Best Practices for Shoreline Cleanup and Assessment Technique (SCAT) from Recent Incidents

Abstract

ABSTRACT The Shoreline Cleanup and Assessment Technique (SCAT) process, from initial reconnaissance, to generation of Shoreline Treatment Recommendations (STRs) and signoff, is an integral part of oil spill response operations. It is and should remain flexible and scalable based on spill conditions. Several challenging spill responses have contributed to the continuing evolution of the SCAT program. This review examines best practices and unique applications for the SCAT process, coordination within the Incident Command System (ICS), field implementation and tools, and data management. While the basic SCAT process remains the same, the detailed steps can vary greatly from spill to spill. STRs and incident specific forms may be required, additional review procedures for documents and shorelines may occur, endpoints and signoff can become extremely complex, intermediate plans may be generated to manage complexity, and various regulatory consultations may be necessary. Within the ICS, the SCAT program is typically part of the Environmental Unit under the Planning Section, but requires close coordination with the Operations Section. The use of SCAT- Operations Liaisons (both as having Operations on SCAT teams during surveys and as having SCAT team members work with Operations during actual cleanup) is a best practice to improve coordination and treatment effectiveness throughout the response. Field forms, data collection tools, and SCAT staff roles are evolving. The trials of electronic data collection with field computers continue; use of imagery, GPS, and GIS are ever increasing and necessary; and the roles and coordination of various types of field monitors/observers during cleanup operations need to be carefully defined. SCAT team members need to be well-trained, and field calibration should occur regularly within and among teams. SCAT data management now requires dedicated staff and computer data management systems in all but the smallest of spills. The need for high quality data, rapid analysis, and generation of useful products to a varied audience is becoming the expected standard. However, with these expectations come new procedures and specialized skills. QA/QC of field data is critical to all evaluations and products. Specialized databases have become robust enough to handle the most complex SCAT data and output requirements, and GIS tools can quickly generate a variety of necessary map products for multiple users. These functions require skills not found with typical SCAT field team members. In this paper, we will examine some of the recent advances and unique applications to the SCAT process.