Oil spill unlikely as long as planned repairs are not delayed further
Tank 8, seen here being cleaned in preparation for an internal inspection, is one of the large crude oil storage tanks at the terminal. This tank is 63 feet tall, 250 feet in diameter, and can hold up to 21,420,000 gallons of crude oil. Photo by Austin Love.
Last year, COVID-19 delayed planned repairs to one of the large crude oil storage tanks at the Valdez Marine Terminal. Alyeska rescheduled those repairs for 2023. A recent Council study found that, as long as these repairs are not delayed any longer than 2023, a spill is unlikely.
Taku Engineering, an engineering firm with expertise in tank and piping inspections, assessing and controlling corrosion, and cathodic protection conducted the tank inspection review for the Council. Taku’s engineers analyzed Alyeska’s documentation of inspections and maintenance for Tank 8 located within the East Tank Farm at the Valdez Marine Terminal.
2019 inspection raised concerns
After some concerning findings during a 2019 inspection of the inside of Tank 8, Alyeska planned to replace the tank floor and cathodic protection system. The repairs were scheduled for 2020. However, the COVID-19 pandemic delayed those major repairs. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation extended the deadline for completion to 2023. The tank will then be removed from service and repairs made.
Council conducted study to minimize risk of oil spills
Taku’s report concluded that the immediate risk of a leak from Tank 8 between now and 2023 is low. The engineers made several recommendations that would help ensure that a spill remains unlikely. They found that an unmaintained seal around the perimeter of the tank allowed rain and snow melt to migrate and accumulate under the tank’s floor. Under certain circumstances, this could lead to damage. Taku recommended that Alyeska maintain the seal so water cannot cause these problems.
Taku also found that some of the cathodic protection system testing data was inadequate. That data is used to ensure that the system is operating effectively, safeguarding the tank’s floor from corrosion.
“The fishing season of 1989 was projected to be the opportunity of a lifetime: big volume, big prices. Then the oil spill hit…no herring season, no fishing season. Everybody left to work the oil spill; your employees left to work the spill. Then the people who made big money working the spill left the following winter after the spill. So, businesses were all inventoried up, all dressed up for the party which didn’t come…” – Cordova, Alaska, business owner, 1989
Oil spill contingency plans are helpful guides for physically preventing and cleaning up spills. However, as Alaskans learned after the Exxon Valdez oil spill, they are not designed to help people who live in the affected communities. These residents need help to understand, manage, and recover from the social and economic consequences of a technological disaster, such as an oil spill.
In the early 1990s, the Council developed a guide to help fill this need. “Coping with Technological Disasters – A User-Friendly Guidebook” can help individuals and communities deal with the disruptions brought by a technological disaster.
A technological disaster is a catastrophic event caused by humans which often results in toxic contamination of the environment. The effects are different than a natural disaster.
How does a technological disaster compare to a natural disaster?
A natural disaster tends to create a “therapeutic” community. People pull together to help each other recover from disasters such as tornados, floods, or earthquakes.
A technological disaster can have a corrosive effect on a community. Residents of an affected area may experience a range of disruptions in their communities, affecting family, friends, and work. These effects can be both visible and invisible. The conflict, tension, fear, and extended litigation can result in long-term psychological stress.
Visible disruptions
The most obvious and tangible disruptions occur to the ordinary flow of goods, services, and jobs.
For example, the 1989 spill created thousands of high-paid jobs in cleanup work. As a result, ordinary employers in communities—local businesses, Native corporations, and city governments—lost workers and found it even harder to function normally during the crisis.
These visible disruptions can usually be restored in a reasonable length of time.
Invisible disruptions
More difficult to restore is the damage to mental and physical health of residents. These issues are harder to identify and can last a long time. Because they are hard to see, they are often ignored or misunderstood.
Studies showed that mental health impacts persisted decades after the Exxon Valdez spill. These effects disrupted families and led to family violence, depression, alcoholism, drug abuse, and psychological impairment, lingering for decades.
The effects of the Exxon Valdez oil spill on the people of Port Graham
Walter Meganack, Sr
“Our people get sick. Elders and children in the village, workers on the beaches, lots of sickness this year; stomachaches, head pain, bad colds.
We hardly talk to each other anymore. Everybody is touchy. Everybody is ready to jump on you and blame you.
People are angry and afraid, afraid and confused. Our elders feel helpless. They cannot work. They can’t work on the cleanup. They cannot do all the activities of gathering food and preparing for the winter.
And most of all, they cannot teach their young ones the Native way. How will the children learn the values and the ways if the water is dead? Very afraid if the water is dead. If the water is dead, maybe we are dead, our heritage, our tradition, our ways of life and living and relating to nature and to each other.”
– Walter Meganack, Sr
Village Chief
Port Graham, Alaska
June 26, 1989
Update incorporates new knowledge
After the 1989 spill, Dr. Steve Picou, a sociologist from the University of South Alabama, brought his research team to Cordova to study the impacts. They interviewed residents about their experiences and used the results to develop the first version of this guide.
In the years since Dr. Picou’s study, the guidebook was used to aid communities dealing with various disasters, including the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Many lessons were learned along the way. The updated guidebook incorporates new strategies based on events and recent scientific research.
The guidebook was revised based on the input of many contributors including Council volunteers Patience Andersen Faulkner, Dr. Jeffrey Brooks, and leadership from Dr. Davin Holen from Alaska Sea Grant.
The Council held its annual Board meeting in Valdez, Alaska, on May 6-7, 2021. Among other business, the Board convened to elect officers who will serve from May 2021 to May 2022.
The elected executive committee is comprised of:
President: Robert Archibald, representing the City of Homer
Vice President: Amanda Bauer, representing the City of Valdez
Treasurer: Wayne Donaldson, representing the City of Kodiak
Secretary: Bob Shavelson, representing the Oil Spill Region Environmental Coalition
Three Members-at-Large:
Ben Cutrell, representing Chugach Alaska Corporation
Robert Beedle, representing the City of Cordova
Rebecca Skinner, representing the Kodiak Island Borough
“The Council’s work has never been more important,” said Archibald. “It is crucial we not forget the reasons that lead to the creation of this organization and continue to work together to maintain the record of safe, efficient transportation of crude oil through Prince William Sound. Memories of the Exxon Valdez oil spill run deep in our minds. Not since regulations were put in place as the result of that spill has the state been so challenged in maintaining these high standards. I am honored to lead our Board for another year as advocates of this mission. Citizen oversight remains a key component to maintaining robust spill prevention and response systems and benefits everyone – citizens, industry, and regulators alike.”
The Council is grateful to have the support of its many volunteers from all over the Exxon Valdez oil spill region. The new executive committee is an excellent representation of the Council.
New members join Board of Directors
At its May meeting, the Board seated four new members:
Angela Totemoff replaced Roy Totemoff as the representative of the community of Tatitlek
Patrick Domitrovich replaced Rob Chadwell as the representative of the City of Seward
Nick Crump replaced Thane Miller as the representative of the Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corporation
Elijah Jackson filled a vacant seat representing the Kodiak Village Mayors Association
The Coast Guard is using other technologies, such as the Automatic Identification System (AIS) pictured here, to monitor traffic while radar repairs are underway.
Coast Guard planning long-term project to replace entire system
Radar that helps the U.S. Coast Guard monitor vessels in Port Valdez is undergoing repairs.
This radar is part of the Coast Guard’s Vessel Traffic Service, or VTS, which monitors and manages vessel traffic movements in busy waterways such as Prince William Sound. Three radar sites across Prince William Sound relay information to Valdez, where the data is integrated with other technologies onto an electronic display.
All three sites have struggled to stay online recently because of the harsh Alaska environment coupled with normal wear and tear. The Coast Guard plans to have at least one radar at each of the three sites operational by September 2021.
Planning for further upgrades
U.S. Coast Guard Commander Patrick Drayer joined a Council meeting in January to report that the Coast Guard’s long-term plan is to develop plans to upgrade all of the VTS radar systems nationwide. The Coast Guard will begin an in-depth review starting this summer to help plan these upgrades. The timeline and cost for replacement is not yet known as it is still early in the planning process.
Meanwhile, the Coast Guard is monitoring the Sound using other technologies. While other technologies serve valuable roles, the Council does not believe that other technologies can adequately replace the surveillance and collision avoidance capabilities that modern radar provides.
The Council is planning a review to better understand how these technologies work together to prevent accidents and potential oil spills.
