GIS & Spatial Analysis

NRDA

Spill Response & Planning

Database/ Applications Development

Environmental Assessment:  Offloading of the USS Mississinewa, Ulithi Atoll, Yap, Federated States of Micronesia

RPI staff prepared the EA for the planned removal of up to 3 million gallons of navy special fuel oil from the World War II tanker that was sunk fully laden in Ulithi Atoll in 1944. It started leaking in August 2001.

The EA included trajectory analyses of oil potentially released during offloading operations and identification of times of year where oil releases might pose the greatest risks to biological resources and human health.

There were special issues of respecting the vessel as a war grave and its historical importance.

The oil was offloaded in January-March 2003.

EIS and Environmental Monitoring for Keta Sea Defense Project, Ghana

In response to the requirements of the EPA of Ghana, an Environmental Impact Statement was submitted to obtain the necessary approval to begin construction of the Keta Sea Defence Works (KSDW) project.

The proposed KSDW project includes four major objectives/components:

1. Sea defence works to limit further erosion;

2. Land reclamation from the lagoon adjacent to the town of Keta, providing an area for local inhabitants to rebuild homes that were lost to erosion;

3. Construction of a road/causeway at Keta Lagoon between Keta and Havedzi, re-establishing a road link between these townships lost to erosion; and

4. Flood control for Keta Lagoon, providing relief from extreme flooding conditions for inhabitants around the lagoon.

RPI is currently conducting the five-year monitoring of the project during and post-construction.

Programmatic EIS for the Proposed Change in US Coast Guard Regulations on Vessel and Facility Oil Spill Response Plans

RPI is part of a team that is preparing the analysis of 5 alternatives for changes to the US Coast Guard regulations that will essentially require plan holders to have dispersant application capability. The draft PEIS was released in April 2003.

West Africa Gas Pipeline EIS

RPI provided the Cruise Leader for the Environmental Baseline Offshore Survey of the __ km offshore pipeline that will deliver natural gas from Nigeria to Benin, Togo, and Ghana. We are working with partners from the University of Ghana on the fish resources, water and sediment quality, marine mammals and birds, and benthic communities.