8/9/2019 Comparing Gulf Spill With Exxon Valdez Spill

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2010 MCT

Twenty-one years after the Exxon Valdez caused what was then thelargest spill in U.S. history, oil remains on some beaches and somefish and wildlife species have yet to fully recover.

The Exxon Valdez oil spill

Fish and wildlife harmed

Cleanup

Coastline oiled

Human effects

Preventing future spills

Killed by spill An estimated 250,000seabirds, 2,800 sea otters, 300 harborseals, 250 bald eagles, 22 killer whales,billions of salmon and herring eggs

Still recovering Clams, mussels, seaotters, killer whales, several bird species

Lasted for four summers after spill

Techniques included: spraying hotwater, pressurized water; applyingfertilizer to promote oil-eating bacteria;wiping oiled rocks with rags

At cleanups peak: 10,000 workers,about 1,000 boats, about 100 aircraft

Exxons reported cost: $2.1 billion

Congress requiredtankers in Prince WilliamSound to have double hulls

Escort vesselsaccompany tankersleaving port

Congress establishedcitizen watchdog groupto monitor shipping andgovernment regulation

Coast Guard must tracktankers in area by satellite

Commercial fishing,recreation and tourism,

subsistence huntingand fishing by residents

Heavily or moderatelyAbout 200 mi (322 km)

Lightly or very-lightly1,100 mi ( 1,770 km)

RUSSIA

Arctic Ocean

BeringStrait

March 24,1989,loaded withcrude oil,tankersailed outof the port

of Valdez

Captain JoeHazelwoodorderedtanker out ofshipping laneto avoidicebergs

Hazelwood gavecontrol of tankerto third mate withinstructions to steerback to shippinglane, then leftwheelhouse

Tanker ran agroundon a well-chartedhazard

Hazelwoodadmitted drinkingbefore the ship leftport

How the Exxon Valdez went aground

CANADA

Pacific Ocean

Gulf of Alaska

Spill-affected area

PrinceWilliamSound

Alaska

Arctic Circle

Fairbanks

AnchorageValdez

Prudhoe Bay

State officials and independentexperts suspected spill was larger,perhaps 714,285 barrels, allegingExxon padded the recovery bycounting oily water

Exxon and the Coast Guardadopted 261,904 barrels as the spillsize based on the ships load when it

left port minus oil recovered from itsundamaged and wrecked tanks

Days after the spill

Source: Exxon Valdez OilSpill Trustee Council, NOAA

Graphic: Anchorage DailyNews, Miami Herald

Never recovered Herring

Low

Comparing the spills

Exxon Valdez

BP Deepwater Horizon spill

As of June 11, 2010

NOTE:One barrelequals 42gallons

In barrels

261,904 714,285

1.1 million 2.7 million

High

Juneau

AELUTIAN

RAN

GE

200 km

200 miles