Buzzards Bay Oil Spill

Location: Massachusetts

Summary: In the spring of 2003, Bouchard Barge 120 released number 6 fuel oil in Buzzards Bay Massachusetts. The law firm representing the insurance company selected Cardno ENTRIX to provide comprehensive NRDA services including emergency response, shoreline assessments, cleanup evaluation, emergency restoration design and implementation, human health risk assessment for contaminated shellfish, injury assessment, and liability quantification. Because potential impacts extend to highly valued coastal real estate, internationally renowned recreational areas, and several threatened and endangered species, these services are being provided intense public and political scrutiny. We are using econometric and survey methods to assess potential impacts to recreation, Habitat Equivalency Analysis (HEA) to assess potential impacts to over 120 miles of coastal shorelines, transport, fate, and effects modeling to assess potential impacts to aquatic wildlife, and beached carcass modeling to assess potential impacts to birds and wildlife.