A Study of Oil Spill Rates in Four U.S. Coastal Regions.
Abstract
A Comparison of the rates of incidence of oil spills over 10,000 gallons in the years 1974 through 1977 was made for four regions in the United States that carry heavy oil traffic: Greater New York - New Jersey, Delaware Bay, the Louisiana Coast, and the Northern Texas Coast. The spill data for the study were drawn from the Pollution Incident Reporting System (PIRS), the records of the National Response Center (NRC), and the Vessel Casualty Reporting System (VCS). Oil movement data were obtained from the Army Corps of Engineers, Waterborne Commerce of the United States. The spill rates calculated for the four regions showed no significant differences. However, a significantly higher spill rate was noted for the Hudson River subdivision of the New York - New Jersey region. An examination of the spill reports showed that most of the spills were associated with poor weather conditions (viz., ice, fog). A partial study was also made of spills in the Mississippi, Illinois, and Ohio Rivers. It was found that the spill rates in the Ohio River were significantly higher than in the Mississippi or Illinois Rivers or in the coastal regions. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1980
- Accession Number
- ADA103430
Entities
People
- J. F. Bellantoni
Organizations
- John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center