Draft final

BOX 8 DISPERSANT USE APPROVED BY THE RRT

Dispersants approved for use by the FOSC need to be applied using these

RRT IX guidelines as well as any case-specific guidelines issued by the rrt as part of the approval:

• 
  The SMART controller/observer should be over the spray site before the start of the operation. If possible, a DOI/DOC-approved marine mammal/turtle and pelagic/migratory birds observation specialist will accompany the SMART observer, but in any event, operations will not be delayed for these individuals.
  
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  Dispersants cannot be applied to any diesel spill in the San Diego Area Contingency Plan area.
  
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  Personnel protective equipment for personnel on-site will conform to the appropriate dispersant’s Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS).
  
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  Dispersant application aircraft will maintain a minimum 1000-foot horizontal separation from rafting flocks of birds. Caution will be taken to avoid spraying over marine mammals and marine turtles (see Attachment XI for resource agency contact information).
  
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  If the dispersant application platform is a boat:
  

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  The following ASTM standards apply to systems involving spray arms or booms that extend over the edge of the boat and have fan-type nozzles that spray dispersant in a fixed pattern:
  
  • 
    ASTM F 1413-92: Standard Guide for Oil Spill Dispersant Application Equipment: Boom and Nozzle Systems
    
  • 
    ASTM F-1460-93: Standard Practice for Calibrating Oil Spill Dispersant Application Equipment Boom and Nozzle Systems
    
  • 
    ASTM F 1737-96: Standard Guide for use of Oil Spill Dispersant Application Equipment During Spill Response: Boom and Nozzle Systems.
    

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  Boat-based systems using a fire monitor and/or fire nozzle shall avoid a straight and narrow “firestream” flow of dispersant directly into the oil. There are no applicable ASTM standards for these systems at this time (December 2003).
  

BOX 7 DISPERSANT USE RECOMMENDATION FORWARDED BY THE FOSC TO THE RRT FOR

REVIEW AND APPROVAL
Once the FOSC has completed as much as possible of the DISPERSANT ASSESSMENT WORKSHEET and the DISPERSANT USE CHECKLIST and completed the dispersant decision summary, the FOSC will forward a request, along with any other requested data, to the RRT via a phone conference. Based on the information provided, the RRT will provide an approval/disapproval decision for dispersant use within 2 hours of the request.
A dispersant use approval will be made with the concurrence of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and and the State of California, as appropriate, and in consultation with the U.S. Department of Commerce and U.S. Department of the Interior natural resource trustees.

BOX 8a INITIATE PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS PLAN

Once a decision to use dispersants is made, it is critical that a public communications plans be implemented (Attachment V). The general public as well as stakeholders must be made aware of any decision to use dispersants and a mechanism created for reliable and continuous updates.

An initial press conference should be held which outlines the decision to use dispersants, provides background and scientific information, and addresses any other environmental and safety considerations expressed by the public. Sample press releases are in Attachment V.a, with other public meeting and risk communication tips offered throughout Attachment V.
A public meeting should be scheduled as soon as possible to provide a mechanism for sharing information and addressing public concerns and fears. Attachment V.d and V.e provides guidelines for preparing and conducting a public meeting. Areas that must be adequately addressed during the meeting include:

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  Seafood safety concerns posed by dispersants (Attachment VI).
  
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  Risk communication (Attachment V.c and Attachment VI).
  
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  Results of net environmental benefit analyses, and species of special concern (Attachment I).
  

• Monitoring policies established for the spill (tools used from Attachment III).

BOX 8b IMPLEMENT SEAFOOD SAFETY PLAN IF NECESSARY
Refer to Attachment VI for key points to consider regarding seafood tainting, as well as information on accessing NOAA and state resources for assessing seafood safety.

BOX 9 APPLY DISPERSANTS AND INFORM RRT

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  Use the information on estimated oil spill volume from the DISPERSANT ASSESSMENT WORKSHEET and Discussion Note 8.1 below to:
  

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  Determine the dispersant application ratio (usually 1:20), and
  
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  Calculate the volume of dispersant required (Attachments III.a and III.b).
  

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  Record the details on the Dispersant Application Summary Form (Attachment III.d);
  
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  Mobilize application team;
  
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  If not already done, mobilize SMART. Some blank SMART forms are included in Attachment III for use by other trained professionals, if appropriate and when approved by the FOSC.
  

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  Inform RRT (see Attachment XI for contact information).
  

Decision: Dispersants applied?

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  Yes Go to Box 9
  
• 
  No Explain.
  

Make a note of the decision in the Dispersant Decision Summary box on the Dispersant Use Flowchart.
Reassess as necessary and appropriate.