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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.