Back to top

OR&R Conducts Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Technique (SCAT) Training in Delaware

OR&R’s Emergency Response Division, in collaboration with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) District 5, Portsmouth, Virginia, recently conducted a three-day Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Technique (SCAT) training course in Lewes, Delaware, on September 23-25, 2014.

When spilled oil impacts shoreline habitats, trained responders systematically survey affected areas to determine the appropriate response methods to use in the spill response. This system is known as SCAT. The SCAT system grew out of the response to the 1998 Exxon Valdez oil spill. During a spill response, decisions about which shoreline cleanup methods to use in affected areas must be based on actual conditions, which are documented from field observations of shoreline habitats, type and degree of shoreline oiling, and spill-specific physical processes. SCAT teams systematically survey affected shorelines to generate the information needed to:

  • document the extent and degree of shoreline oiling;
  • recommend cleanup methods;
  • evaluate the effectiveness of cleanup methods; and
  • develop cleanup endpoints and guidelines to determine when cleanup activities should be terminated.

The class of 40 students was comprised of individuals from USCG Sectors Delaware Bay, Baltimore, North Carolina and Hampton Roads, the USCG's Atlantic Strike Team, Department of the Interior, the State of Delaware's Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), Tri-State Bird Rescue, and private industry. Course instructors included Ed Levine, Gary Shigenaka, and Frank Csulak and Jacqui Michel of Research Planning, Inc. Ben Anderson of DNREC made significant contributions to the class by sharing his knowledge about local wildlife, plant life, and coastal processes.

The students also received a special presentation from Richard Gaudiosi, President, Delaware Bay and River Cooperative, a non-profit corporation organized to respond to and offer protection from oil spills in the Delaware Bay and River Area. The location for the training was at DNREC's Lewes Field facility located directly on Delaware Bay. In addition to the classroom lectures and exercises, the instructors and students conducted three field trips to nearby ocean front beaches, bay shorelines and nearby wetland areas so that the students could experience the wide diversity of coastal marine resources and get hands-on shoreline assessment training.

For additional information, contact Ed.Levine@noaa.gov or Frank.Csulak@noaa.gov.

Go back to OR&R Weekly Report.

Group of people on beach listening to instructor.
SCAT training being conducted on Delaware Bay. (NOAA)
Last updated Monday, February 26, 2024 10:20pm PST