Back to top

OR&R Assists EPA Region 10 with SCAT Training

OR&R’s Emergency Response Division recently assisted the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Region 10 with a three-day Inland Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Technique (SCAT) training course in Seattle, Washington, on October 28-30, 2014.

When spilled oil impacts shoreline habitats, trained responders systematically survey affected areas to document shoreline habitats, type and degree of shoreline oiling, and spill-specific physical processes. This information helps to inform decisions about which shoreline cleanup methods to use in affected areas. SCAT teams also recommend cleanup methods, evaluate the effectiveness of cleanup methods, and assist in the development of cleanup endpoints and guidelines to determine when cleanup activities should be terminated. This system is known as SCAT. The SCAT system grew out of the response to the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.

The class of 30 students was comprised of individuals from the EPA, USCG Sectors Puget Sound and Columbia River, Bureau of Land Management, Washington State Department of Ecology, Idaho’s Department of Environmental Quality, and private industry.

Course instructors included Nicolle Rutherford (NOAA), Josie Clark, Gary Andrews, and Joann Eskelsen of the EPA, Rebecca Post of Washington Department of Ecology, and Heather Parker of the USCG (civilian).

The location for the training was at the EPA Region 10 warehouse located in South Park, Seattle, WA.

In addition to the classroom lectures and exercises, the instructors and students conducted three field trips to sites on the nearby Duwamish River and Hicklin Lake so that the students could get hands-on experience with shoreline assessment training.

For additional information, contact Nicolle.R.Rutherford@noaa.gov.

Go back to OR&R Weekly Report.

Group of students at a stream.
Students on a field trip as part of the SCAT training course near South Park, Seattle, WA. (NOAA)
Last updated Monday, February 26, 2024 10:51pm PST