This page contains links to Geographic Response Plan (GRP) interim updates up for public comment during November 2024. Interim updates are minor updates made to published GRPs in between comprehensive updates, in order to capture information or improvements from deployments, newly finished restoration sites, changes in the environment, or newly identified strategy sites or resources at risk. Three new response strategies have been proposed for inclusion to MCRD-GRP based upon a recent deployment drill. We anticipate that the updated version of the plan will be published on Wednesday, January 1, 2025. For more information about the interim update process, please see our most recent blog post here, or contact GRPs@ecy.wa.gov.

For reference, the links below include the currently published plans and the individual 2-pagers of the proposed strategies. We are asking for any comments related to the strategies (2-Pagers) or how the strategies should be prioritized in each plan (within the priority tables).

Middle Columbia River – The Dalles Pool: Mouth of Deschutes River (deflection and collection strategies)

How to Submit a Comment

Comments were accepted until Friday, December 6, 2024 at 5pm. No comments were submitted.

If you have questions about the comment process, please contact GRPs@ecy.wa.gov.

The Washington Department of Ecology is updating the Lower Columbia River Geographic Response Plan (GRP). An important part of the update process is hearing from the people who live, work, and play in the planning area. To facilitate this, a public comment period began on Tuesday 7/16/2024 and ended on Friday 8/16/2024. No comments were submitted during this timeframe. The anticipated publication date for the final version of this plan will be Tuesday, October 1, 2024.

​Description of the Area

LCR-GRP starts at river mile one and ends at the base of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Bonneville Lock and Dam located at river mile 145.4. The four-GRP Middle Columbia River region begins on the upriver side of the Bonneville Dam. Also included within the planning area is the lower Willamette River, which is a 26-mile reach from the Willamette Falls at West Linn/Oregon City, Oregon to the confluence with the Columbia at Kelley Point Park in Portland.

What are Geographic Response Plans?
GRPs are used to guide early response actions in the event of an oil spill. Ecology develops and updates GRPs in collaboration with state, local and federal agencies and tribes. Each GRP is written for a specific area (for example a river, a lake, or section of Puget Sound), and includes tactical response strategies tailored to a particular shore or waterway at risk of injury from oil.

GRPs have two main objectives:

• Identify sensitive natural, cultural or significant economic resources at risk of injury from oil spills.
• Describe and prioritize response strategies in an effort to reduce injury to sensitive natural, cultural, and certain economic resources at risk from oil spills.

The Washington Legislature requires additional planning relating to oils that may not remain floating on the surface, termed non-floating oils (NFOs), in order to maintain the state’s preparedness. This draft GRP contains updates relating to NFOs in the Non-Floating Oil Response Options and Resources at Risk sections of the GRP.

More Information

• Learn more about GRPs.
• See GRPs for Washington State.

Questions

Max Gordon

Oil Spill Preparedness Planner

Max.gordon@ecy.wa.gov

360-972-4890

The Washington Department of Ecology is updating the Middle Columbia River – Bonneville Pool Geographic Response Plan (GRP). An important part of the update process is hearing from the people who live, work, and play in the planning area. To facilitate this, a public comment period was open from Friday 3/1/2024 to Monday 4/1/2024. Ecology received zero comments.

​Description of the Area

The MCRB-GRP encompasses the Bonneville Pool (also known as Lake Bonneville), a 47-mile reach of the Columbia River. The planning area is oriented on a west-east axis the Bonneville Dam and The Dalles Lock and Dam (located at river mile 191.6). In Washington (i.e. the right bank of the river), portions of the Water Resource Inventory Areas Salmon-Washougal (WRIA 28), Wind-White Salmon (WRIA 29), and Klickitat (WRIA 30) are present. Also, one can find portions of the Oregon’s Watermaster Districts 3 and 20.

What are Geographic Response Plans?
GRPs are used to guide early response actions in the event of an oil spill. Ecology develops and updates GRPs in collaboration with state, local and federal agencies and tribes. Each GRP is written for a specific area (for example a river, a lake, or section of Puget Sound), and includes tactical response strategies tailored to a particular shore or waterway at risk of injury from oil.

GRPs have two main objectives:

• Identify sensitive natural, cultural or significant economic resources at risk of injury from oil spills.
• Describe and prioritize response strategies in an effort to reduce injury to sensitive natural, cultural, and certain economic resources at risk from oil spills.

The Washington Legislature requires additional planning relating to oils that may not remain floating on the surface, termed non-floating oils (NFOs), in order to maintain the state’s preparedness. This draft GRP contains updates relating to NFOs in the Non-Floating Oil Response Options and Resources at Risk sections of the GRP.

More Information

• Learn more about GRPs.
• See GRPs for Washington State.

Questions

Max Gordon

Oil Spill Preparedness Planner

Max.gordon@ecy.wa.gov

360-972-4890

What are Geographic Response Plans? 

Oil spills pose a risk to sensitive environmental, cultural, and economic resources. One important tool in our planning toolbox is the Geographic Response Plan (GRP). GRPs contain pre-identified strategies for specific areas of the state at risk from oil spills. These are pre-approved plans that guide early response actions during oil spills. A list of all Washington State GRPs, including those open for comprehensive updates, can be found online at OilSpills101.wa.gov. 

GRP Updates:  Comprehensive vs. Interim  

GRPs are periodically updated to ensure the information is relavant and up-to-date. These comprehensive updates require a lot of work and often take a year or two to complete. Work is coordinated with other state and federal agencies, tribes, industry partners, oil spill response professionals, and communities.  

GRPs currently open for comprehensive updates are listed below, along with the contact information if you have questions or want to participate:

• Lake Chelan – Comprehensive update published July, 2023! 
• Grays Harbor –  Max Gordon at Max.Gordon@ecy.wa.gov 
• Outer Coast – David Prater at David.Prater@ecy.wa.gov  
• Middle Columbia River-Bonneville Pool – Max Gordon at Max.Gordon@ecy.wa.gov 
• South Puget Sound – Kaitlin Lebon at Kaitlin.Lebon@ecy.wa.gov 
• Lake Washington – Sabrina Floudaras at Sabrina.Floudaras@ecy.wa.gov 
• Lower Columbia River – Max Gordon at Max.Gordon@ecy.wa.gov 
• Strait of Juan de Fuca – Wendy Buffett at Wendy.Buffett@ecy.wa.gov 
• Snake River: Lower Monumental Pool, Little Goose Pool, Lower Granite Pool – Scott Zimmerman at Scott.Zimmerman@ecy.wa.gov 

Interim GRP updates during Summer, 2023 

Because a lot can change in a GRP planning area between comprehensive updates, Ecology is committed to conducting interim GRP updates when necessary. Examples of interim updates include improvements to response strategies resulting from lessons learned during oil spill drills or actual spills, updated contact information, changes to driving directions, and other response-enhancing edits. Ecology publishes interim updates to GRPs on a quarterly basis. Interim updates completed this quarter include the following: 

• North Puget Sound – NPS-05, NPS-73, NPS-74, NPS-75  
• Middle Columbia River-McNary Pool – M-320.6L, MSN-1.0R, M-323.2M 
• Central Puget Sound – GRD-1.1 
• Puyallup-White Rivers — CLRKS-2.0-N  
• Upper Green River —UGR-68.4, UGR -76.5, UGR-80.9, SUN-0.1

Everyone has a Role in Improving the State’s GRPs 

The oil industry regularly exercises oil spill contingency plans to ensure their readiness to respond to an oil spill. These exercises often involve the deployment of GRP strategies. Each deployment is an oportunity to validate a response strategy’s effectiveness, and to make improvements if it is necessary.  

GRPs also rely on feedback from professional oil spill responders, natural resource agencies, tribes, and the public. This valuable feedback is  reflected in either a comprehensive update or the interim update process.    

If you have information or ideas that can make GRP’s even more effective, Ecology wants to know! Please email GRP feedback to GRPs@ecy.wa.gov.  If you are visiting a response strategy site, you can use our new GRP Strategy Assessment Form to help document your assessment. We thank you in advance for helping the Northwest Area Contingency Plan maintain a high level of readiness to respond to oil spills.   

The Washington Department of Ecology is updating the Snohomish Basin (formerly WRIA 7) Geographic Response Plan (GRP). An important part of the update process is hearing from the people who live, work, and play in the GRP area. To facilitate this, a public comment period was open from September 14 to October 14, 2022. Ecology received no comments.

Description of the Planning Area

The Snohomish Basin, also known as Water Resource Inventory Area 7 (WRIA 7), consists of three main river systems and numerous tributaries. The headwaters of the Skykomish River and Snoqualmie River form in the mountains of the Cascade Range. These rivers flow west and converge to form the Snohomish River in the floodplains of the Snohomish Basin. The Basin drains 1,900 square miles from the west crest of the Cascade Range to Puget Sound near Everett, Washington. There are 2,718 miles of rivers and stream in the Basin. It is the second largest basin draining into Puget Sound.

The Snohomish Basin includes the northeastern portion of King County and the south-central portion of Snohomish County. The Basin is located north and east of the Seattle metropolitan area. The North Central Puget Sound GRP neighbors the Snohomish Basin GRP to the west and north.

What are Geographic Response Plans?
GRPs are used to guide early response actions in the event of an oil spill. Ecology develops and updates GRPs in collaboration with state, local and federal agencies and tribes. Each GRP is written for a specific area (for example a river, a lake, or section of Puget Sound), and includes tactical response strategies tailored to a particular shore or waterway at risk of injury from oil.

GRPs have two main objectives:

• Identify sensitive natural, cultural or significant economic resources at risk of injury from oil spills.
• Describe and prioritize response strategies in an effort to reduce injury to sensitive natural, cultural, and certain economic resources at risk from oil spills.

The Washington Legislature requires additional planning relating to oils that may not remain floating on the surface, termed non-floating oils (NFOs), in order to maintain the state’s preparedness. This draft GRP contains updates relating to NFOs in the Non-Floating Oil Response Options and Resources at Risk sections of the GRP.

More Information
• Learn more about GRPs.
• See GRPs for Washington State.

Project Lead

Nora Haider
Oil Spill Preparedness Planner
nora.haider@ecy.wa.gov
425-247-6588

The Washington Department of Ecology published the updated San Juan Islands (SJI) Geographic Response Plan (GRP) in May 2022. An important part of the update process was hearing from the people that live, work, and play in the GRP area. To facilitate this, we opened the plan for public comment from November 9 to December 31 2020.

Linked below is an overview of all comments received and Ecology’s response. Ecology appreciates everyone who took the time to provide comments on this GRP. GRPs are improved by this community’s input and we appreciate your ongoing efforts in protecting Washington’s environment.

Feel free to reach out to  max.gordon@ecy.wa.gov or 360-972-4890 with any questions.

Response to Comments (Download PDF)

The Washington Department of Ecology is updating the Clark, Cowlitz, and SW Lewis Geographic Response Plan (GRP). An important part of the update process is hearing from the people who live, work, and play in the planning area. To facilitate this, a public comment period was open from Wednesday 6/22/2022 to Friday 7/22/2022.

No comments were submitted.

​Description of the Area

The planning area extends from Vancouver in the south to just north of Winlock, traces US Highway 12 east to Mayfield Lake, and runs in a narrow strip from Kelso/Longview southeastward to Battle Ground. Portions of the Coweeman, Cowlitz, Kalama, Lewis, and Toutle Rivers flow through this area.  The communities of Battle Ground, Castle Rock, Kalama, La Center, Longview/Kelso, Ridgefield, Toledo, Vader, Vancouver, Winlock, and Woodland are located within the boundaries of this planning area, as well as parts of Lewis, Cowlitz, and Clark Counties.  The Chehalis River and Lower Columbia River GRPs border this planning area to the north and southwest, respectively.

What are Geographic Response Plans?
GRPs are used to guide early response actions in the event of an oil spill. Ecology develops and updates GRPs in collaboration with state, local and federal agencies and tribes. Each GRP is written for a specific area (for example a river, a lake, or section of Puget Sound), and includes tactical response strategies tailored to a particular shore or waterway at risk of injury from oil.

GRPs have two main objectives:

• Identify sensitive natural, cultural or significant economic resources at risk of injury from oil spills.
• Describe and prioritize response strategies in an effort to reduce injury to sensitive natural, cultural, and certain economic resources at risk from oil spills.

The Washington Legislature requires additional planning relating to oils that may not remain floating on the surface, termed non-floating oils (NFOs), in order to maintain the state’s preparedness. This draft GRP contains updates relating to NFOs in the Non-Floating Oil Response Options and Resources at Risk sections of the GRP.

More Information

• Learn more about GRPs.
• See GRPs for Washington State.

Questions

Max Gordon

Oil Spill Preparedness Planner

Max.gordon@ecy.wa.gov

360-972-4890