The Snake River originates in Yellowstone National Park and travels approximately 1,000 miles west through Wyoming, Idaho, and Washington before finally emptying into the Columbia River at Pasco. The Snake River is the largest tributary to the Columbia River and is itself one of the major rivers in the United States. The SLOMO-GRP encompasses the 28.7-mile reach of the Lower Monumental Pool, from the upstream side of the Lower Monumental Dam (located at river mile 41.6) to the downstream side of the Little Goose Dam (located at river mile 70.3). The area below the Lower Monumental Dam is encompassed by the Ice Harbor GRP and the area upriver of the Little Goose Dam is encompassed by the Little Goose GRP. The SLOMO-GRP predominately resides in Water Resource Inventory Area Lower Snake (WRIA 33), but also contains small portions of the Palouse (WRIA 34) and Middle Snake (WRIA 35).

Developed Areas

The area around the Lower Monumental Pool is rural with no large population centers present. Pasco and Kennewick are the largest cities nearby, both located downstream of the Lower Monumental Dam near the confluence of the Snake and Columbia Rivers. The towns of Kahlotus and Starbuck are located within the boundaries of this planning area. The planning area falls within the boundaries of Franklin and Whitman counties to the north and Walla Walla and Columbia counties to the south.

Tribes of the Snake River

The Snake River is within the usual and accustomed territories of several American Indian Tribes. There are no Indian reservations in the SLOMO-GRP planning area. Federally recognized Tribes with access to the resources of the Snake River and surrounding area may include the Colville, Nez Perce, Umatilla, Yakima, Spokane, and Coeur D Alene Tribes.

Tribes can fill many roles during an oil spill response including full participation in Unified Command, providing resource specialists in the Environmental Unit, monitoring on-scene operations, and more. Information regarding tribal participation in a response is available on the Northwest Area Committee/Region 10 Regional Response Team website. Contact information for the tribes in this planning area can be found in the Resources at Risk section and on the Spill Response Contact Sheet of this GRP.

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Cultural Features

The Snake River is rich in archaeological resources. The Columbia Plateau was inhabited as early as 11,500 years ago, and settlements were established as early as 11,230 years ago. The Snake and Columbia Rivers were part of a transportation and trade network that extended along the entire Pacific Coast and inland to the Great Plains. Numerous archaeological sites along the Snake River are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and numerous other sites are known, including villages, fishing sites, temporary camps, storage pits, burials, shell middens, and rock art such as pictographs and petroglyphs. The Palouse River and surrounding canyon, from its confluence with the Snake River to the northern edge of the GRP planning area is designated as the Palouse Canyon Archaeological District. The Marmes Rockshelter, a well-known archaeological site, is located within this district. It is one of the oldest sites in Washington and one of the first National Historic Landmarks listed in Washington. An earthen levee surrounds the site and is an obvious feature along the Palouse River north of Lyons Ferry State Park. It was built to protect the site prior to the completion of the Lower Monumental Dam. Within days of the reservoir being filled the levee filled with water and inundated the site. The site remains under water to this day.

Europeans and Americans began exploring and trading in the Pacific Northwest in the 18th century with trade items being transported into the Snake River Basin during that period. First contact occurred in the region in 1805 when the Lewis and Clark Expedition traveled down the Snake and into the Columbia River.  Other expeditions of exploration soon followed, and trading operations were established. The Northwest Company built Fort Nez Perce in 1818 near the mouth of the Walla Walla River on the Columbia.  Missionaries arrived in the 1830s and were followed by settlers in the 1840s.

From the mid to late 1800’s, numerous settlements were established along both the Columbia and Snake Rivers. Gold was discovered near Fort Colville in 1855 prompting an influx of miners. With traders, farmers, ranchers, and miners arriving in the area, steamboats began navigating the Snake River in the 1860s. Steamboats traversed over 60 sets of rapids in the free-flowing river when traveling between Pasco, Washington and Lewiston, Idaho. The USACE started modifying the Columbia River to aid vessel navigation as early as 1873 by removing obstructions; from 1876 to 1915 canals were built. The first dam was constructed on the Snake River in 1901. Between the 1950’s-1980’s, the USACE started the Lower Snake River Project with the construction of four dams in eastern Washington, bringing the total number of dams on the Snake River to 15 (USACE, Lower Snake River Dams).

Shoreline Description

Along the Snake River the following shoreline types are present: exposed rocky headlands, wave-cut platforms, pocket beaches along exposed rocky shores, sand beaches, sand and gravel beaches, sand and cobble beaches, sheltered rocky shores, and sheltered marshes (Shoreline Countermeasures Manual).

Dams & Irrigation

Human activity has a major impact on the Snake River. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) shaped the Snake River into its current form through the construction of dams; structures designed to provide irrigation water, hydroelectricity, flood control, and improved navigation. The four dams in the Lower Snake River Project were built primarily to create a navigable channel from the mouth of the Snake River to the beginning of Hells Canyon, located downstream of Lewiston, Idaho near the borders of eastern Washington, eastern Oregon, and western Idaho. The Lower Snake River dams, from upstream to downstream, include: Lower Granite Lock and Dam, Little Goose Lock and Dam, Lower Monumental Lock and Dam, and Ice Harbor Lock and Dam.

Superfund Sites & Other Historic Pollution Sites

None noted in this area.

Socio-economic Features

Large Scale Restoration Sites

None noted in this area.

Fishing & Sustenance

The Snake River once hosted some of the largest runs of various types of salmon on the continent. Sadly, this is no longer the case as most species of salmon and steelhead in the Snake River are now threatened or endangered. Harvesting salmon plays a central role in the cultures of numerous Tribes in the area. Restoration of these salmon runs is of vital importance to Tribes and various state and federal agencies overseeing the resources of the area. One fish hatchery, the Lyons Ferry Fish Hatchery, is present in the Lower Monumental pool area and should be notified in the case of a spill (SLOMO-58.3R-N).

Recreation & Tourism

The spectacular beauty of the Snake River Gorge attracts tourists and provides a wealth of recreational opportunities including camping, hiking, fishing, hunting, mountain biking, and recreational boating. Public recreation areas which include boat launches are located at Devil’s Bench, Ayer’s Boat Basin, and Texas Rapids Boat Basin. Camping spots and boat launches can be found at Lyons Ferry State Park and Starbuck/Lyons Ferry Marina KOA. The Snake River also hosts small inland cruise ships, which can be seen transiting to Lewiston, Idaho and back while making stops along the way.

In addition to the recreational opportunities listed above, the USACE maintains seven Habitat Management Units (HMU’s) located along the shore in this GRP area. HMU’s provide habitat for wildlife as well as fishing, hunting, and hiking opportunities for the public (USACE HMU’s).

Economic Drivers

Due to the USACE Lock and Dam system, the Snake River functions as an industrial transportation corridor, with barges transiting from the confluence with the Columbia River to Lewiston, Idaho and back. The Columbia and Snake River corridor provides a route for the transport of agricultural products from farms in the interior of the country to the Columbia River’s gateway at the Pacific Ocean. This corridor is the number one export route in the nation for wheat, and number two for corn and soybeans (Columbia Snake River System Facts). Wood products and petroleum products are also shipped by barge on the river. Additionally, the four Snake River dams produce electricity for the region. The Snake River corridor is also used as a route for rail traffic. Both the Union Pacific Railroad and the Great Northwest Railroad own tracks within the SLOMO-GRP area. The south bank of the Snake River, from Lyons Ferry to the Lower Monumental Dam, forms part of the rail route for crude oil transportation in Washington.

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Most of the flow into the Lower Monumental Pool comes from the Snake River after having passed through the Little Goose and Lower Granite Dams. Tributary streams entering the pool include Alkali Flat Creek, Tucannon River, Palouse River, and numerous unnamed creeks. The Lower Monumental Pool is very lake-like, with dam-controlled outflow rates. The lowest flow rates typically occur during the late summer, autumn, and winter months. Higher flows occur during the spring snow melt. The upper reach of the reservoir below the Little Goose Dam may attain higher flows than the lower reach, especially during spring runoff. Nearer to the Lower Monumental Dam, the current is practically nonexistent, except for the area in front of the spillway and powerhouse, which may have strong currents and undertows that are very dangerous.

The planning area is located within Water Resource Inventory Areas Lower Snake (WRIA 33), Palouse (WRIA 34), and Middle Snake (WRIA 35).

Lower Snake (WRIA 33): The Lower Snake Watershed includes a portion of the Snake River and its numerous tributary creeks and streams. The annual precipitation in the watershed ranges from 8 inches per year near its confluence with the Columbia River, to a little over 10 inches in the higher elevations. Only a fraction of this precipitation becomes groundwater available for human and economic uses. Most of the precipitation arrives during the winter months when water demands are the lowest. During the summer, the snowpack is gone, there is little rain, and naturally low stream flows are dependent on groundwater inflow (WA Ecology, 2013).

Palouse (WRIA 34): The Palouse River Watershed occupies approximately 1,755,000 acres in eastern Washington. The Palouse River originates in the mountains northeast of Moscow, Idaho, and flows westerly through rolling farm and rangeland before joining the Snake River at the Whitman/Franklin County line. There are no major man-made impoundments, allowing the river to flow freely. Approximately 6 miles from the river’s confluence with the Snake River, the Palouse River drops approximately 185 feet into a deep canyon at Palouse Falls. The Palouse Falls are a natural barrier to fish passage, isolating the upper reaches of the Palouse River from the anadromous salmonids and other aquatic life in the Snake River system. The western part of the watershed is the driest, receiving as little as 10 inches of precipitation annually. Precipitation is light during summer, increasing in fall to peak during the winter months. Average flows near the mouth of the Palouse River range from 1,800 cfs in March to 300 cfs in August (Palouse Watershed Plan).

Middle Snake (WRIA 35): The Middle Snake Watershed, in Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA) 35 is located in the extreme southeast corner of Washington. WRIA 35 is bordered by the state of Oregon to the south, the state of Idaho to the east, the Palouse Watershed (WRIA 34) to the north, and the Walla Walla (WRIA 32) and Lower Snake (WRIA 33) Watersheds to the west. The basin drains approximately 2,250 square miles within the state of Washington. The Middle Snake Watershed encompasses portions of Asotin, Whitman, Garfield, and Columbia Counties within Washington. Diamond Peak, located in the Blue Mountains at the headwaters of the Tucannon River, is the highest point in the basin with an elevation of 6,380 feet. The confluence of the Snake and Tucannon Rivers is the lowest point at approximately 540 feet. The Middle Snake Watershed is semi-arid. Average annual precipitation ranges from 5 to 10 inches in the lowlands along the Snake River up to 45 inches in the peaks of the Blue Mountains. Historically, the Middle Snake Watershed habitat was prairie, canyon grasslands, and shrubsteppe vegetation. Today, much of the land in the WRIA has been converted to crop and livestock production. Non-irrigated row crops, primarily wheat, and grass-forb plant communities comprise the majority (67%) of vegetative cover in the watershed. Coniferous forests cover approximately 20%; a mixture of shrubs and trees covers 7% (WA Ecology, 2015).

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The climate of the lower Snake River is greatly influenced by prevailing southwesterly winds in both summer and winter, with the Cascade Mountain Range shielding the area from winds flowing east from the Pacific Ocean. Average wind speeds usually range from 7-8 mph. Winter storms can include strong winds. Thunderstorms in July and August usually produce little rain but may include strong gusts of wind. Wind erosion, the primary cause of dust emissions in the semi-arid climate of this area, is common in spring and fall. High winds and dry soil conditions may result in dust storms.

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Non-Floating Oils: Both refined petroleum products and crude oils are transported in bulk within this planning area. Crude oil contains a mix of hydrocarbons with a wide range of properties, while a refined product is a single type of oil, such as diesel or gasoline. Depending on the oil and the characteristics of the water the oil is spilled into, some of the oil transported in this planning area may not float.

Different oils will behave differently when spilled to water. Some heavy oils will sink immediately, some oil suspends in the water column, and lighter oils may remain on the surface and evaporate within hours. Over time, oil that initially floats can weather and mix with sediment, causing it to submerge or sink. Non-floating oils pose a specific risk to the environment because they can harm underwater or bottom-dwelling species that would otherwise be unaffected during an oil spill that remained floating on the water’s surface.

Traditional response strategies, including the booming strategies in this GRP, are designed for floating oil. However, there are steps we can take to plan for and respond to a non-floating oil spill. Non-Floating Oil Response Options and Considerations provides an overview of areas where non-floating oil might accumulate if spilled within this planning area, along with information on specific tactics that may be effective during a response. More response options recommended for finding and recovering oil below the water’s surface can be found in the Non-Floating Oil Spill Response Tool (NWACP Section 9412).

Facilities: The planning area does not contain any Class 1 regulated bulk petroleum facilities. Several smaller facilities that transfer oil over water in lesser volumes, known as Class 3 and Class 4, do operate throughout the Snake River. These include fueling of pleasure craft at marinas. These regulated petroleum facilities, and the products they handle, can be viewed on the Ecology Spills Map.

Commercial Vessels and Barges: The Columbia/Snake corridor offers many port facilities, stretching from Astoria, Oregon to Lewiston, Idaho. The Dalles Lock reports that an average of eight million tons of cargo, mostly grain and petroleum products, pass through each year (USACE, The Dalles, John Day & Willow Creek Dams). Although no ports or marine terminals are present in this planning area, the potential for vessel collisions, allisions, or groundings presents a significant spill risk. Commercial vessels, including tug and barge combinations, carry substantial amounts of heavy and blended fuel oils and other petroleum products.

Road Systems: Vehicle traffic on roadways pose an oil spill risk in areas where they run adjacent to the shorelines, or cross over lakes, rivers, creeks, and ditches, that drain into the Snake River. Several smaller roads run parallel to the river, including Washington Highway 261. The only bridge crossing the Snake River in this planning area is Highway 261 at Lyons Ferry. In addition, there are several smaller bridges or causeways where vehicles cross tributaries or small lakes along the shoreline. A vehicle spill onto one of these bridges or roadways can cause fuel or oil to flow from hardened surfaces into the Snake River or its tributaries. Commercial trucks can contain hundreds to thousands of gallons of fuel and oil, especially fully loaded tank trucks, and may carry almost any kind of cargo, including hazardous waste or other materials that might injure sensitive resources if spilled. Smaller vehicle accidents pose a risk as well, a risk commensurate to the volume of fuel and oil they carry.

Rail Transportation: Rail companies transport oil via both unit trains and manifest trains in this area. Unit trains include up to four locomotives, buffer cars, and 118 loaded tank cars transporting oil in 714-barrel (29,998 gallon) capacity USDOT-approved tank cars. Manifest trains include up to four locomotives, a mix of non-oil merchandise cars, and one or more 714-barrel (29,998 gallon) capacity USDOT-approved tank cars carrying refined oil products, such as diesel, lubrication oil, or gasoline. These trains may include emptied tank cars, each with residual quantities of up to 1,800 gallons of crude oil or petroleum products. Every train locomotive typically holds a few hundred gallons of engine lubrication oil, plus saddle tanks that each have an approximate capacity of 5,000 gallons of diesel fuel. Manifest trains may also transport biological oils and non-petroleum chemicals.

Unit trains carrying crude oil currently operate on specific routes. Unit trains carrying crude from the Bakken Formation in North Dakota enter Washington State near Spokane, continue west along the Snake and Columbia Rivers to Vancouver, and then head north along I-5. Union Pacific (UP) owns the commercial rail track in most of this planning area. UP’s trains generally contain mixed cargo loads and may include the transport of hazardous materials and Bakken crude oil. Known as the Portland Subdivision, the track runs parallel to the river on the south bank (river left) from Lyons Ferry to the Lower Monumental Dam. A few miles upriver of Lyons Ferry the track crosses the river and runs parallel to the river on the north bank (river right) to the Riparia Habitat Management Unit near the town of Riparia. At this location the tracks switch ownership to the Great Northwest Railroad and continue along the north bank past the Little Goose Dam. The Great Northwest Railroad does not carry crude oil but does transport a limited number of diesel loads from Lewiston, Idaho to Ayer Junction.

Aircraft: The Lower Monumental State Airport and the Little Goose Dam airport are both just outside the boundaries of the Snake River Lower Monumental GRP planning area. Managed by Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), they are primarily used for recreational and transit purposes. Since these airports are close to the river, the potential exists for aircraft failures during inbound or outbound flights that result in a spill by releasing aviation fuel to the Snake River or its tributaries.

Recreational Boating: Accidents involving recreational watercraft on the Snake River have the potential to result in spills of a few gallons of gasoline up to hundreds of gallons of diesel fuel. Examples of such accidents might include vessel collisions, allisions, groundings, fires, sinking, or explosions. Bilge discharges and mishaps during boat refueling operations are generally the most common types of oil spills to occur from recreational boating.

Other Spill Risks: Other potential oil spill risks in the area include, dam turbine mechanical failures, fuel storage areas (including waste oil storage), road run-off during rain events, onshore or near shore construction activities where heavy equipment is being operated or stored, and the migration of spilled oil through soil on lands adjacent to the river or its tributary streams.

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This section is purposely broad in scope and should not be considered comprehensive. Some of the sensitive resources described in this section cannot be addressed in Response Strategies and Priorities because it is not possible to conduct effective response activities in these locations. Additional information from private organizations or federal, state, tribal, and local government agencies should also be sought during spills. This material is presented with enough detail to give general information about the area during the first phase of a spill response. During an actual incident, more information about resources at risk will be available from the Environmental Unit in the Planning Section.

Note: specific resource concerns related to areas that already have designated protection strategies may be found in the “Resources At Risk” column of the matrix describing the individual strategies.

The information provided in this section can be used in:

• Assisting the Environmental Unit (EU) and Operations in developing ad hoc response strategies.
• Providing resource-at-risk “context” to responders, clean-up workers, and others during the initial phase of a spill response in the GRP area.
• Briefing responders and incident command staff that may be unfamiliar with sensitive resource concerns in the GRP area.
• Providing background information for personnel involved in media presentations and public outreach during a spill incident.
• Providing information on benthic and water column species or cultural resources present to assist in planning for oils with the potential to sink or submerge.

Natural Resources at Risk Summary

This area contains a wide variety of aquatic, riparian, and upland habitats. These habitats support many of Washington’s anadromous salmonid species as well as a complex diversity of other wildlife including mammals, birds, and amphibians. Due to their life histories and/or behaviors, some of these species are unlikely to be directly oiled during a spill incident but may be disturbed by other operations such as cleanup, reconnaissance, or fire suppression activities. Some of the bird species are resident throughout the year, but many others seasonally migrate outside the basin. Several of the species found in this area are classified as threatened or endangered under the Federal Endangered Species Act or Washington State guidelines.

Classification types are:

• Federal Endangered (FE)
• Federal Threatened (FT)
• Federal Candidate (FC)
• State Endangered (SE)
• State Threatened (ST)
• State Sensitive (SS)

Federal and State Threatened and Endangered species that may occur within this area, at some time of year, include:

Birds:

• American white pelican [SS]
• Common loon [SS]
• Ferruginous hawk [ST]
• Yellow-billed cuckoo [FT/SE]

Mammals:

• Gray Wolf [SE]

Fish:

• Bull trout [FT]
• Chinook [FT]
• Sockeye [FE]
• Steelhead [FT]

Shellfish:

• Western ridged mussel [FC]

Insects:

• Monarch butterfly [FC]

Plants:

• Spalding’s catchfly [FT]

Critical habitats are the specific areas occupied by an endangered or threatened species that contain the physical or biological features that are essential to the conservation of that species – and that may need special management or protection. Critical habitat may also include areas that were not occupied by the species at the time of listing but are essential to its conservation.

Critical Habitats for the following species have been federally designated within this area:

• Bull trout
• Chinook
• Steelhead
• Sockeye

General Resource Concerns

Habitats:

Wetlands in this region include areas along the main stem of the Snake River. All wetland types support a diverse array of bird, insect, fish, and wildlife species.

Islands provide important nesting habitat for a variety of bird species, as well as habitat for a variety of mammals. Gravel bars provide spawning habitat for Chinook salmon.

Stream mouths are concentration areas for anadromous fish. These areas also serve as feeding areas for a variety of birds including American white pelican.

Riparian vegetation is heavily used by a variety of wildlife and may also improve nearshore fish habitat. Riparian scrub and woodlands support a disproportionately high diversity and abundance of birds that depend on this habitat for nesting and rearing young, as well as for forage and cover during migration and overwintering.

Human-made structures such as pilings and rock jetties may be used as roosting or nesting areas for a variety of birds.

Cliffs, bluffs, and rock outcroppings provide roosting or nesting habitat for various birds of prey, upland birds, and bats.

The riverbed habitats in this area consist primarily of soft sediments, such as clay, mud, sand, and gravel and support a variety of aquatic, semi-aquatic, and bottom dwelling organisms such as the invertebrate larvae of insects (caddis flies, mayflies, and dragonflies and stoneflies), snails and freshwater mussels, and crayfish. Many species of amphibians and bottom-dwelling fish also rely on this habitat, as do other animals that forage there. This entire stretch of the Snake River is Critical Habitat for sockeye, chinook, steelhead, and bull trout. The benthic habitats in streams and rivers may include freshwater mussels and immature lamprey.

Fish:

Salmonids (including Chinook, sockeye, cutthroat trout, steelhead, and bull trout) are present in the river system throughout the year. Juvenile salmonids use backwaters, nearshore areas, and protected bays as rearing and foraging areas prior to migration into the ocean. Returning adult salmonids support tribal, commercial, and recreational fisheries.

In addition to salmonids, several other species of freshwater fish(including bass, crappie, catfish, suckers, lamprey, carp, and white sturgeon) are present within this reach of the Snake River. These species all contribute to recreational fisheries and provide important contributions to stream ecology.

Freshwater mussels are present within this general area.

Wildlife:

Bald eagles, osprey, and great blue herons are nesting residents and may be found year-round throughout the region.

Peregrine falcons, golden eagles nest in the region as do prairie falcons and Swainson’s hawks.

American white pelicans are known to occur in small groups near the mouth of the Snake River during spring and fall migrations and may also be present along other parts of the river.

Migratory and wintering waterfowl and shorebirds – Large concentrations occur throughout this entire reach of the Snake River particularly fall through spring. Hundreds to thousands of geese and dabbling ducks may occupy this region during this period. Both resident and migratory waterfowl heavily utilize the islands, backwaters, wetlands, and adjacent uplands of the region from fall through spring. The islands in this region also provide nesting habitat for resident waterfowl.

Resident and migratory songbirds heavily utilize riparian habitats year-round and are susceptible to oiling or oil ingestion if riparian vegetation and shorelines become contaminated and are vulnerable to disturbance from response activities during the nesting season.

Mammals common to the reach include deer and elk, bats, and various semi-aquatic species such as muskrat, beaver, river otter, etc. Semi-aquatic mammals are largely dependent on riverine areas, ponds, tributaries, and riparian forests for den sites and foraging areas.

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Economic Resources at Risk Summary

Socio-economic sensitive resources are facilities or locations that rely on a body of water to be economically viable. Because of their location, they could be severely impacted if an oil spill were to occur. Economically sensitive resources are separated into three categories: critical infrastructure, water dependent commercial areas, and water dependent recreation areas. Another section lists economic resources for this planning area.

General information

Sites Recommended for alternative shoreline protection

The following sites have identified sensitive resources, but traditional booming strategies may not be effective or practical in most circumstances. Alternative options, such as sorbent, enhanced on-water skimming nearby, or other strategies should be considered for these sites.

Flight restriction zones

The Environmental Unit (Planning Section) may recommend flight restriction zones to minimize disturbance or injury to wildlife during an oil spill. Pilots/operators can decrease the risk of aircraft/bird collisions, prevent the accidental driving of wildlife into oiled areas, and minimize abandonment of nests by keeping a safe distance and altitude from these identified sensitive areas.

The Air Operations Branch (Operations Section) will manage all aircraft operations related to a response and will coordinate the establishment of any Flight Restriction Zones as appropriate. Environmental Unit staff will work with the Air Operations Branch Director to resolve any conflicts that arise between flight activities and sensitive resources.

In addition to restrictions associated with wildlife, Tribal authorities may also request notification when overflights are likely to affect culturally sensitive areas within reservations. See Oil Spill Best Management Practices (NWRCP Section 9301) for more information on the use of aircraft and helicopters in open water and shoreline responses.

Wildlife Deterrence

The Wildlife Deterrence Unit within the Wildlife Branch (Operations Section) manages wildlife deterrence operations. These are actions intended to minimize injuries to wildlife by keeping animals away from the oil and cleanup operations. Deterrence activities may include using acoustic or visual deterrent devices, boats, aircraft or other tools. The Wildlife Branch works with state and federal agencies, and the Environmental Unit (Planning Section), to develop deterrence plans as appropriate.

For more information see the Northwest Wildlife Response Plan (NWRCP Section 9310) and Northwest Area Wildlife Deterrence Resources (NWRCP Section 9311).

Oiled Wildlife

Capturing oiled wildlife may be hazardous to both personnel and the affected animals. Incident personnel should not try to approach or capture oiled wildlife but should report any observations of oiled wildlife to the Wildlife Branch (Operations Section).

For more information see the Northwest Wildlife Response Plan (NWRCP Section 9310).

Aquatic Invasive Species

The waters of this region may contain aquatic invasive species (AIS) – species of plants and/or animals that are not native to an area and that can be harmful to an area’s ecosystem. If so, preventative actions may be required to prevent the spread of these species as a result of spill response activities and the Environmental Unit is able to recommend operational techniques and strategies to assist with this issue.

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