In December, the Council welcomed a new staff member, Suparat Prasannet. Prasannet has a background in office management, previously overseeing operations at Alaska Immigration Law Center, where she streamlined systems and kept everything running smoothly. Alongside her administrative expertise, Prasannet is pursuing a degree in marketing.
Her duties as the IT/Admin Assistant for the Council include maintaining and managing hardware, software, online services, network infrastructure, and oversight of the Council’s historical digital archive, among other duties. She replaces Hans Odegard, who was promoted to Director of Administration last year.
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.
Further study needed to determine source and potential effects
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
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.
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
Dr. Richard Fineberg, expert on the economics and profits of the oil industry in Alaska, passed away in September 2024. Fineberg was a researcher and investigative journalist who focused on environmental issues related to petroleum development and oil economics in Alaska.
Fineberg conducted studies and wrote reports for many organizations, including the Council. In the 1990s and early 2000s, his research for the Council ranged from ballast water treatment to industry profits to how the oil industry is required to restore the land once the terminal and pipeline are no longer in use.
“Richard was meticulous in verifying the accuracy of his work,” said Donna Schantz, executive director for the Council. “His thoroughness and attention to detail made his contributions invaluable to the important discussions around these topics.”
According to the lease agreement between the Trans Alaska Pipeline System owners and the state and federal governments, industry is obligated to dismantle and remove all equipment and facilities and restore the land to a satisfactory condition. This includes all facilities at the Valdez Marine Terminal.
To pay for this cleanup, a tariff was imposed on oil flowing through the pipeline. Fineberg analyzed how much was collected by this complicated tariff, and whether enough would be available for its intended purpose when the pipeline eventually shuts down.
“Anyone who was fortunate enough to have worked with Richard knows that he was an exceptionally smart public servant who put in a tremendous amount of his time and energy into researching complex issues,” said Schantz. “His work helped improve safety of Alaska’s oil transportation industry.”
More on Fineberg’s work
Dr Fineberg had an extensive career that touched on many topics. Learn more:
