Primary Restoration Guidance Document for Natural Resource Damage Assessment Under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 Damage Assessment and Restoration Program August 1996 PRIMARY RESTORATION GUIDANCE DOCUMENT FOR NATURAL RESOURCE DAMAGE ASSESSMENT UNDER THE OIL POLLUTION ACT OF 1990 Prepared for the: Damage Assessment and Restoration Program National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 1305 East-West Highway, SSMC #4 Silver Spring, Maryland 20910 Prepared by: EG&G Washington Analytical Services Center, Inc. 1396 Piccard Drive Rockville, MD 20850 Joseph Green, Contract Manager Authorship: Deborah P. French, Henry Rines, Dian Gifford, Aimee Keller, and Sharon Pavignano Applied Science Associates, Inc. 70 Dean Knauss Drive Narragansett, Rhode Island 02882 and Garry Brown, Bradly S. Ingram, Emily MacDonald, Jacqueline Quirk, and Stefan Natzke A.T. Kearney, Inc. 225 Reinekers Lane, P.O. Box 1438 Alexandria, VA 22313 and Kenneth Finkelstein Arthur D. Little, Acorn Park Cambridge, MA 02140 August 1996 DISCLAIMER This guidance document is intended to be used in the assessment of restoration of injured natural resources under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA). This document is not regulatory in nature. Trustees are not required to use this document in order to receive a rebuttable presumption for natural resource damage assessments under OPA. NOAA would appreciate any suggestions on how this document could be made more practical and useful. Readers are encouraged to send comments and recommendations to: Eli Reinharz Damage Assessment Center National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 1305 East-West Highway, SSMC #4, N\ORCA\x1 Silver Spring, Maryland 20910 (301) 713-3038 ext 193, phone (301) 713-4387, fax [email protected], e-mail address TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF EXHIBITS.............................................................................................................. xxvi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.................................................................................................. xxxii PREFACE .............................................................................................................................xxxiv LIST OF ACRONYMS..........................................................................................................xxxv INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................CHAPTER 1 1.1 Background.........................................................................................................................1-1 1.2 Purpose and Scope of this Document...................................................................................1-2 1.3 Intended Audience...............................................................................................................1-3 1.4 The NRDA Process.............................................................................................................1-3 1.4.1 Preassessment Phase......................................................................................................1-3 1.4.2 Restoration Planning Phase............................................................................................1-3 1.4.2.1 Injury Assessment....................................................................................................1-5 1.4.2.2 Restoration Selection...............................................................................................1-5 1.4.3 Restoration Implementation Phase.................................................................................1-7 1.5 Basic Terms and Definition .................................................................................................1-7 1.5.1 Baseline....................................................................................................................... 1-10 1.5.2 Damages ..................................................................................................................... 1-10 1.5.3 Injury .......................................................................................................................... 1-10 1.5.4 Natural Resources ....................................................................................................... 1-10 1.5.5 Oil............................................................................................................................... 1-10 1.5.6 Recovery..................................................................................................................... 1-11 1.5.7 Response .................................................................................................................... 1-11 1.5.8 Restoration ................................................................................................................ 1-11 1.6 Natural Resources Evaluated............................................................................................. 1-11 1.7 Possible Restoration Alternatives and Actions.................................................................... 1-12 i TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY OF RESTORATION ACTIONS .............................................................................CHAPTER 2 2.1 Overview of the Technical Feasibility Assessment.................................................................2-1 2.2 Technical Feasibility of Primary Restoration by Habitat........................................................2-7 2.2.1 Estuarine and Marine Wetlands......................................................................................2-7 2.2.1.1 Saltmarshes .............................................................................................................2-7 .1 Oil Related Literature...................................................................................................2-9 .2 Non-oil Related Literature.......................................................................................... 2-10 .3 Technical Feasibility of Restoration Actions................................................................ 2-11 3.1 Natural Recovery ................................................................................................. 2-11 3.2 Replanting............................................................................................................ 2-14 3.3 Supplementary Erosion Control Structures ........................................................... 2-17 3.4 Sediment Removal/Replacement........................................................................... 2-18 3.5 Vegetation Cropping ............................................................................................ 2-19 3.6 New Saltmarsh Creation....................................................................................... 2-20 3.7 Low Pressure Flushing ......................................................................................... 2-22 3.8 Bioremediation..................................................................................................... 2-23 2.2.1.2 Mangrove Swamps............................................................................................... 2-23 .1 Oil Related Literature................................................................................................ 2-24 .2 Non-oil Related Literature......................................................................................... 2-24 .3 Technical Feasibility of Restoration Actions............................................................... 2-24 3.1 Natural Recovery ................................................................................................ 2-24 3.2 Replanting........................................................................................................... 2-24 3.2.1 Propagule and Seedling Plantings .................................................................. 2-27 3.2.2 Young Trees ................................................................................................. 2-30 3.3 Construction of Channels..................................................................................... 2-32 3.4 Low Pressure Flushing ........................................................................................ 2-32 3.5 Bioremediation.................................................................................................... 2-32 ii TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) 2.2.2 Freshwater Wetlands ...................................................................................................... 2-33 2.2.2.1 Emergent Wetlands ............................................................................................... 2-33 .1 Oil Related Literature................................................................................................. 2-33 .2 Non-oil Related Literature.......................................................................................... 2-36 .3 Technical Feasibility of Restoration Actions................................................................ 2-36 3.1 Natural Recovery ................................................................................................. 2-36 3.2 Replanting............................................................................................................ 2-36 3.3 Soil Removal/Replacement ................................................................................... 2-40 3.4 Vegetation Cropping ............................................................................................ 2-40 3.5 New Wetland Creation