Onshore impacts and cleanup during the Burmah Agate oil spill - November 1979

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dc.acquisition-srcen_US
dc.call-noen_US
dc.contract-noen_US
dc.contributor.authorThebeau, LCen_US
dc.contributor.authorKana, TWen_US
dc.contributor.other2005 International Oil Spill Conference, IOSC 2005en_US
dc.date.accessioned2010-02-15T16:45:57Z
dc.date.available2010-02-15T16:45:57Z
dc.date.issued2005en_US
dc.degreeen_US
dc.descriptionpg. 5909en_US
dc.description-otheren_US
dc.description.abstractOf the 250,000 barrels (bbl) of oil spilled or consumed by fire during the Burmah Agate spill off Galveston, Texas, in November 1979, 2, 100 bbl eventually reached the shore. Fortunately, because of the predominance of offshore, northerly winds in November 1979, most of the oil not consumed by fire dispersed offshore or was contained and recovered at the wreck site. Daily aerial and ground surveys at reference stations were conducted to locate impacts and monitor the persistence of oil onshore. Beach impacts directly attributable to the Burmah Agate occurred as far as 470 kilometers (km) from the wreck near Mansfield Pass, Texas. The first major impact occurred on November 8 and 9 when approximately 500 bbl impacted a 10-km section of San Jose Island, 250 km southwest of the wreck. Due to relative inaccessibility, and rapid recovery of the beach, no cleanup was attempted. By November 16, 1979, less than 25 percent of the impact remained buried or on the beachface. The heaviest onshore impact of Burmah Agate oil occurred November 19 to 21 whet up to 1,500 bbl beached along the western half of Galveston Island. Cleanup was initially by manual labor and front-end loaders; however, by November 23, the primary method of cleanup involved pooling the oil by hand labor and picking it up with vacuum trucks. This latter method considerably reduced the volume of sand removed from the beach. Cleanup and manicuring the beach were virtually complete by November 27. Other minor impacts of less than 50 bbl occurred sporadically during the spill from Bolivar Peninsula to Brown Cedar Cut. The only known marsh impact occurred on November 9, when approximately 5 bbl coated 400 meters of fringing marsh along Smith Point in Galveston Bay.en_US
dc.description.urihttp://gbic.tamug.edu/request.htmen_US
dc.geo-codeGalveston Bayen_US
dc.geo-codeMansfield Pass, Texasen_US
dc.geo-codeSan Jose Island, Texasen_US
dc.geo-codeGalveston Island, Texasen_US
dc.geo-codeBolivar Peninsulaen_US
dc.geo-codeBrown Cedar Cuten_US
dc.history1-15-09 kswen_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1969.3/18501
dc.latitudeen_US
dc.locationNot available in house - Please contact GBIC for assistanceen_US
dc.longitudeen_US
dc.notesen_US
dc.placeen_US
dc.publisheren_US
dc.relation.ispartofseries10026.00en_US
dc.relation.urien_US
dc.scaleen_US
dc.seriesen_US
dc.subjectBurmah Agateen_US
dc.subjectcleanupen_US
dc.subjectoil fireen_US
dc.subjectoil spillen_US
dc.subjectonshore impacten_US
dc.titleOnshore impacts and cleanup during the Burmah Agate oil spill - November 1979en_US
dc.typeCONFen_US
dc.universityen_US
dc.vol-issueen_US

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