Month: March 2025

Community Corner: Watch parties expand reach of annual science event

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A responder stands behind the railing on the deck of a small boat holding a long thin pole. A whale is about 10 feet from the side of the boat. The responder is reaching into the water with the pole towards the whale to help remove the debris tangled around the whale.
A responder works to rescue a tangled humpback whale in Port Valdez in 2024. During Science Night, John Moran from the Alaska Fisheries Science Center told the story of the rescue and explained how their team is trained to do this work safely. This rescue was permitted under NOAA #24359. Photo courtesy of Alaska Fisheries Science Center.

Each year in early December, the Council hosts our annual Science Night. We invite experts to share about their scientific work and programs that are relevant to the Exxon Valdez oil spill region.

In 2024, the Council partnered with several local organizations to host community watch parties for the first time. We are grateful to our host partners: the Prince William Sound Science Center in Cordova, Kenai Peninsula College in Homer, and Prince William Sound College in Valdez. Each organization invited community members to gather in their facilities to watch the broadcast from Anchorage.

Science Night 2024: Staying alert and proactive in the Exxon Valdez oil spill region

This event highlighted four programs.

  • John Moran, a Research Fisheries Biologist from the Alaska Fisheries Science Center shared about how he and his team of trained responders freed an entangled humpback whale in Valdez in 2024.
  • Kristina Arsenault, a Marine Transportation System Specialist (Cyber) from the U.S. Coast Guard’s Marine Safety Unit in Valdez spoke on marine cybersecurity.
  • Andy Schroeder and Scott Farling, Co-Founders of Ocean Plastics Recovery Project, shared about their marine debris cleanup and recycling efforts focused on the Southcentral Alaska coast.
  • Finally, Barbara Callahan, Senior Director of Response and Preparedness Services at the International Bird Rescue presented about innovations in oiled wildlife response since the Exxon Valdez spill.

Dr. Sarah Allan, chair of the Council’s Scientific Advisory Committee, attended the watch party in Homer. She had attended broadcasts in previous years as an individual attendee, and shared that it was “more engaging to watch with a group and we had some good side conversations about the presentations.”

Watch Science Night 2024 online

All four presentations are available to view on the Council’s website: Science Night 2024

Join us for Science Night 2025

For Science Night 2025, we hope to build on these successful watch parties by enhancing the opportunities for communities to gather and experience the event together based on feedback we received. We also hope to expand to other communities within the Council’s region. If you have interest in hosting a watch party for your community, please contact me at maia.draper-reich@pwsrcac.org.

Traces of metals found in Prince William Sound’s sediments

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Further study needed to determine source and potential effects

Three people stand in front of equipment used to collect sediment from the bottom of the sea floor.
Dr. Bender (left) and staff members Danielle Verna (middle) and Jeremy Robida (right) collected the samples last summer. Dr. Bender later tested the samples in a lab for the presence of a variety of metals.

A new Council study has confirmed that sediments in Port Valdez contain traces of metals at concentrations that could negatively affect the organisms that live at the sea floor.

This pilot study was conducted in 2024, during the routine environmental monitoring conducted by the Council since 1993. The work was prompted by a previous analysis that showed the presence of metals in the water discharged from the Valdez Marine Terminal’s ballast water treatment facility.

Council staff and Dr. Morgan Bender from Fjord & Fish Sciences collected samples of sediments from two locations in Port Valdez: one near the terminal, and a reference site near Gold Creek. The site near the terminal was chosen to confirm whether the metals found in the previous study were accumulating in nearby sediments. Gold Creek was sampled for comparison.

Dr. Bender compared the results to sediment quality guidelines developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. These guidelines are used to determine whether toxins in sediment are concentrated enough to harm organisms.

Both sites show increased concentrations of metals

A gloved hand holds a jar of grey sediment collected during sampling.
Sediment sample.

The study found a total of 22 metals between the two sites, in varying concentrations.

 

Both sites exceeded NOAA’s sediment quality guidelines for eight of the metals: iron, vanadium, aluminum, arsenic, nickel, cobalt, copper, and selenium.

“Terminal sediments had significantly higher metal concentrations overall,” when compared to Gold Creek, states the report, including four metals that were previously found in water discharges from the treatment facility: iron, aluminum, copper, and vanadium. However, all these metals also exceeded the threshold for effect at Gold Creek.

The report noted that “there is a potential ecological risk” from the discharge of these metals.

Local conditions may contribute to high metal concentrations

“Port Valdez is a metal-rich system with a history of copper and gold mining and several large, glacially-fed rivers entering within miles of the sampling locations,” Dr. Bender noted in the report. “These local sources may explain regional patterns such as high iron concentration.”

Dr. Bender noted that while some metals could be tied to the discharge from the terminal, further study is needed to determine the actual source of the metals.

Why are metals of concern?
Metals such as those found in this study are generally stable and do not degrade. Accumulated metals at toxic levels can have a variety of adverse effects, including organ damage, cancer, and damage to DNA. They can enter the food chain when ingested by the tiny organisms that live in the sediment.

Read the report: 2024 Sediment Metals Report

The study was prompted by a previous analysis investigating traces of hydrocarbons and metals in the effluent from the Valdez Marine Terminal’s ballast water treatment facility. Metals were present in that analysis: Examining the Effectiveness of Ballast Water Treatment Processes

Alyeska: New firefighting systems to reduce use of PFAS

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Four Alyeska employees wearing hard hats and protective gear stand in front of a palette of equipment that is about to be installed at Berth 4.
Alyeska Fire Chief Sean Wisner, firefighters David Arnold and Oberon Gallion, and VMT Operations technician Mike Keith stand in front of the new fire foam system on Berth 4. Photo courtesy of Alyeska Corporate Communications.

Last fall, Alyeska and contractor crews completed upgrades to the fixed firefighting foam proportioning system on Berth 5 at the Valdez Marine Terminal after lengthy research, testing, and approval process. The new fluorine-free foam system was approved by the state fire marshal, who witnessed its functional check out along with third party technicians and representatives.

This marks the first of many firefighting foam systems that are being upgraded to accommodate a shift towards fire protection on the Trans Alaska Pipeline System, or TAPS, that is free from perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS. While a recently passed state law banning the use of PFAS-containing firefighting foams carries a temporary exemption for use in the oil and gas industry, Alyeska personnel have been working toward the utilization of fluorine-free firefighting foams for several years, long before the state law passed. Plans are in place to continue the eventual transfer of the remaining fixed firefighting systems to safer and more environmentally friendly foams over the next several years. Berth 4 will undergo an identical upgrade starting in spring of 2025.

For the past three years, a multi-disciplined working group worked diligently to find a new system that would meet both fire safety and environmental standards. The group consisted of firefighting professionals, engineers, environmental coordinators, regulatory compliance specialists, procurement team members, and implementation leads from around TAPS. The new system has been designed with operations and maintenance in mind, leveraging state of the art technology that is both simpler to operate, and simpler to validate, with built-in testing features that do not rely on the discharge of foam.

“This new system demonstrates Alyeska’s dedication to environmental protection and personnel safety, especially in regards to the stewardship of Prince William Sound,” said Sean Wisner, Alyeska Fire Chief. “It puts us in a much better place from a firefighting perspective, and I am proud of the work that this team did over the past several years to get us to this point. The workgroup embodied the ‘speak and work as one team’ mindset throughout the research and implementation phases of this historic initiative.”

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