This report summarizes a workgroup process convened to develop geographic response strategies, or GRSs, for the Copper River Delta and Flats, a biologically diverse area near Cordova, Alaska where the Copper River flows into the Gulf of Alaska.
GRSs are map-based oil spill response plans tailored to protect specific areas that are particularly sensitive to oil pollution. By pre-identifying these areas and planning protection strategies before a spill happens, GRSs help save time during the first critical hours of a response.
The report captures details on the workgroup process, participants, and resulting deliverables. The workgroup was composed of representatives from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC), the U.S. Coast Guard, resource trustees, Cordova non-profit organizations, local Cordova fishermen, and the Council. The group developed nine new GRSs and a tactics guide specifically tailored to the unique area. Due to the Council’s focus on spills from oil transportation through PWS, the work of this project focused on responding to oil migrating into the area from the Gulf of Alaska.
More details in the report: