The major environmental monitoring activities of the Council are conducted through the long-term environmental monitoring project, known as LTEMP. This project has gathered data on the presence of hydrocarbons in sediments and mussels in the region since 1993. The project quantifies the amount of hydrocarbons, provides a benchmark for assessing the ongoing impacts of routine tanker and terminal operations, and identifies physical and biological…
By Alan Sorum Council Project Manager Some locations won’t work for Prince William Sound tankers A recent Council-sponsored study reviewed eight “potential places of refuge,” or PPOR, which are locations where an oil tanker in distress can anchor and take action to stabilize its condition. Of the eight reviewed in the study, none were found to be safe for use by tankers. However, several safe alternates were identified, analyzed, and proposed…
New techniques in the field of genetic analysis are improving our understanding of the effects of oil spills. The Council collects samples from blue mussels like these to better understand the effects of oil spills. Photo by Lisa Matlock. Since 1993, the Council has gathered data on the presence of hydrocarbons in sediments and blue mussels in the region. Samples of sediments and mussels are collected and analyzed for the presence of oil or…
The Council’s board of directors held a meeting in Valdez on Thursday and Friday, May 4-5, 2017. Topics on the agenda included: Presentations regarding the change in Alyeska Pipeline Service Company’s marine services contract provider from Crowley Marine Services to Edison Chouest Offshore – set to take place July 1, 2018 – by Alyeska, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, the U.S. Coast Guard and the council. These…