By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Tribune Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

A NEW report has found that despite 18 months of weathering and remediation at the Equinor site in Grand Bahama post Hurricane Dorian there remains high concentrations of oil in and around the area.

It is likely high enough to negatively impact wildlife that may be exposed.

According to the report by the Bahamas National Trust, nearly five million gallons of oil that were spilled from the facility during the Category 5 storm was spread over wetlands, pine forests and a quarry.

As a result, approximately 31 acres of terrestrial habitat has been removed from the oil spill site and will require revegetation. In the quarry to the north of the spill site, there remains oil residue on the surface and this site also requires remediation.

“Throughout the impact area and beyond the boundaries of the published oil spill impact area, oil was detected on rocks, trees and in soil, including a film of oil in the areas of the wetlands that were partly exposed”, said Dr Ancilleno Davis, a member of the Waterkeeper survey team that collaborated on the report.

 He reported observing just ten species of birds on the site with none of them being wetland species and only one being a resident forest species.

 Following a thorough investigation in the aftermath of the storm, Waterkeeper Alliance and Waterkeepers Bahamas, which conducted the impact assessment of Equinor, found that the area requires further delineation and mitigation of both habitat and wildlife impacts.

 Additionally, the report said Equinor oil residues in soil and surface water are at levels that have and will impact the local wildlife and habitat.

 Further, the oil storage facility has not been hurricane hardened to withstand the expected wind or tidal forces expected in Grand Bahama.

 The impact assessment went on to note that crude oil releases that occur on land, or reach land, compound the difficulty in remediation and the impacts can persist for decades after a spill. Crude oil residues, if not remediated, will have a long-term impact on bird nesting success as well as impacts to the overall ecosystem.

 “Strategic remediation of the Equinor crude oil residues should be undertaken using methods that reduce the impact to the areas’ ecological services. Long-term monitoring should be conducted to verify ecosystem recovery,” the report said.

 The report also called for strengthening of requirements to deal with oil spills.

 “Based on the delayed Equinor response to the Hurricane Dorian release, it is obvious that response assets are not available within a timely manner to address the potential catastrophic releases in the future. This issue must be addressed.

 “Preparation and planning for expected events is needed similar to US Oil Protection Act (OPA) requirements for spill planning, preparedness, response and funding. A detailed offensive interventions spill response plan must be developed to replace the typical defensive wait-and-see and then clean up the beaches plan.

 “An offensive plan must include specific strategies to protect sensitive ecological resources and specifically endangered, threatened and vulnerable species and their habitats.”

 Other considerations must be made for the expansion of surface water protection and regulations requiring “spill prevention, countermeasure and contingency (SPCC) planning” similar to the US Clean Water Act requirements for large above ground storage facilities, the report notes.

 “This plan would require adequate response capabilities. Adequate, on-island capabilities should be established, including oil boom containment and oil spill isolation capabilities as well as the training and equipment to deploy those capabilities. This planning should be consistent with and included in the ‘Caribbean Island Oil Pollution Response and Cooperation Plan’ and the ‘Bahamian National Oil Spill Contingency Plan (NOSCP)’. Facility specific table-top and field exercises should be undertaken according to established plans to increase preparedness in a disaster.”

 In addition to prevention preparedness and response, a Natural Resource Damage Assessment should occur after every major spill to understand the required remediation steps and costs as well as any financial liability of the responsible party to pay for restoration and loss of services or livelihoods, BNT’s report said.

 Such an assessment should be codified in legislation to better protect the long-term interests of The Bahamas and its citizens.

 To read or download the full report, visit https://bnt.bs/postdorianreport.