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Mpu Diesel Spill Vegetation Monitoring

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Mpu Diesel Spill Vegetation Monitoring POINT MCINTYRE PM-1 REMEDIATION AREA ARMY PERMIT (14-900163, BEAUFORT SEA 428) 2001 PROGRESS REPORT ON SOIL, SURFACE WATER, AND VEGETATION CONDITIONS TO: BP EXPLORATION (ALASKA), INC. ANCHORAGE, ALASKA FROM: JAY D. MCKENDRICK LAZY MOUNTAIN RESEARCH COMPANY, LLC PALMER, ALASKA MAY 2002 FRONT COVER: Aerial oblique view of PM-1 production pad, 22 July 2000. Area of investigation lies along the upper edge of the pad to the left of the pit extension. Note the smooth textured surface north of the pad represents a tundra surface younger than that of the rough dark, highly polygonized surface to the south and east of the pad. See Photo 2 for water salinity readings measured at this location. INTRODUCTION fibrous peat. The A horizon is a humus layer consisting of mineral soil and partially decomposed peat. The B horizon is a sandy This report contains a summary of the mineral material. environmental investigation and revegetation progress during the 1998-2001 period at the PM-1 Within the area in question, a layer of drilling production pad. mud, 2 to 8 in thick overlies the natural soil profile surface. There is also a thin layer of gravel Historical background on the drilling mud surface. This gravel appeared to have been carried from the production pad An area of wet sedge tundra affected by drilling during winter snow removal. mud and gravel on the north edge of the PM-1 (Point McIntyre) production pad was required to Vegetation be remediated. In 1998, ARCO Alaska, Inc. requested Lazy Mountain Research’s technical Vegetation at this location is a wet sedge meadow services to evaluate the site conditions and dominated by rhizomatous sedges and grasses. perform tasks to either establish a self-sustaining The landscape is probably a shallow drained lake natural plant cover on the area or recommend basin (Figure 2). Terrain south of the production removal of the drilling mud, if the soil conditions pad is highly polygonized and older than the were beyond tolerances of natural vegetation. drained lake basin. This difference in age Apparently, this was an exploration site, and the indicates the area affected by drilling mud was drilling mud release was probably from the probably vegetated with successional vegetation exploration drilling and not from the current rather than climax tundra, prior to the release. The production operations. The absence of mud on the soil O horizon and well developed A horizon gravel fill indicates the mud was on site before indicate vegetation development has been the production pad was constructed. occurring on the site for many years, perhaps centuries. Information provided included a map (Figure 1). Date (1991) of the map indicated the site had Plant communities at this site were dominated been an issue for 7 years prior to Lazy Mountain with sedges and a few grass species. The most Research’s assignment to the project. Our common species were Eriophorum angustifolium, assignment was to determine whether or not Carex aquatilis, and Dupontia fisheri. Nearer to natural vegetation could be established on the the seacoast, salt-tolerant species become most drilling-mud affected surface. prominent, such as: Carex maritima, Carex ursina, Phippsia algida and Carex subspathacea. Site information Wildlife Location Geese commonly graze the vegetation around this site and along the seacoast. Caribou herds move The drilling mud release is a 0.75 a area on the through the area seeking insect relief in the north edge of PM-1 production pad (Figure 1). summer (Photo 1). Muskox have been observed The site is on the west side of Prudhoe Bay, north in the vicinity also. Shore birds and other small and west of the dust fallout area that affects most fowl occupy the area also during summer months. of the Prudhoe Bay Oil Field and causes soils to be neutral to slightly alkaline. Surface Water Soils The area has a number of shallow ponds. Water levels in the ponds fluctuated among years. In The soils at this location are naturally acidic and 1998, several were dry. In 2000 and 2001, these largely sand with an organic mat on the surface. same ponds were full. Reasons for the water level The organic surface (O horizon) consists of changes were not determined. 1 Figure 1. Map of the Pt. McIntyre remediation area, 1991. 2 Photo 1. The dark scattered dots on the pad (center of photo) and along the coast (right edge of photo) are large congregations of caribou. Monitoring Methods 1-m2 photo plots and three photopoints were established for repeat photography in 1998 to Soils record vegetation aspects through time. These were photographed in 1998, 2000, and 2001. When we were first assigned this task, we were told that soils data had already been sampled and Revegetation Treatments tested. However, as the years passed, it became evident that we needed to know the extent of the On 15 August 1999, 5.62 lb of grass seed, 3.98 lb mud deposit and how it had affected the of Elymus arenarius and 1.63 lb of Puccinellia underlying soil horizons. In the summer of 2000, augustata, applied to the affected area. Fertilizer we examined and sampled 14 soil profiles, applied at the same time included 53 lb P, 27 lb representing natural soil, soil affected by the N, and 53 lb K. On 17 August 2000, 1.67 lb of drilling mud, drilling mud and gravel, and soil Puccinellia borealis and 50 lb of 10-20-20 were affected by seawater to the east and north of the applied to the site. PM-1 production pad. These profiles were sampled by horizon, and the horizon thicknesses Although seedlings of Puccinellia augustata were recorded. Samples were submitted to the emerging from cracks in the mud and from gravel Colorado State University soil, water, and plant along the margin of the pad, in 2000, the area was testing laboratory for tests: pH, E.C., SAR again seeded, re-fertilized, and Arctophila fulva (sodium-absorption-ratio), texture (sand, silt and sprigged into the flooded portion of the mud site. clay percentages), total N, total carbon, This time Puccinellia borealis seed was used. extractable K, B, and barium; soluble Ca, Mg, Na, K, Cl, SO4, HCO3; and available P and NO3. Surface Water Vegetation On 17 August 2000 and during the 2001 inspection, E.C. of surface water was measured General vegetation conditions were observed with a conductivity meter to determine salinity of each year for the 1998 through 2001 period. Two the natural and impacted water at this location. 3 around the pad. Puccinellia borealis may have RESULTS also germinated; however, I could not distinguish between the two species in their early seedling Soils stages. Perhaps the plants will mature during the 2002 growing season, affording opportunity to Soil data are listed by the surface organic horizon identify the grass species present. and subsurface mineral horizon by habitat type in Table 1. The natural soil contained the most Indigenous species Phippsia algida, Puccinellia moisture, averaging 116.8%. The natural phryganodes, and Puccinellia augustata all undisturbed surface peat horizon also contained increased cover and number of plants during the the greatest total N, averaging 1.910%. The monitoring period, according to the photo records organic carbon content of the undisturbed peat (Appendix). horizon was also highest at 31.467%. The following were lowest in the undisturbed tundra ++ ++ + – Surface Water soil: pH, E.C., SAR, Ca , Mg , Na , SO4 , and - Cl . Effect from the drilling mud imposed to the Salinity varied from 3.28 to 12.48 dS/m in the organic horizon were reducing soil moisture and - surface water present at this location (Photos 2 & Cl , extractable B, extractable Ba, total N, total C, 3). Seawater exceeded limits of our meter, 19.99 NO3., and available P. Drilling mud increased the dS/m. The water directly over the mud release following soil features in the organic horizon: had an E.C. of 16.23 in 2000 and 9.08 dS/m in clay %, pH, E.C. SAR, Ca++, Mg++, Na+, + 2001, which was higher than the drilling mud’s exchangeable K . average E.C. of 7.3 dS/m. The drilling mud had the highest pH (7.6), contained the least soil moisture, sand, extractable DISCUSSION B, NO3-, total N, total C. Drilling mud contained the greatest concentrations of clay, silt, salinity, Soils Ba, SAR, Na+, exchangeable K+, soluble K+, and available P. Based on the laboratory data, it would appear as if the effects from the mud on the natural soil were Seawater-affected soils had the highest salinity, to change its features, making it less suitable to Mg++, Ca ++, Na+, Cl-, soluble K+, and HCO3–. plant growth. Hence, if vegetation suited to the mud cannot be established, removing the mud Vegetation may not result in a habitat suitable for the indigenous plants at this location. Seawater Plant species occurring within various habitats at effects were generally to increase salinity and the PM-1 sites are listed in Table 2. Some of certain ions, primarily Mg, Na and Cl. these plants occurred in water with salinity well above that of normal tundra soils. Grasses with Vegetation apparent highest tolerance of salinity (9.08 dS/m) according to these observations include: Several indigenous plant species have colonized Alopecurus alpinus, Arctagrostis latifolia, the mud-affected soil at the PM-1 site. This Arctophila fulva, Dupontia fisheri, and indicates these species have tolerances to drilling Puccinellia borealis. The most salinity tolerant mud and its associated components, primarily forb appeared to be Ranunculus gmelinii. The salts. Vegetation cover is increasing on the shrub most tolerant to salinity was Salix affected area and in time will probably cover the ovalifolia.
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