Fact Sheet – Sensitive Area Protection

Sensitive area protection activities divert or exclude oil from environmentally sensitive areas and shorelines. Special techniques include specific protection strategies, such as diverting and entrapping oil before it contaminates identified coves and shorelines. Trained fishing vessel crews are the primary responders for supporting sensitive area protection with tasks such as:
• Aid with boom deployment, tending, maintenance.
• Assistance with nearshore skimming operations.
• Logistical support for onshore operations.
• Retrieval of boom and other response equipment.

Pre-Identified/Pre-Staged Sensitive Areas: Pre-staged equipment and deployment configurations are in place for six pre-identified Prince William Sound (PWS) sensitive areas:
• Armin F. Koernig Hatchery, Sawmill Bay
• Cannery Creek Hatchery, Unakwik Inlet
• Wally Noerenberg Hatchery, Lake Bay, Esther Island
• Main Bay Hatchery
• Solomon Gulch Hatchery
• Valdez Duck Flats

Dedicated protection equipment is staged in permanent storage containers at these six locations. Year-round maintenance and security programs assure equipment availability and readiness. Basic techniques include anchored or towed boom in open water or intertidal areas.

Once a task force deploys to one sensitive area, the task force moves to the next prioritized area, leaving one vessel behind to maintain the deployment.

Hatchery systems are very robust. Depending on oil trajectory and estimated impacts, hatchery systems may be left untended if the area will remain un-oiled. In this case, a local report from the hatchery or periodic overflights should be conducted to monitor system integrity.

Sensitive areas that are not pre-identified and pre-staged also need to be periodically maintained. One vessel may maintain multiple deployment sites depending on geographic proximity and conditions.

Shoreline Protection Tactics: Several general tactics have been developed for use as conditions warrant:

Exclusion Booming – a fixed boom strategy, prohibiting oil from entering a sensitive area by completely booming that location. The exclusion booming team generally consists of two vessels. A large vessel transports and stores equipment, while a smaller vessel secures and tends boom. The larger vessel sets anchors and deploys boom with assistance from the smaller vessel. The smaller vessel tows the containment boom, secures intertidal boom in place, secures anchoring system to boom, and places snare or sorbent boom.

Deflection Booming – deployment of boom diagonally in front of oil to change the path of the oil away from sensitive shorelines, bays, coves, estuaries, and other areas or structures. Since depths along most Prince William Sound shorelines drop off rapidly, most deflection booming requires the outboard end to be held by a vessel rather than an anchor. Anchors can be effective between the vessel and shore where depths permit.

Diversion/Entrapment – a combination of diversion booming, passive collection, mechanical collection and cold-water deluge used to entrap oil that has impacted the shoreline and is still mobile, or to divert oil to a shoreline collection area to prevent impact to a more sensitive area. Containment boom can be deployed by a larger vessel offshore and a work boat from the beach to an offshore anchoring point.

Geographic Response Strategies
Additional information about Prince William Sound sensitive area protection can be found in site-specific Geographic Response Strategies (GRS), available on the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation website: https://dec.alaska.gov/spar/ppr/response-resources/grs/.