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Report - Technical

DATE  7 SEPTEMBER 1984  TO  CAPT. SHAW   MSO, GALVESTON  FROM  TODD BAXTER  SUBJECT YOUR
REQUEST FOR BACKGROUD ON SAMPLE ANALYSIS, ALVENUS OIL SPILL. BOTH SAMPLE COLLECTION AND
ANALYSIS HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED AS A JOINT EFFORT AMONG THE VARIOUS INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS OF THE
SCIENTIFIC SUPPORT GROUP, THE USCG GULF STRIKE TEAM, AND REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ALVENUS.
SAMPLES OF OIL AND WATER IN BEACH SAND HAVE BEEN COLLECTED THROUGH THE CLEANUP OVER
SELECTED PORTIONS OF THE BEACH TO GUIDE IN THE REMOVAL OF OILED SANDS. SAMPLES FROM THE
DISPOSAL SITES HAVE BEEN TAKEN AND USED TO AID IN THE MASS BALANCE COMPUTATIONS OF TOTAL
OIL RECOVERED. HOLD SAMPLES FROM THE ALVENUS, AND SAMPLES OF BEACD OIL WERE TESTED FOR
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND WEATHERING RATES. OIL AND WATER SAMPLES WERE COLLECTED DURING THE
DISPERSANT TEST, BUT AS YET HAVE NOT BEEN PROCESSED. THE CONOCO LABORATORY IN PONCA CITY,
OKLAHOMA AND THE EPA REGIONAL LABORATORY IN HOUSTON HAVE TESTED THE MAJORITY OF THE OIL-
WATER-SAND SAMPLES, AS WELL AS THE HOLD SAMPLES FROM THE ALVENUS. CROMWELL SPEC. INC.
TESTED A LIMITED NUMBER OF SAMPLES FOR METAL CONTENT EARLY IN THE SPILL. SCIENCE
APPLICATIONS, INC., IN LA JOLLA, CALIFORNIA HAS CONDUCTED GAS CHROMATOGRAPY AND WEATHERING
PREDICTIONS ON THE MEREY AND PILON OIL TYPES. A LABORATORY HAS YET TO BE SELECTED FOR
TESTING OF THE DISPERSANT-OIL-WATER SAMPLES. RESULTS FROM THE SPECIFIC TESTS HAVE BEEN
RECIEVED IN HARD COPY OR VERBALLY FROM THE LABORATORIES, AND ARE CONTAINED IN THE SSC
FILES. COPIES ARE AVAILABLE ON REQUEST.