CLEANUP EFFICIENCY and BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS of a FUEL OIL SPILL in COLD WEATHER the 1977 Bouchard No
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EPA-600/7-78-133 July 1978 CLEANUP EFFICIENCY AND BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF A FUEL OIL SPILL IN COLD WEATHER The 1977 Bouchard No. 65 Oil Spill in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts by Eric Schrier URS Company San Mateo, California 94402 EPA Contract No. 68-03-2160 Project Officer Leo T. McCarthy, Jr. Oil and Hazardous Materials Spills Branch Industrial Environmental Research Laboratory Edison, New Jersey 08817 INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LABORATORY OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY CINCINNATI, OHIO 45268 Digitized by Google ~ISCLAIMER This report has been reviewed by the Industrial Environmental Research. Lahoratory-f.incinnati, U. s. Environmental Protection agency, and approved for publication. Approval does not siqnify that the contents necessarily reflect the views and policies of the lJ. S. Environmental Protection Agency, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. FOREWORD When energy and material resources are extracted, processed, con verted, and used, the related pollutional impacts on our environment and even on our health often require that new and increasingly efficient pollution control methods be used. The Industrial Environmental Research Laboratory - Cincinnati (IERL-Ci) assists in developing and demonstrating new and improved methodologies that will meet these needs both efficiently and economically. This study consists of a review and evaluation of cleanup operations following a No. 2 fuel oil spill in the ice-infested waters of Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, and an assessment of the biological damage caused by this spill. The information gained as a result of this experience will be valuable to oil spill onscene coordinators when planning and responding to future spills under similar environmental conditions. Personnel responsible for future damage assessment surveys should also find the report useful. For further information, please contact th~ Oil and Hazardous Materials Branch of the Resources Extraction and Handling Division. David G. Stephan Director Industrial Environmental ~esearch Laboratory Cincinnati iii Digitized by Google ABSTRACT This study was initiated following the 1977 Bouchard No. 65 fuel oil spill in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. Its major objectives were to evaluate the techniques used to clean up and/or mitigate damage from this spill and make recommendations of feasible alternative methods that may be used in future spills in similar environmental conditions; to inventory and evaluate the benthic and sediment sampling effort; and to assess the environmental damage caused by the spill. Because of the unusual ice and weather conditions at Buzzards Bay during and after the spill, much of the cleanup effort relied on methods and equipment rarely used before. Modifications of existing techniques are necessary if future spills in similar conditions are to be treated more successfully. Unlike previous No. 2 spills in the bay, acute biological effects were not observed. Long-term acute and sublethal effects may have occurred but could not be detected with presently available data. Severe biological damage was probably prevented by the entrapment of oil in both shore-fast and free-flowing ice. This report was submitted in fulfillment of EPA Contract No. 68-03-2160 and describes work completed from June 1977 to March 1978. iv CONTENTS Foreword . 11 f Abstract. • • • • • • • • • • . • • • . • • • • iv Figures. • . • • • • • . • • . • • • • • • . • • • • • • • • • • • . • vi Tables . • . • . 1x Acknowledgments. • • • • • . • • . • • • • • • • • • • • • • xi 1. Introduction. • • • • • . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1 2. Conclusions. • • • • • • • • • • • • . • • • • • • • • • • • • 2 3. Recommendations........................ 3 4. Background. 5 History of Oil Spills in Buzzards Bay. • • • • • • . • • • 5 The Bouchard No. 65 Spi 11, January 19'7 • • • • • • . • • • • 9 5. Environmental Setting. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 12 Physiography. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 12 Climate . • . 13 Tides and Tidal Currents. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 15 Biological Resources. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 17 Socioeconomic Resources. • • • • • • . • • • • • • • • • . • 24 6. Cleanup ••••••••••••• ~ • • . • • • • • • • • • • . 27 Problems Posed by the Spill • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . • 27 Description and Effectiveness of the Cleanup Techniques. • • 35 Recommendations for Alternative Methods . • • • • • . • • • • 63 Personnel Safety. • • . • • • • . • • • • • • • • • • 64 7. Sampling and Field Work. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . • • • • 66 Description. • • . • • • • . • • • • • • • • • . • • • • • 66 Evalu~tion. • • • . • • • . • • • • • • • • • • • • • 75 Recommendations. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 77 8. Damage Assessment. • • • • • • . • • 80 Biological Resources. • • • . • • • • • • . • . • • . • • . 80 Socioeconomic Resources • • • • • . • • • • • • • • • 110 9. Further Studies and Monitoring. • • • . • . • • • • • • • • • • 115 Adequacy of Data Collected. • • • • • • • . • • • • • . • • • 115 Recommendations • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 115 References •.•••.•• . 117 Bibliography •.••.•. 119 Appendices A. Taxonomic Data for EPA Benthic Sampling. • • • • • . • • • • • 130 B. Hydrocarbon Extraction and Analysis. • • • • • • • • • • • • • 170 C. Criteria for Classification of Sediments and Shellfish. • • • • 172 D. ERCO Sediment Data and Interpretation • • • . • • • . • . •. 173 E. EPA Sediment Data and Interpretation. • • • . • . • • • • • • 178 F. ERCO Organism Data and Interpretation. • • • . • • • • • • • • 180 G. Density and Diversity. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 182 H. Annual Average Shellfish Take and Percentage of Annual Take Affected by Bed Closures, Buzzards Bay Study Area. • • • 186 V FIGURES Number Page 1 Buzzards Bay and vicinity. 6 2 Barge movement. • . • . 11 3 Co11111ercial and recreational shellfish beds. 18 4 Socioeconomic study area •• 25 5 Sites of major cleanup activities 28 6 Fast ice ••.• 31 7 Pressure ridge. 31 8 Ice 1eads . 32 9 Ice crack. 32 10 Hu11111ock. 33 11 Ice floe •••• . 33 12 Rafted Ice. 34 13 Wings Neck Point after the snowfall on February 5-6. 34 14 Vacuum truck working at Wings Neck Point •••••• 36 15 Skid-mounted vacuum unit being loaded on truck by a front-end loader ••••..••.••.•••• 36 16 Deployment of vacuum hoses off Wings Neck Point. 37 17 Vacuum hose being used to renove oil from a tidal crack 37 18 Oil trapped in a lead and rafted ice. 39 19 Ice edge. 39 20 Layout of the Lockheed clean-sweep oil recovery system. 43 21 Layout of the Marco oil recovery systen ••..• 44 22 Marco Class V collecting oil off Wings Neck Point. 45 23 Oil contaminated ice renoval off Wings Neck 45 vi FIGURES (cont.) Number Page 24 Construction of oil/water separation site •• . 48 25 Layout of the endless rope skinmer •••••••••• . 49 26 Drilling holes through the ice off Wings Neck •• . 50 27 Of 1 concentration system. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 55 28 Ice and containment boom deployment to recover ofl ••••• 59 29 Possible deployment of rope skinmer fn fee-infested waters. 61 30 Ice slot for ofl collection •••• . 62 31 Location of EPA sampling stations ••• . 68 32 Location of EPA sampling stations •••• • • • • • . 69 33 Classification of April sediment samples based on their ofl content ••••••••••••••• . 83 34 Classification of May sediment samples based on their oil content •••••••••••••• . 84 35 Classification of June sediment samples based on their ofl content ••••••••••••••• . 85 36 Comparison of oil content in the July shellfish samples with oil content fn the June sediment samples •• 87 37 Location of diving surveys •••••••••••• 89 38 Similarity relationships of benthic conmunfties: February. 1977 ••••••••••••••••• 99 39 Similarity relationships, substrate, and oil contamination of sample stations: February, 1977 ••••••••••• 100 40 Similarity relationships of benthic conmunfties: March, 1977 . • . 101 41 Similarity relationships, substrate, and oil contamination of sample stations: March, 1977 ••••••••••••• 102 42 Similarity relationships of. benthfc conmunfties: Apr11 , 1977 .. 103 vii Digitized by Google FIGURES (cont.) Number 43 Similarity relationships, substrate, and 011 contamination of samp 1e stations: April , 1977 • • • • • • • • • • • • • 104 44 Similarity relationships of benthic conmunities: May, 1977. 10~ 45 Similarity relationships, substrate, and oil contamination of sample stations: May. 1977 •••••••••••••• 106 46 Similarity relationships of benthic conmunities: June, 1977 • ••••.••...•..•.•• . 107 47 Similarity relationships, substrate, and oil contamination of samp 1e stations: June, 1977. • • • • • • • • • • • • • 108 v111 Digitized by Google TABLES Number Page 1 Physical characteristics of channels in Buzzards Bay •••• 7 2 Chrono 1ogy of the movements of the Bouchard Ba_rge No. 65 • • 10 3 Comparative meteorological data •••••••• . 14 4 Temperature and wind speed from January 25 to February 28, 1977. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 16 5 Legal-size shellfish harvestable in the study area in 1969, 1972, and 1974 •••••••••••••••••• 20 6 Annual shellfish harvest - Bourne •••• • • • • . 21 7 Annual shellfish harvest - Wareham ••• . .. 22 8 Annual shellfish harvest - Falmouth •••••••• . 23 9 Selected socioeconomic characteristics of the towns of Wareham. Bourne, and Falmouth. 1970-1976. ~ ••••••• 26 10 Chronology of cleanup activities ••••••• . 29 11 Sunmary of