An aerial view of the Valdez and a containment line surrounding the tanker.
Birds were so covered in oil that they could not fly anywhere.
Sea Otters were especially vulnerable because the oil disintegrated the fur's ability to insulate and caused a loss in buoyancy
Workers cleaned up the shoreline from the devastation of the oil spill.
Clean up efforts were a Herculean task. |
America's Largest Spill The waters and shoreline of the Prince William sound are some of the most pristine in North America. In its waters we find sea otters, vast amounts of fish and an ecosystem that supports hundreds of species of animals, birds and plant life. These waters often find themselves threatened, however, by huge oil tankers carrying oil to the lower forty eight states. On March 24th, 1989 disaster struck when the Exxon Valdez, carrying over ten million gallons of crude oil, ran aground. The ship's hull was ripped open by the reef's sharp rocks exposing the waters, wildlife and plants to black crude oil. As the oil spread out over these icy waters many animals would lose their lives. This catastrophe would kill thousands of animals, contaminate shorelines for hundreds of miles and cause millions of dollars in damages. As with many tragedies, man had a significant role in this disaster. Gregory T. Cousins, a third mate on the Exxon Valdez was piloting the oil tanker at the time of the accident in direct violation of Coast Guard regulations. The Coast Guard requires that any one operating a commercial vessel in these waters are to have specific certification. The third mate had only three years experience, but more importantly, he was not certified to navigate the Exxon Valdez out of these waters. Captain Joseph Hazelwood of the Exxon Valdez had turned the ship over to the third mate while he went to his cabin. The ship's radar picked up signals of icebergs in the area which led Cousins to request a change of course which was granted by the Coast Guard. While trying to make this change in direction to an inbound channel, the Exxon Valdez and its valuable cargo became impaled on Bleigh Reef. This most unfortunate accident proved to be devastating to the animals and birds that were dependent on these waters for their lives. The effect on the animals and birds has been catastrophic. The immediate impact of the oil spill was readily apparent as 33,126 birds, their feathers soaked in oil, were found either dead or dying. Sea Otters were especially vulnerable because the oil disintegrated the fur's ability to insulate and caused a loss in buoyancy. The animals froze to death and drowned in the arctic waters. The otters tried to lick the oil off their fur coat, an act that resulted in the ingestion of oil which prompted further fatalities. The death toll for the otters rose to approximately three thousand. The already slim eagle population decreased with the loss of one hundred and thirty-eight birds. The effects on the bears, whales, sea lions, salmon, herring and a multitude of other animals remained unknown as cleanup efforts were confused and very expensive. The clean up efforts were handicapped due to a lack in readiness for a disaster of this type. The only containment barge in the area was dry docked for repairs when the spill occurred. The response time for an emergency was supposed to be three hours. In actuality, it was ten hours before the first barge showed up for containment. By the time serious clean up efforts began the oil slick had already grown to a sizable forty miles in length. By day fifty-six the oil slick had engulfed an astonishing four hundred and seventy miles. Oil from the Exxon Valdez would eventually cover and impact more than one thousand miles of the Alaskan shoreline. Belief, that an accident of this magnitude could not happen might have hampered response time, but one thing is for sure: Alyeska Pipeline Service Company and Exxon reacted slowly and were not ready for this disaster. In a sense, there were two disasters. The first being the grounding of the Exxon Valdez and the second being the failure to adequately prepare for such an event. Oil, worth millions of dollars, flowing out of the Exxon Valdez would ironically cost Exxon about $1.28 billion dollars to clean up. Each Sea Otter saved would cost Exxon forty thousand dollars after feeding them lobster and crayfish that was flown in every day. The boats used in the cleanup were chartered for as much as eight thousand dollars a day. Fishermen were given seventy-five million dollars to make up for lost fishing revenues. Exxon provided villages along shorelines with food because hunting and fishing had been interrupted. The cost of this cleanup was equivalent to one fifth of Exxon's revenue for the year. This disaster and others like it take time to heal, and it is extremely difficult to measure the long term impact on the environment. Certainly Exxon is to blame. But what part does America and its need for energy play in this? This tragedy was set into motion by human error, not following regulations, the need for energy resources and mother nature herself. These are elements that can be found in many disasters, such as the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl. Are disasters of this type a product of the technological era we live in and should we expect more disasters of this type? At this point, this question evades an answer. Prevention of further disasters requires that as individuals and as a nation we assess our energy demands. Moreover, we should ask ourselves each time we get into the car to drive to the local supermarket, or turn on a light, "What was our role in North Americas worst oil spill disaster?" |
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