By Jonathan McKnight and Lisa Pelstring
On April 7, 2000, a pipeline running under a quiet tributary to the Patuxent River cracked and began leaking fuel oil into the environment. By the time the leak was discovered, more than 130,000 gallons of viscous, black oil had flowed into and over the pristine marshes of Swanson Creek. Emergency crews from the Potomac Electric Power Company (Pepco) and federal and state agencies worked through the night to contain the oil, but on the following evening a rogue storm of astonishing intensity blasted through the area and forced the oil over, under and through the floating barriers. By Sunday morning, April 8, the freed oil slick had contaminated miles of Patuxent River beaches and marsh, and was moving downstream in a deadly wave that would blacken 40 miles of shoreline.
The Response
The response to the oil spill at Chalk Point was swift and sure. Officials at the state and federal levels were prepared for such an event, in large part due to an incident that occurred more than a decade earlier and a continent away. After the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill decimated wildlife and other natural resources in Alaska, Congress passed the Oil Pollution Act. The comprehensive legislation was designed to not only prevent oil spills, but to also ensure a rapid response when one did occur, and make certain that the responsible party was held accountable for making the public whole for lost resources and services.
In the months that followed the Southern Maryland spill, a massive cleanup ensued, involving thousands of personnel and costing millions of dollars. And as the cleanup progressed, a parallel process began: A Natural Resource Damage Assessment (drolly tagged “NeRDA”) was initiated under the Oil Pollution Act by the Maryland Departments of the Environment and Natural Resources, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Throughout the process, these agencies would serve as trustees, acting on the public’s behalf to investigate and assess the degree of harm that had come to the river, its wildlife, and the public services it provides - boating, swimming and fishing among others.
The Patuxent River damage assessment was exemplary in the level of cooperation, concern and communication among the public, the trustee agencies, and Pepco, one of the parties responsible for the spill. In response to public interest, Maryland Governor Parris N. Glendening established a Citizens Advisory Council consisting of local residents, elected officials, scientists, and representatives from environmental groups to keep the trustees apprised of community concerns as the assessment progressed. Residents turned out by the hundreds at meetings held immediately after the spill, and Pepco made communicating with them a priority, establishing multiple public information centers, mailing information to residents, even sending employees door-to-door to explain the activities underway.
Estimating Injury
As part of the damage assessment, oiled wildlife was pulled from the water and beaches, to be rescued and cleaned if they were found in time, and if not, preserved for later injury counts. Testing of water and bottom sediments estimated physical and chemical changes to the estuary. Local bird populations were watched for symptoms of contamination.
In all, more than 25 scientific studies were conducted to determine the nature and extent of natural resource and service injuries. After reviewing these studies, the trustees estimated that the following injuries had occurred to the river and the community:
- 76 acres of wetlands had been contaminated with oil
- 10 acres of beaches had been oiled
- 600+ ruddy ducks and other birds had been killed
- 122 diamondback terrapins had been killed, and the future reproduction of this species had been reduced by 10% for the coming year.
- 376 muskrats had died.
- 5,000+ pounds of fish and shellfish had been killed.
- 4,000+ pounds of creatures from benthic communities (the ecosystems on the bottom of the river), had been killed or reduced.
Natural resources weren’t the only injuries identified, and trustee economists conducted studies to determine the full extent of the impact to recreation - swimming, boating, fishing and other shoreline uses that were affected. Agency officials conducted on-site surveys along shorelines, flew helicopter surveys over the river to count recreational activity, and reviewed information on the use of local beaches. After careful analysis, the trustees estimated that 125,000 river trips were impacted by the spill.
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Improvement of recreational opportunities.
These include:
Creating two canoe/kayak paddle-in campsites on the Patuxent River
Establishing a disability-accessible canoe/kayak launch at Greenwell State Park
Improving recreational opportunities at Maxwell Hall Natural Resource Management Area
Improving a boat ramp at Forest Landing
Rebuilding the King’s Landing boardwalk and providing canoes for a river education program
Building a fishing pier at Cedar Haven Park
Establishing boat access at Nan’s Cove near Broomes Island
In all, more than $2 million in restoration projects will be implemented in the coming years, addressing the acres of oiled wetlands, the hundreds of dead birds and other wildlife, and the thousands of recreational trips that never occurred after the spill.
Any environmental disaster is a terrible thing to witness. The people who live on or near the Patuxent, those who fish its waters, and anyone who loves the river were dealt a stunning blow when the Chalk Point spill occurred. But the infrastructure to deal with the calamity was quickly brought into play, and the cleanup was pursued vigorously. Pepco worked diligently to be a good corporate citizen of the watershed in the aftermath of the spill. And the people of Maryland and the Patuxent will ultimately have redress for the damage that was inflicted upon the environment through a broad range of restoration efforts.
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