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The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
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| Term Paper Title | The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill |
| # of Words | 986 |
| # of Pages (250 words per page double spaced) | 3.94 |
The Exxon Valdez Oil spill
Response
The response effort involved lightering of unspilled cargo, vessel
salvage, booming of sensitive areas, beach surveys and
assessments, over flights to track the floating oil, skimming of
floating oil, cleanup of oiled beaches, wildlife rescue, waste
management, logistics support and public relations. Major cleanup
operations were conducted during the spring and summer of
1989-1992. Thousands of workers were involved in cleanup and
logistics support operations that included hundreds of vessels,
aircraft and a substantial land-based infrastructure. In 1989, cleanup
efforts involved more than 11,000 people and 1,400 marine vessels.
This multi-year cleanup cost more than two billion dollars.
Techniques used to remove or clean oil included: burning, chemical
dispersants, high pressure/hot water washing, cold water washing,
fertilizer-enhanced bioremediation, manual and mechanical removal
of oil and oil laden sediments. A detailed description of all response
activities can be found in the Federal On Scene Coordinator's
Report ; T/V Exxon Valdez Oil Spill , Volume I (1993). (Link to FOSC
Rpt again.) Wolfe, et al. (1993) reviewed studies, reports, models
and surveys that attempted to determine the fate of the spilled oil.
They found that:
* The oil recovered by skimming operations in 1989 accounted for
about 8.5% of the original spill volume.
* Cleanup operations on the beaches during the first four summers
led to the recovery and disposal of approximately 31,000 tons of
solid oily wastes which were estimated to account for 5 to 8% of
the original spill volume.
* About 90% of the oil in surface (<25cm) beach sediments was
removed by natural processes (storm erosion and biodegradation)
during winter 89-90, whereas only about 40% of the deeper oil was
removed.
* By 1992, the combination of natural processes and cleanup
activities had eliminated nearly all of the surface oil, though small
amounts persisted along many shoreline segments in the Sound.
June 10, 1992
The Federal On-Scene Coordinator, Admiral Ciancaglini, released a
letter officially concluding the shoreline cleanup on June 10, 1992.
The cleanup for the Exxon Valdez oil spill took three years and
exceeded $2.1 billion (Leschine et al. 1993).
Damage Assessment
During the first summer after the spill, Natural Resource Damage
Assessment studies were begun in order to assess the injury
inflicted by the spill. Many of these stu
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