07/13/1989 Regular Meetingf
Kodiak Emergency Services Council
July 13, 1989 @ 5:00 p.m.
Kodiak, Alaska
EXXON VALDEZ OIL SPILL
BOB BRODIE (CITY OF KODIAK MAYOR) said he had the information on the DEC
incinerator.
MIKE GOODWIN (PARKS): Crew making contact with warm water washing crew. Our
person did not get physically there but heard they were in progress on Type B
proposal cleanup.
JIM WADE (EXXON): Fred Byars went up there, and they had not started. We
submitted a work order to the Coast Guard for Type B cleanup, and the Coast
Guard looked at it and wanted them to make some changes in ways of changing oil
before we got into cobbled beaches. What we want to do is test that that seems
to be closest to Type B. We talked to Phil Smith and invited Coast Guard to
look at it. Essentially want what is being done in the Sound.
GOODWIN: I know ISCC group wants to look at video.
WADE: Arnie looked at technique and, according to supervisor who was there and
who talked with Arnie, it was his impression they don't have a problem with the
way it's being conducted. It was different than the way the Coast Guard had
first seen it.
GOODWIN: I have seen beaches and might be a viable way to collect.
I
PHIL SMITH (USCG): Before Type B takes place, it will go through ISCC and be
approved, and then a work order may come out. Possibly before next Saturday.
GOODWIN: Seems to me to be a logical place on north side of Shuyak to use
geotextile because it is re -oiling. I am not sure how to work through process.
JEROME SELBY (KODIAK ISLAND BOROUGH MAYOR): I think if you think you have
beaches that would render itself to that, get it to the Coast Guard.
SMITH: The ISCC could put it on the priority.
SELBY: Mike, if you want to do that, do it.
WADE: Have you talked to anyone in Valdez about use of material?
SELBY: I talked to Mr. Harris who claimed no recollection of anyone not using
material.
Kodiak Emergency Services Council - 7/13/89 Page 1
04016
WADE: I will wait to hear from there.
SELBY: He said he would be in contact with you folks --Harley.
JAY BELLINGER (KODIAK NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE): Pat Buck did get everything
taken care of at the National Guard Armory. At the morgue, five eagles and six
sea otters came in from local area. One of the sea otters probably had not
been dead two weeks at the most. Rest were older. Live birds continue to come
in. Skiff crews say they are finding heavy sheen around Spruce Island, and
that is where they are finding birds. Native wildlife skiff crews have been
continually bringing in stressed birds in the last week.
ARNIE SHRYOCK (DEC): Got report from crew in Uganik area. Passive monitors
picking up mousse and oiling moving in from ocean in Uganik and Uyak Bay.
SMITH: How much and when did they see it?
SHRYOCK: I don't know how much but it has been over the last three days.
SMITH: What are monitors?
SHRYOCK: We strung out monitoring devices to get early detection of oil moving
on surface. They are absorbant materials hooked to float line. They do pick
up oil moving in and setnetters keep look out for oil moving into those. We
have been trying to track movement in and out of beaches. Plan to do a
chronological map. It's quantitative data.
KEN MIDDLETON (ADF&G HABITAT): Crew back from Uyak Bay and had reported head
of Uyak and Zacker Bays had just got light and widely scattered mousse.
JERRY HAMMOND (NATIONAL PARKS): We will be sending two biotechs to reside in
Aniachak National Monument area till fall. Those two will be serviced and
supplied by park service boat. Next week, weather permitting, we will have
visitors from Washington, D.C. office and will be taking a flight to Katmai
area and to see the command center and introduce these people to anyone who
wants to meet them.
HAMMOND introduced BOB ARMSTRONG, superintendent of a couple areas in
southeast. He will be IC commander and will be here for thirty days.
JOE TALBOTT (NOAA): Shoreline meetings are revising tracking scheme.
TALBOTT introduced John Murphy from Seattle, here to help get data crunch into
a format for getting better utilization.
TALBOTT: The lab issue currently is not scheduled for deployment out here.
Lab Exxon purchased that is under NOAA control turned out that it's
capabilities are less than advertised. It's being' tested in Valdez to see
where they can use it. So for now, bringing any lab out here is on hold.
SELBY: Are we on closure now?
TALBOTT: We are on closure until it gets readdressed.
Kodiak Emergency Services Council - 7/13/89 Page 2
0401(
SELBY to SITYROCK: Are you satisfied with that?
SITYROCK: DEC lab in Palmer is a practical lab not for looking at tissue and
subtleties we need for subsistence.
SELBY: Who is coordinating with Danes and Moore?
TALBOTT: I think subsistence in Anchorage.
SITYROCK: We will have one observer on sampling vessel with American North.
BRODIE: I understand it to be two separate Danes and Moore projects. Coming
down are two with Danes and Moore, two ENSR, two F&G subsistence, and one
Exxon. I heard only shellfish in all communities --two sites in each.
DICKHENSEL (ADF&G): I was under the impression it's for long term assessment.
SELBY: Part of the reason ENSR is coming back is because they would be going
back to same areas.
(4 ENSEL: I think it would be good for habitat to sit in and to the, extent of
being informed of what is going on.
KELLY KAVANAUGH: With VECO Environmental monitoring beach cleanup sites,
containment barges, boat washing facilities, and setting up a containment
collection in Kodiak.
Discussion with him on the Lash Dock. Shyrock and Kavanaugh to get together.
WADE: Five seiners are beginning tomorrow morning a test program towing boom
to test effectiveness of collecting mousse by circling and roundhauling. Coast
Guard and Exxon monitors will be on board. The testing will last three or four
days.
SELBY: Are they on contract?
WADE: Voluntary on their part --not on contract.
SELBY: Who is paying for their insurance?
WADE: They are taking care of that themselves, I guess.
SELBY: I don't understand how that is going to work. Basically, those people
are not insured. They have fishing insurance but not oil spill. To me, that
would be a concern, and Exxon has a responsibility. It doesn't make sense they
are out there in the effort and not part of the system. Everything we learned
up to now in oil spill is being ignored. I am having a real problem with
seiners and their not being able to use geotextile material. I thought
initially it was to seek out a method of getting oil out of the water and noton
the beaches. Why aren't we going to try this opportunity?
Did you get a chance to check on boom?
Kodiak Emergency Services Council - 7/13/89 Page 3
04018
WADE: Boom on order and has been discussed with Corky. He is satisfied with
what we are doing and what we will provide him.
SMITH: On insurance issue part as far as liability to Coast Guard people on
there, it would not be a problem. I don't know it as a concern from my
standpoint, but I understand your concern. On Type B cleanup on Shuyak, work
order is coming in and will be routed through ISCC. They will apply what they
learned on Chief Point cleanup. I got a request from Exxon--Orley--late this
afternoon to retire two of the skimmers. I am compiling data and hope to have
it out tomorrow.
SELBY: Does the new oil coming ashore --reported today --have an impact on that?
SMITH: Yes, it will certainly have an impact on it and will be taken into
consideration. What is coming in may not be helped by skimmers but may be for
seiner operation.
SELBY: How long out there?
WADE: Three to four days.
SELBY: Is it a predetermined criteria?
WADE: No, we just want to see how effective they are, and we will get a better
feel for how much oil is in those bays. We allowed them to choose an area they
are familiar with. I believe Ishut Bay. What we are attempting to do is
measure their effectiveness against skimmers, and measure cost of skimmers
against their particular cost of technique. Skimmers are expensive to operate.
We feel the free floating oil we have seen doesn't warrant keeping them here.
That is why we want to look at skimmers. After three or four days, we will
look at whether we want to expand. It will tie into keeping the skimmers here.
SMITH: I'feel they will be very productive. If that is the case, they can
collect widely scattered areas. I have skimmer reports going into one sheet to
view. I am looking at if there is enough oil to fully utilize full capacities
of skimmers.
WADE: Regarding insurance, Exxon is willing to waive its liability as far as
Exxon monitors aboard.
SELBY: Doesn't do anything for seiners themselves or their crews. Still a
concern to me.
WADE: The representative I spoke with indicated he had coverage for his people
but not others on boat.
SELBY: I hear what you are saying and that's fine, but I think it
inappropriate to be out there on a volunteer basis.
WADE: We met with the seiners on Tuesday, and we told them we would respond in
seven to ten days after completing evaluation we wanted to do with skimmers.
We asked Coast Guard to make that decision. When they came back to do it on
volunteer basis, we felt it a good idea without making any commitments. It was
Kodiak Emergency Services Council - 7/13/89 Page 4
040?9
their proposal to us, and we agreed to do it.
SELBY: Jim, what bothers me is no one else in oil spill cleanup has
contributed at own expense. All are under contract. Major device of what has
been done. What bothers me is their possible being able to try some geotextile
material and Exxon has specifically told them they could not use that
methodology.
WADE: We told them we did not supply it.
SELBY: You told them they could not use it.
WADE: I told them Exxon could not use that for the reasons in the past. When
I talked to them, they had no problem.
SELBY: The problem I have is if we are not going to contract with them and not
allow them to use the geotextile material which might be the most effective
approach, is this a serious effort? Is this a wild goose chase to get five
people out of town.
WADE: We know techniques they propose will collect oil. If we use geotextile,
we have even more waste to dispose of. We know conventional boom will work.
And, if you are going to collect oil in a boom, it will collect as much as
geotextile.
SELBY: I am not aware of it being tried in Kodiak waters.
WADE: Conventional boom as been used all around Island. The only way it would
be effective is to sit on it or move slowly.
SELBY: In my view, it is poor management in Exxon and decision hurts. It's
not my way as a businessman of salvaging the salmon season. I would not
approve it this way.
GOODWIN: I got word of a new radio system that will serve state agencies and
will enhance capabilities.
SELBY: On Kukat incinerator, will Parks define interest, F&W, and DEC.
HAMMOND: We sent a letter to DEC pointing out we are concerned over parts of
the proposal. We would still like to see another copy of plan in a different
format. I think it would be appropriate for DEC or whoever to have a handout
for public attending meeting so they could respond to it. I would encourage
that it be available. I will provide this group with a copy of the DEC letter.
WAYNE COLEMAN (CITY OF KODIAK LIAISON) to look for management part of plan
rather than a technical document.
KAVANAUGH: VECO Environmental purpose is to develop guidelines for oil
handling., and the people out there to document if they are being met. We would
like to set a single point of contact.
SELBY: Continue to work with the shoreline committee.
Kodiak Emergency Services Council - 7/13/89
Page 5
040 0