First of new Valdez weather buoys deployed

Petroleum News

The Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council said May 28 that the first of two weather buoys it is working with partners to deploy is now in place in Port Valdez. The buoys will collect data to improve understanding at the meteorological and physical oceanographic environment at Alyeska Pipeline Service Co.’s Valdez Marine Terminal and at the Valdez Duck Flats.

“These buoys will improve understanding of conditions in Port Valdez that could affect marine vessel safety and movement of spilled oil, as well as help with decisions regarding the timing of protecting environmentally sensitive sites in the area,” the council said.

The buoys are the results of partnerships, the council said, with the first buoy, anchored off Jackson Point at the VMT, a partnership with the Prince William Sound Science Center, Alyeska Pipeline Service Co., the City of Valdez and Valdez Fisheries Development Association. The buoy is collecting weather data - temperature, wind speed, wind direction, barometric pressure - along with oceanographic information like surface current direction and speed, wave heights and water temperature.

The council said several agencies permitted the installation and the U.S. Coast Guard allowed access into the marine security zone bordering the terminal.

“Partnerships like these result in collaborative science, which is the best base for providing answers to challenging questions related to planning an effective oil spill response,” Donna Schantz, the council’s executive director, said in a statement. “We have advocated for this kind of data collection at the terminal and believe the information generated from both buoys will certainly contribute to best practices for prevention and response.”

The second buoy will be deployed near the Valdez Duck Flats once permitting is completed. That buoy was made possible by partnerships with Prince William Sound Science Center, the City of Valdez and Valdez Fisheries Development Association.

The council said Fairweather Science, a subsidiary of Edison Chouest Offshore, donated the buoys which Fairweather Science previously used to study weather and oceanographic conditions in the Chukchi Sea.

The City of Valdez provided a grant to support maintenance of the buoys, Valdez Fisheries Development Association provided storage space and Sisioohl Marine Inc. donated bottom paint.

The council said the City of Valdez, Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corp., Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation collaborated in the process resulting of the place of the buoy near the VMT.