Preassessment Data Report and Restoration Planning for the September, 2004 Mosaic Acidic Process Water Spill

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1 Preassessment Data Report and Restoration Planning for the September, 2004 Mosaic Acidic Process Water Spill Daniel Hahn NOAA, Damage Assessment Center

2 Incident Review Archie Creek natural channel Release location Archie Creek canal Hillsborough Bay Alafia River Mile

3 Natural Resource Damage Assessment The process of collecting and evaluating data to identify the extent and magnitude of resource injuries, the best methods for restoring those resources, and the type and amount of restoration required Phases of NRDA: Pre-Assessment Phase Restoration Planning Phase Restoration Implementation Phase

4 Agencies involved with NRDA U.S. Department of Commerce, NOAA U.S. Department of Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service State of Florida Department of Environmental Protection Environmental Protection Commission of Hillsborough County Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission

5 Cooperative Assessment Natural resource trustees worked cooperatively with representatives of Mosaic to: Collect ephemeral data Implement emergency primary restoration Produce a Preassessment Data Report

6 Preassessment Data Report Purpose: Summarize the majority of the data from the Preassessment phase Present data objectively report does not focus on interpretation of data Assist the Trustees with an evaluation of the technical adequacy of the information Assist with determining additional injury assessment needs and restoration planning, if necessary

7 Data Included in Report ph Measurements Chemical constituents of released process water Crab Trap Surveys Fish Shoreline Surveys and Trawls Aerial Photography Vegetation Sampling Seagrass Sampling Benthic sampling

8 ph Measurements Sept. 6 th 2004

9 Crab Trap Survey Results Key: All Crabs Dead All Crabs Alive Both Live & Dead

10 Shoreline Fish Survey Results Estimated Total number of stranded fish based on AFS shoreline surveys = 7387

11 Vegetation Survey Results Approximately 150 acres impacted Composed primarily of mangrove, Spartina, black rush marshes Recovery times vary depending on maturity of vegetation and severity of impact

12 Seagrass Survey Results As of Dec 14, 2004 survey: 2.87 acres of seagrass gone acres seagrass stressed

13 Nutrients Release contributed a significant amount of Nitrogen to the Bay Other sources of nutrient inputs resulted from the storm Continuing to evaluate impacts of spill related Nutrients on Bay EPC water quality sampling stations

14 Preassessment Phase Outcomes Trustee Determinations Trustees have jurisdiction to pursue a calim Incident caused injury to natural resources Appropriate to proceed with Restoration Planning Issue Notice of Intent to conduct Restoration Planning Inform the public about the status of the NRDA Solicit public review and public input

15 Interim Service Loss Resource Services Interim Lost Resource Services Baseline Service Level Incident Primary Restoration Begins Full Recovery w/ Restoration Full Natural Recovery Time

16 Restoration Planning Phase The intent of restoration is to compensate for natural resources and services that were lost as a result of the incident Components of Restoration Planning: Quantify injury in terms of loss of natural resources and the services they provide Scale injury to potential restoration projects Identify restoration projects to compensate for injury Prepare Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan (DARP)

17 Quantification of Injury Data and tools potentially used to quantify injury: Preassessment Data Report Computer modeling of the spill Additional monitoring or other data collection Scientific literature Local knowledge and professional judgment

18 Restoration Scoping Develop a reasonable range of restoration alternatives Solicit public input on potential restoration projects Ideally restoration projects will be: Located in the vicinity of the incident (in place) Similar habitat types (in kind)

19 Evaluation of Restoration Alternatives Cost to carry out the alternative Extent to which project is expected to compensate for injured natural resources Likelihood of success Extent to which it will avoid future injury Extent to which each alternative benefits multiple resources Effect of each alternative on Public health and safety

20 Restoration Implementation After Public Review and Approval of the DARP, move on to Restoration Implementation Typical scenarios: Trustee implementation (cash out) Responsible Party implementation with Trustee oversight Combination

21 Send Comments & Potential Restoration Projects to: ATTN: Mosaic Spill Case Team NOAA, Damage Assessment Center th Avenue South St. Petersburg, FL The Preassessment Data Report is available for review under Response Reports at the following website: