Sea-level rise and an increase in the severity of coastal storms are probable outcomes for the Chesapeake Bay due to global climate change. A consequent ecological and economic risk for tidewater Virginia and other low-lying coastal zones is the contamination of coastal waters by industrial and agricultural chemicals released by accidental spills during severe storm events. . . 

Unger, Michael A.

Virginia Institute of Marine Science. Initiative for Coastal Climate Change Research

English

College of William & Mary: W&M Publish

W&M ScholarWorks Reports 2009 Extreme storm events increase the risk for chemical contamination of coastal waters Michael A. Unger Virginia Institute of Marine Science Virginia Institute of Marine Science. Initiative for Coastal Climate Change Research Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/reports  Part of the Climate Commons, Marine Biology Commons, and the Oceanography Commons Recommended Citation Unger, M. A., & Virginia Institute of Marine Science. Initiative for Coastal Climate Change Research. (2009) Extreme storm events increase the risk for chemical contamination of coastal waters. VIMS climate change white papers.. Virginia Institute of Marine Science, William & Mary. http://doi.org/10.21220/V5F30F This Report is brought to you for free and open access by W&M ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Reports by an authorized administrator of W&M ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact scholarworks@wm.edu. Pollution Risks and Climate ChangeSea-level rise and an increase in the severity of coastal storms are prob-able outcomes for the Chesapeake Bay due to global climate change. A consequent ecological and economic risk for tidewater Virginia and other low-lying coastal zones is the contamination of coastal waters by indus-trial and agricultural chemicals released by accidental spills during severe storm events. Easy access to the Bay and Atlantic Ocean shipping channels has made local ports and harbors a focus for industry and the military for more than 200 years. These industries, by necessity, use a variety of chemical and petroleum products in their daily operations. While current environ-mental regulations limit the discharge of toxic chemicals to the waterways via effluents, many of the most severe historical contamination issues in Chesapeake Bay are the result of accidental1 and deliberate2 spills. The predicted increase in frequency and severity of coastal flooding makes the potential for severe contamination events very high unless proper precautions are implemented. www.virginiaclimatechange.vims.eduExtreme Storm Events Increase the Risk for Chemical Contamination of Coastal WatersOnce organic chemicals are incorporated to bottom sediments they are persistent and costly to clean up.Harbors are vulnerable to flooding and are occupied by industries that use a variety of chemical and petroleum products.Coastal flooding provides a mechanism for the release of potentially harmful chemicals.Hurricane Isabel approaches the mid-Atlantic coast in September 2003. Photo courtesy of NASA.History LessonsThe potential for accidental introduction of contaminants during storm events is real. As recently as 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, releas-ing more than 8 million gallons of oil into the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico.3 For perspective, the Exxon Valdez spill in Prince William Sound Alaska, the largest US oil spill on record, released 11 million gallons. While Chesapeake Bay is not as large an oil production center as the New Orleans region, it sees extensive vessel traffic and is home to several major port facilities, many small refineries and oil storage facilities, and an abundance of industrial chemicals to support port and refinery activities. Along with oil, these other chemicals also have the capacity to damage Chesa-peake Bay’s complex estuarine ecosystems. Some industrial chemicals are far more persistent than those found in oil and accumulate in the food chain, caus-ing long-term effects. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are one example. One POP, the synthetic pesticide Kepone,® was spilled by a manufacturing facility into the James River in the mid 1970s. Kepone® concentrates in bottom sediments and has accumulated throughout the aquatic food chain.2 It was only through burial within the estuary’s sediments over time that exposure to Ke-pone® was reduced. The James River was closed to all fishing in 1975 and some limited restrictions remained in effect until 1989, causing millions of dollars of economic hardship to the Commonwealth of Virginia and its citizens. Oil refinery on the York River, Yorktown, Virginia.Kepone is now below the 0.2 ppm action level but is still detected in striped bass more than 30 years after Kepone was discovered in the James River.Shipping and ship repair are important industries in Virginia vulnerable to the effects from severe storms.A northeaster batters the ferry pier, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Gloucester Point, Virginia.The best approach for minimizing the risk of contaminant releases is to identify potential sources for chemicals of concern and evaluate their vulnerability during storm events. While Kepone® concentrations in fish samples have now decreased below levels for human-health concern, it is still detected in James River fish more than 30 years after the spill was first discovered. This case study demon-strates the large-scale environmental and economic impacts that can occur when a river system is contaminated by a persistent organic chemical from a localized source.The Elizabeth River is a highly industrialized tributary to the James River near the mouth of Chesapeake Bay. It is home to the US Atlantic Fleet and has numerous shipyards and other industries on its banks. Prominent in the River’s history were facilities dedicated to the treatment of wood pilings with creosote. Creosote contains organic compounds called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that are toxic and can also cause cancer. The Elizabeth River has had many documented creosote spills due to fires, accidents, and neglect. As a result, it has some of the highest PAH concentrations reported anywhere. Atlantic Wood Industries, Inc., location of one creosote spill, is designated as an EPA Superfund clean-up site. Resident fish populations (e.g., the mummichog Fundulus heteroclitus) exhibit high incidences of liver cancer and are now also genetically altered from populations found in uncontaminated rivers.4 Efforts are underway to remove the most severely contaminated sediments from the Elizabeth River but at the cost of millions of dollars and many years of effort.1,5 Safe disposal of these contaminated bottom sediments presents another challenge. Many Superfund sites in Virginia are near the shore and may be vulnerable to flooding.Liver lesions and cancer in mummichog fish are correlated to historical spills of PAH contaminants in the Elizabeth River, Virginia.6Virginia Super Fund Clean-up Sites:1. Defense Supply Center Richmond, Chesterfield County2. Fort Eustis, Newport News3. Former Nansemond Ordanance Depot, Suffolk4. Langley Air Force Base & NASA-Langley Research       Center, Hampton5. Marine Corps Combat Development Command, Quantico6. Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Virginia Beach7. Naval Surface Warfare Design, Dahlgren8. Norfolk Naval Base, Norfolk9. Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Norfolk10. USN St. Julien’s Creek Annex, Chesapeake11. Yorktown Naval Weapons Station, Yorktown12. Yorktown Naval Weapons Station, Cheatham Annex13. Atlantic Wood Industries, PortsmouthPrepared ByMike UngerVirginia Institute of Marine Science1 Atlantic Wood Industries, Inc. Superfund site, Record of Decision 2007, USEPA (http://www.epa.gov/reg3h-wmd/super/sites/VAD990710410/rod/rod2007.htm)2 Luellen, D. R., G. G, Vadas, M. A. Unger. 2006. Kepone in James River fish: 1976 -2002. Science of the Total Environment. 358: 286-297.3 Louisiana Sea Grant Website (http://www.laseagrant.org/hurricane/index.htm)4 Mulvey, M., M.C. Newman, W. Vogelbein and M.A. Unger. (2002) Genetic structure of Fundulus heterocli-tus from PAH-contaminated and neighboring sites in the Elizabeth and York Rivers. Aquatic Toxicology, 61, pp. 195-209.5 Money Point Revitalization Plan, 2006. ERP (http://www.elizabethriver.org/Non_pub%20PDFs/MP_lay-out_061011final.pdf)6 Vogelbein, W. K., M. A. Unger, D. Gauthier. 2008 The Elizabeth River monitoring program 2006-2007: As-sociation between mummichog liver histopathology and sediment chemical contamination. Final Report to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. 34 ppReferences CitedFor further information, visitwww.virginiaclimatechange.vims.eduor contact us atemail: climatechange@vims.eduPhone: (804) 684-7000Recommendations History has shown that preventing chemical spills is the best defense against the long-term ecological and economic damage that will otherwise result.• The best approach for minimizing the risk of contaminant releases is to identify potential sources for chemicals of concern and evaluate their vulner-ability during storm events. Likely sources include industrial, military, and agricultural facilities within ports. Others are vessel docking areas, on-shore containers, and previously contaminated terrestrial sites that are vulnerable to flooding. Many Virginia Superfund sites are within a short distance of the coast and are contained within the watershed. • New modeling techniques developed at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science have the capacity to predict tidal surge and consequent flooding of low-lying areas. These techniques could be used to identify the regions at most risk for flooding during storm events. • Model predictions can be coupled with GIS databases identifying the facilities present in the flood zone, the chemicals in use or in storage at the facilities, and plans for removing chemicals or securing the sites prior to a storm event. • Chemical inventories should be carefully evaluated for their potential to do harm based on environmental fate, persistence, and toxicity. • Plans should be developed to permanently relocate oil and toxic material storage facilities most at risk. • A collaborative effort between academia, industry, and state and federal agencies should develop and administer an integrated plan to minimize the potential for long-term ecological and economic impacts from coastal contamination during storm events.Printed on recycled paper.

Extreme storm events increase the risk for chemical contamination of coastal waters

Unger, Micheal A.

DSpace at The College of William and Mary

https://scholarworks.wm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1017&amp;context=reports

Extreme storm events increase the risk for chemical contamination of coastal waters

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