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15 Sep 89 Situation Report

THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS BASED ON THE MOST CURRENT DATA PROVIDED TO NOAA. -
EVENING REPORT  9/15/89  VALDEZ: 
The NOAA field crews arrived today to begin the winter shoreline monitoring
program.  Eighteen reference sites will be established this coming week for
monthly monitoring through February.  At each site, a beach profile will be
measured, along which estimates of the degree of surface and subsurface oiling.
Up to 8 samples of surface and subsurface oil will be collected at each site
for chemical analysis of total oil.  Selected samples will be analyzed by GC/MS
for chemical characterization.  The weather for the next few days looks good
enough for aircraft operations, though there will be a ship available if
aircraft operations are curtailed. 
 
September 8th and 9th Christopherson did site visits with the Coast Guard SCOT
Commander in southern Prince William Sound. On Friday, reviewed progress of
on-going work on Point Helen (KN-405), west side of Sleepy Bay on LaTouche
Island (LA-18, LA-20), and Elrington Island (EL-37).  Observed sheen escaping
from secondary boom on southern most work site on Point Helen.  This is a
consistent problem given the strong currents in this area.  The anadromous fish
stream in the vicinity of LA-18 was properly boomed off from the work site.
Continued on with overfight of Squire Island, Drier Bay and Chenega Island
looking for abandoned boom and clean up debris reported by the RAT boat, Ocean
Ranger.  None was observed.  Saturday morning 9/9, observed bioremediation team
working on three beaches on Evans Island (EV-3).  Teams were observed to be
following all the new guidelines recommended by the ISCC. In the afternoon,
NOAA, Coast Guard, ADEC and Exxon did site visit at two segments on Bettles
Island (EV-53, EV-54) which have been signed off, but is still reported to have
mobile oil. Inspection showed small quantities of treatable oil (mousse) to be
present in crevices of several of the beaches. The joint recommendation was that
the segments should be treated, but not at the expense of pulling equipment off
the more heavily oiled segments already being worked.  Over the next few days,
Christopherson and the AOSC will be doing post-treatment inspections at a number
of shoreline segments in Prince William Sound which are reported to have been
re-oiled or incompletely treated.  The purpose of these inspections are to
identify which areas need to be monitored over the winter.

KODIAK:  (Talbott, Lindsay) Situation: Cleanup operations in the Kodiak zone
have been suspended for the season. The USCG demobilization efforts were
concluded on 9/15 and the main task has shifted to collating the records which
describe the status of the beaches at the time of demobilization.  Lindsay in in
the field with Dames and Moore personnel. The sampling round should be completed
on Saturday and Lindsay will depart Kodiak on Sunday.  Talbott spent Friday on
Shuyak Island with representatives from the Alaska State Parks and local Shuyak
residents. This meeting/beach inspection is part of a "recalibration" tour to
attempt to quantify the beach impacts and level of concern as the winter program
begins.  Beach Surveys/Flights: Three USCG inspection teams were in the field
today and the rew remaining SIR's were completed and demobilized. Talbott's
flight to Shuyak as described above.  Plans for week of 9/16-9/22: VADM Robbins
will be in Kodiak on 9/17 for a meeting of the ESC and a short tour of area
beaches. He will be accompanied by personnel from the Dept. of Transportation.
The third round of subsistence sampling is scheduled to be completed on 9/16.
Talbott will continue a series of flights with the individual resource agencies.
These flights are focused on obtaining an overview of the various agencies lands
and are valuable in delineating the primary concerns as the transition is made
to winter operations. The task of compiling and sorting through the beach
inspection reports will continue for the forseeable future. An ESC meeting will
be held on 9/17. The ISCC will meet on 9/19 and a public meeting will be held on
9/20.  

SEWARD:  (McGee) MAC and R MAC meetings will meet two times a week beginning
next week.  Boat washing continues through 9/15. General maintenance of USCG
equipment in preparation for storage and use next spring. ADEC has indicated
that some word is expected by next week on the status of a state sponsored
winter response plan to be used in conjunction with the Exxon winter plan.  

PERSONNEL ON SCENE: Valdez: Gleason, Christopherson, Hammett, Galt, Simecek-
Beatty, Michel, Sturm, Truman, Harman, Van Den Berg  Kodiak: Talbott, Lindsay 
Seward: McGee  Anchorage: Robinson