DRAFT DAMAGE ASSESSMENT AND RESTORATION PLAN …

DRAFT DAMAGE ASSESSMENT AND RESTORATION PLAN AND ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT

For the November 26, 2004, M/T Athos I Oil Spill on the Delaware River near the Citgo Refinery in Paulsboro, New Jersey.

January 2009

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Department of Environmental

Protection, Fish and Boat Commission, Game Commission

This Draft Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan/Environmental Assessment was prepared by the natural resource Trustee agencies: the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection; Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control; and Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Department of Environmental Protection, Fish and Boat Commission, and Game Commission. These agencies have conducted a natural resource damage assessment (NRDA) for the 26 November 2004, spill of more than 263,000 gallons of oil from the M/T Athos I into the Delaware River and nearby tributaries. The goal of the NRDA is to restore the public's natural resources injured by the oil spill. This document also serves as an Environmental Assessment to analyze the potential effects of the actions and alternatives on the quality of the human environment, in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act.

Contact: Linda Burlington NOAA Office of General Counsel for Natural Resources GCNR 1315 East-West Highway, Bldg. 3 Silver Spring, Maryland 20910 (301) 713-1217; Fax (301) 713-1229 Linda.B.Burlington@

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1.0 - INTRODUCTION................................................................................... 1

1.1 - Overview of the Incident ..................................................................................... 1

1.2 - Summary of Preassessment Activities................................................................ 4

1.3 - Summary of Injury Assessment ......................................................................... 5

1.4 - Summary of Alternatives Analysis and Identification of Preferred Restoration

Alternatives................................................................................................................... 5

CHAPTER 2.0 ? PURPOSE AND NEED FOR RESTORATION.................................... 8

2.1 - Authorities and Legal Requirements for NRDA Under OPA ......................... 8

2.1.1 - Overview of the Oil Pollution Act ................................................................. 8

2.1.2 - NEPA Compliance....................................................................................... 12

CHAPTER 3.0 - AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT ............................................................ 13

3.1 - Physical Environment ....................................................................................... 13

3.2 - Biological Environment..................................................................................... 14

3.2.1 ? Birds............................................................................................................ 14

3.2.2 - Fish .............................................................................................................. 14

3.2.3 ? Plants .......................................................................................................... 15

3.3 - Economic and Cultural Environment.............................................................. 15

CHAPTER 4.0 - INJURY DETERMINATION............................................................... 17

4.1 - Overview of Preassessment Activities and Findings....................................... 18

4.2 - Trustee Determination Based on Preassessment Findings ............................ 27

4.3 - Injury Assessment Strategy .............................................................................. 27

4.3.1 - Shoreline Injury Assessment........................................................................ 28

4.3.2 - Bird and Wildlife Injury Assessment........................................................... 35

4.3.3 - Aquatic Injury Assessment .......................................................................... 37

4.3.4 - Lost Recreational Use Injury Assessment ................................................... 39

4.4 - Summary of Injuries.......................................................................................... 42

CHAPTER 5.0 - RESTORATION PLANNING PROCESS AND ANALYSIS OF

ALTERNATIVES............................................................................................................. 43

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5.1 - Restoration Strategy .......................................................................................... 43

5.2 - Restoration Evaluation Criteria ....................................................................... 44

5.3

- Reasonable Project Alternatives ............................................................. 56

5.3.1 Alternative 1: No Action/Natural Recovery .............................................. 56

5.3.2 Alternative 2: Augustine Boat Ramp......................................................... 56

5.3.3 Alternative 3: Blackbird Reserve ............................................................... 57

5.3.4 Alternative 4: Brandywine Creek (multiple dams) .................................. 57

5.3.5 Alternative 5: Darby Creek Dam (multiple dams) ................................... 57

5.3.6 Alternative 6: Delaware Tributary Mussel Restoration .......................... 57

5.3.7 Alternative 7: Dravo Marsh Restoration Project ..................................... 58

5.3.8 Alternative 8: Fairmount Fish Ladder Rehabilitation............................. 58

5.3.9 Alternative 9: John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) .................. 58

5.3.10 Alternative 10: Lardner's Point Riparian Restoration........................ 58

5.3.11 Alternative 11: Mad Horse Wetland Restoration ................................ 58

5.3.12 Alternative 12: Milford Neck Tidal Marsh Restoration Project ........ 59

5.3.13 Alternative 13: Oyster Reef Restoration ............................................... 59

5.3.14 Alternative 14: Shellfish Restoration..................................................... 59

5.3.15 Alternative 15: Stow Creek Boat Ramp ................................................ 59

5.3.16 Alternative 16: Tinicum Island Recreational Trail.............................. 59

5.4 ? Identification and Environmental Consequences of the Restoration Alternatives

...................................................................................................................................... 60

5.4.1 Evaluation of No Action/Natural Recovery Alternative .......................... 60

5.4.2 Evaluation and Environmental Consequences for Non-Preferred Restoration

Alternatives .................................................................................................. 60

5.4.3 Evaluation and Environmental Consequences for Preferred Restoration

Alternatives .................................................................................................. 63

5.4.4 Cumulative Impacts..................................................................................... 74

5.5 ? Description of Preferred Restoration Alternatives ........................................ 74

5.5.1 Alternatives to Address Shoreline Resource Injuries .................................... 74

5.5.2 Alternatives to Address Aquatic Resource Injuries: Creating an Oyster Reef95 5.5.3 Restoration of Bird Losses: Habitat Enhancement--Mad Horse Creek, Blackbird

Reserve, and Oyster Reef ............................................................................ 107

5.5.4 Alternatives to Address Lost Recreational Uses .......................................... 125

5.6 ? Preferred Restoration Alternatives Summary ............................................. 132

5.7 ? Restoration Contingency Costs...................................................................... 134

5.8 ? Trustee Council Oversight Costs ................................................................... 135

6.0 - LITERATURE CITED........................................................................................... 137

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List of Figures Figure 1. Approximate location of the Athos incident on the Delaware River. Figure 2. Aerial view of the Athos listing to the vessel's port side following the grounding

incident.

Figure 3. Submerged objects recovered from the Athos grounding location.

Figure 4. Key resources exposed to Athos oil.

Figure 5. Maximum extent of shoreline oiling in the Delaware River and its tributaries.

Figure 6. Representative examples of shoreline oiling observation.

Figure 7. Observed oiled birds.

Figure 8. Approximate location of restoration projects and origin of the Athos oil spill.

Figure 9. Lardner's Point conceptual restoration plan.

Figure 10. Location of proposed restoration projects for tributary injuries.

Figure 11. Conceptual plan for Heinz NWR Restoration Project.

Figure 12. Locations of proposed oyster reef creation projects in Delaware and New Jersey,

including location of the initial recruitment area and replanting area (Middle Seed beds) in New

Jersey.

Figure 13. Approximate location of the Mad Horse Creek restoration project.

Figure 14. Mad Horse Creek conceptual restoration plan.

Figure 15. Proposed restoration projects at Blackbird Reserve.

Figure 16. Location of the Stow Creek boat ramp at the end of Stow Creek Road (marked by red

star).

Figure 17. Location of the Augustine boat ramp, located in New Castle County, Delaware.

Figure 18. Location of Little Tinicum Island on the Delaware River.

Figure 19. Little Tinicum Island restoration site map showing location of the proposed trail (red

line), breakaway bridge, and wildlife observation decks.

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Figure 20. Little Tinicum Island restoration site: a. Location for breakaway bridge; b. Location of one of two wildlife observation decks. List of Tables Table 1. Summary of injuries resulting from the Athos incident and preferred restoration alternatives.

Table 2. Approximate length in miles of shoreline habitat by oiling degree (excluding

tributaries).

Table 3. Summary of recovered birds from the rehabilitation center.

Table 4. Most common birds observed oiled during ground surveys.

Table 5. Aerial bird survey summary.

Table 6. Total estimated shoreline and tributary area (acres) exposed to Athos oil.

Table 7. Estimated recovery rate and number of DSAYs lost for oiled seawalls.

Table 8. Estimated recovery rate and number of DSAYs lost for oiled sand/mud substrates.

Table 9. Estimated recovery rate and number of DSAYs lost for oiled coarse substrates.

Table 10. Estimated recovery rate and number of DSAYs lost for oiled marsh.

Table 11. Estimated recovery rate and number of DSAYs lost for oiled tributaries.

Table 12. Total (direct and indirect) estimated bird injury from the Athos spill by guild.

Table 13. HEA parameters for estimated subtidal injury.

Table 14. Summary of recreational use losses (October, 2008 dollars).

Table 15. Summary of injury estimates.

Table 16. Tier 1. List of restoration ideas and alternatives considered by the Trustees.

Table 17. Tier 2. List of narrowed restoration projects.

Table 18. Reasonable project alternatives.

Table 19. Non-tributary shoreline injury by habitat type.

Table 20. Compensatory restoration acreage by habitat type.

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Table 21. Summary of project costs: Mad Horse Creek and Lardner's Point restoration projects.

Table 22. Description and location of Darby Creek obstructions.

Table 23. Increase in habitat index values 5 years after dam removal.

Table 24. Characteristics and ecological benefits of obstruction removal and in-stream

improvements for each site on Darby Creek.

Table 25. Ecological uplift approximations for riparian buffer enhancement.

Table 26. Summary of project costs: Darby Creek restoration project.

Table 27. Summary of project costs: John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge restoration project.

Table 28. Conversion of subtidal injury from DSAYs to biomass.

Table 29. Created oyster reef: Oyster mortality and size parameters by age class.

Table 30. Oysters by age class.

Table 31. Discounted annual production of reef-associated organisms transferred to higher

trophic levels (g afdw per m2). Table 32. Summary of project costs: Creating a 3 acre oyster reef in "Middle Seed" bed area (N.J.). Table 33. Summary of project costs: Creating a 1.5 acre oyster reef in "Over the Bar" beds (Del.).

Table 34. Total (direct and indirect) estimated bird injury from the Athos oil spill by guild.

Table 35. Overview of restoration scaling for bird losses.

Table 36. Scaling calculations: Invertebrate consumers.

Table 37. Scaling calculations: Piscivorous/omnivorous consumers.

Table 38. Scaling calculations: Herbivorous consumers.

Table 39. Summary of project costs: Mad Horse Creek restoration.

Table 40. Summary of project costs: Blackbird Reserve Wildlife Area pond and pasture

restoration.

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Table 41. Summary of project costs: Creating a 49 acre oyster reef in "Middle Seed" bed area

(N.J.).

Table 42. Summary of project costs: Creating a 24.5 acre oyster reef in "Over the Bar" beds

(Del.).

Table 43. Summary of project costs: Stow Creek boat ramp improvements.

Table 44. Summary of project costs: Augustine boat ramp improvements.

Table 45. Summary of project costs: Little Tinicum Island trail and habitat enhancement.

Table 46. Summary of injuries resulting from the Athos incident and preferred restoration

alternatives.

Table 47. Contingency costs per project, based on 25 percent of the total project cost.

Table 48. Summary of Trustee Council oversight costs.

List of Appendices Appendix 1. File structure and index of the Administrative Record developed by the Trustees for the Athos oil spill Appendix 2. Compliance with key Federal statutes, regulations, and policies Appendix 3. Supplemental restoration planning information Appendix 4. Preparers, agencies, and persons consulted Appendix 5. Correspondence with NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service and NOAA's Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program

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