Ecological Risk Assessment Consensus Workshop Environmental Tradeoffs Associated With Oil Spill Response Technologies Upper Florida Keys: A Report to USCG District 7..
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Date
2003
Metadata
Show full item recordAlternative Title
A Report to USCG District 7Abstract
In late August 2002, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) District 7 sponsored a workshop to provide oil spill response training and to discuss the relative risks to natural resources from various oil spill response options (on-water mechanical recovery, dispersant application and to a lesser extent, shoreline protection) in comparison to natural recovery. These discussions were based on a spill scenario involving the release of 100,000 gallons of Intermediate Fuel Oil (IFO) 180 near Molasses Reef in the Florida Keys, under conditions which threatened mainland shoreline habitats, a number of offshore islands, and a variety of valuable subtidal habitats. After participants received briefings on the expected results of the spill with and without response options, the relative effectiveness of two options, on-water mechanical recovery and dispersants, was evaluated. Participants discussed the risks and benefits of these response options to the habitats and natural resources of the area. The participants were then divided into three focus groups and asked to develop relative risk scores for the various alternatives, using standard analytical protocols outlined in the USCG guidebook entitled "Developing Consensus Ecological Risk Assessments: Environmental Protection in Oil Spill Response Planning. A Guidebook." The scores from the three groups were then compared and a composite risk matrix developed which represented the overall consensus of the entire group. After the primary scenario was examined, two additional scenarios (one near the entrance of Biscayne Bay and one near Looe Key) were evaluated to examine the general applicability of the discussions for the Molasses Reef scenario. At the conclusion of the meeting, the group developed a list of lessons learned and recommendations for the RRT and local Area Committee that they felt would improve local response planning efforts. In general, participants concluded that on-water mechanical recovery, in the scenario under consideration, was unlikely to provide much protection for shoreline habitats. Dispersant use, if effective, did provide such protection, but with some increased risk to coral habitat in shallow water (less than 5 meters). This risk did not extend to deeper habitats, and was a concern in only limited areas. The participants recommended reexamining the current dispersant preauthorization limits to see if they could be made less restrictive.Pages
50ppPublisher or University
Ecosystem Management & Associates, Inc.Series : Nr
Technical Report;02-03Collections