transect locations will be presented in rough draft. Will be documenting and presenting guidelines we feel are needed to manage those transects. We will be getting concerned about wildlife, helicopter use, fuel caches, etc. We aren't trying to block it. JIM WADE (EXXON): I apologize for not being at the last meeting. I indicated at the last meeting I attended I would have a plan for you. I do not have that plan. I wish I could tell you when. Close to half the boats we have on charter have either stopped chartering or notified us they will be. Our work force has declined --possibly down to under 300 people --with the village demobilization and setnetters. I will try to get more information to you. Kodiak Emergency Services Council - 8/28/89 Page 2 03°69 SELBY: Mid -week? WADE: I am not going to promise you when, but as soon as it's put together. BRODIE: Any results of Homer geotextile? WADE: I don't think it has started. BURKE: Bridgett (Milligan) stopped in for the Borough, and we have prepared the permit. All I need is a signature. Who can sign it? SELBY: I can. We are tentatively looking at getting them out on Wednesday to MacDonald's Lagoon in Ishuit. We have permits on two sites but actually will be doing one. A mix up in Homer, but we sent another bag up to Homer, so it has not been tested. Herring seine lined with geotextile to Homer for test. WADE: Weather kicking us around. Winds and high surf. It is risky getting people on beaches. BURKE: In letter, condition being in Kodiak that a cleanup team be available for remainder of year? WADE: I have not seen reply letter. DISCUSSION on reply, Type A cleanup, re -oiling, standby cleanup effort, and two vessels with capability to respond in critical habitat areas. NICHOLSON: What is the status of the incinerator? WADE: Incinerator still down to repair refractory. More damaged than thought. Both chambers are damaged. It will be at least five more days. Two engineers are on board trying to assist. All the materials are here to do the refractory. BRODIE: Was it damaged in transit? WADE: No, apparently when fired, but we don't know. Material has been sent to be analyzed. GOODWIN: Is Shuyak Harbor warm water washing activated? WADE: Yes, the equipment seems to be working well and effectively. It went to Peravone and finished up that job and then to Shuyak. SELBY to WADE: Can you have John check and see when we might expect to get check for third reimbursement. We haven't been paid for over a month. Currently over $400,000 in hole. That particular billing is for $128,000. SHRYOCK: It is possible to overdo very easily. It may not be necessary to have every site on what is happening during winter. If we can pick enough sites, we can probably get the best answers for next year. We are delaying our winter plan for a day or two to get a full range of findings from different agencies as to what can be done to make our efforts very effective. Todd at Kodiak Emergency Services Council - 8/28/89 Page 3 03970 NOAA agrees that the various agencies should manage a good concerted effort. His feeling was it may be should be outside of KISCC. HENSEL: I would argue against that. That committee certainly has a role throughout the winder period. SELBY: I would agree. One of the things we have asked the committee to do is for the winter. The committee needs to meet on some kind of regular basis throughout the winter and monitor the information coming in throughout the winter. We need to be able to keep an eye on it, and the shoreline committee is the people that need to keep together and keep notes. DISCUSSION on committee's function throughout the winter. BURKE: I have the draft of the Interagency Damage Oil Spill Assessment Plan, and it is available in my office. I will get more copies. It might be the document to use to pull agencies together. Comment period as of September 30. It will be in Federal Registry. SHRYOCK: Subsistence testing program has been fairly dead. We have discussed it with Exxon. We took 100 fish, 20 from each species, for test analysis and, unfortunately, nothing has happened. They are still stored. Nothing has been resolved in terms of how lab services will be provided. SELBY: Are you still collecting clam samples? SITYROCK: Not right now, but it will be time soon. Our lab will be much more capable of handling that after the salmon commercial fishing. SITYROCK explain the fish sampling system. LT. COMMANDER MADDEN (USCG): Due to weather conditions, we are sending people out on longer deployment. We do have people on "rock sox" testing. DISCUSSION on sign -off forms. Lt. Commander Madden to add up what is left behind after Type A cleanup. Accounting is of Type A work, but beaches still have oil underground. Lt. Commander Madden said beaches checked for reassessment could mean they are possibly for Type B cleanup. Type A is looking at the beach for gross contamination. If it appears it may be re -oiled or needs other type of cleanup, the form says subject to reassessment. Mr. Shryock explained DEC's role in Type A sign off reviews with the Coast Guard. SHRYOCK: We have been given a place on the form to make comment, courtesy of the Coast Guard. We sign it, but we don't approve or disapprove. BURKE: We just make our recommendation as landowner. DISCUSSION on the purpose of the SCAT team, which is to identify the constraints --biological, archeological, etc. SELBY: How do we document a beach which is re -oiled and needs to be re -cleaned? Kodiak Emergency Services Council - 8/28/89 Page 4 03971 He was told by oil impact assessments that are on-going and cleanup tracking records. BRODIE: How is any measurement being made on beach unless it's designated for Type B when you leave the beach? Is there accurate count of miles that may require Type B? MADDEN: We can track beaches we have assessed. BRODIE: Will you designate a beach not to go back to if it has oil underground? MADDEN: No. SHRYOCK: Reassessment will be done just because there may be areas that are missed during demobilization. CONSENSUS is all has been documented. BRODIE: Do you think it will be necessary to have a plan on how. to handle those due for reassessment? CONSENSUS is to wait until after fall and winter to develop a plan. Monitoring will be done during the fall and winter. BRODIE: We spent four with Senator Stevens at the Oiled Mayor's meeting. We are going to try to schedule a meeting with the governor's mini -cabinet for the 7th. On the 21st, we are inviting all legislators to get together. We met with three of Exxon's board and lawyer. Did they get to Kodiak? WADE: Yes. They went to Foul Bay, flew over Big Bay, Kitoi Hatchery, and the warm water washing on Shuyak. Kodiak Emergency Services Council - 8/28/89 Page 5 03972