Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Presentation

1. Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
and Kodiak Island
May 12, 2008
Louise Bassette, Andrea
Johnson, Christine Coonradt,
John McCabe

2. Background
March 24
th
, 1989
Exxon Valdez oil tanker ran aground on Bligh
Reef
Spilled 11 million gallons of oil into the Prince
William Sound, Alaska

3. Probable Causes of the Grounding
Improper maneuvering of the vessel
Improper navigation (alcohol impairment?)
Fatigue
Ineffective vessel traffic system, U.S. Coast
Guard
Ineffective pilot and escort services

4. Behavior of the Oil

5. Control and Cleanup
Controlled burns
Mechanical
–Booms
–Skimmers
–Permanent storage containers
Chemical
–dispersants
Sensitive environments were identified, defined
according to degree of cleanup, and then ranked for
their priority for cleanup

6. Shoreline Treatment
Hoses spraying seawater flushed oil from shorelines
Heated seawater
Manual cleanup
–Raking
–Tilling
–Oily debris pickup
–Bioremediation
–Spot washing

7. Remaining Oil
Cleanup efforts were greatly reduced by the Spring of 1991
2001 NOAA study surveyed 96 sites along 8,000 miles of
coastline
–Surface oil not good indicator of subsurface oil
–Oil saturated subsurface regions
–Areas with the most subsurface oil were found low in the
intertidal zones

8. Economic Impacts
Recreational sport fishing losses
Tourism losses
Existence value
Replacement costs
of birds and animals

9. Ecological Impacts
250,000 Birds
250 Bald Eagles
2,800 Sea Otters
300 Harbor Seals
Thousands of fish, herring eggs, and crabs
At least 22 Killer Whales
Intertidal plants and animals

10. Litigation
In 1994, class action jury trial held a federal
court in Anchorage, Alaska
Plaintiffs: 32,000 fishermen, natives, and
landowners affected by the oil
Exxon was to pay $5 billion in punitive
damages
Exxon has repeatedly appealed the damages
award

11. Lessons Learned from the Oil Spill
Chemical and physical cleanup efforts can result in
strong biological reactions with the environment
Oil that has seeped into soil can resurface over time
Type of environment influences oil degradation rates
Oil penetrates deep and weathers slowly on rocky,
rubble shores
Extensive damage to animals from long-term
interactions with their environment
Exposure to weathered oil effects fish growth and
behavior

12. Improvements in Oil Spill
Prevention and Response Planning
Monitoring full tankers via satellite
Two escort vessels accompanying tankers while they
pass through the entire sound
Specially trained marine pilots
Double-hulled tankers
Yearly drills held for spill scenarios
New and improved skimming technologies
More storage space for spilled oil
More containment booms available
Oil Pollution Act of 1990

13. The Exxon Valdez