# Presentation: 170037

## Russell Callender

**An Interagency Response to Assess Environmental Impacts of Hurricane Katrina**

- January 18, 2006

- Director, Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment
- NOAA Ocean Service

## Hurricane Effects in an Ecosystem Context

## Pollution Issues Subject to Sampling

- Hydrocarbon releases along the lower Mississippi River and from sunken vessels
- Toxics and pathogens from pumping out New Orleans
- Large numbers of sunken vessels inshore of Mississippi Sound
- Contents of storm surge waters
- Offshore releases

## Hydrocarbon Releases Requiring Response

**Hydrocarbon Releases Requiring Response**

## Evaluating Potential Environmental Impacts on Living Marine Resources and People

**NOAA Cruises and Related Sampling**
**EPA, USGS, NOAA, FDA OSV Bold Cruise and Related Sampling**
**NOAA National Status and Trends Program (NS&T) Mussel Watch Contaminant Monitoring**

**Notes:**
Preliminary results should be used carefully since they reflect conditions at the sites at a single point in time.

## Joint NOAA Cruises and Related Sampling – OAR, NMFS, and NOS Response Aboard the RV Nancy Foster 

**NOAA Ship NANCY FOSTER**
**Cruise 9/12-9/16 2005**
**Cruise 9/26-10/3**
**Sample:**
**Water**
**Sediments**
**Fish/Shrimp/Crabs**
**For:**
**Toxic Contaminants **
**Metals**
**Hydrocarbons**
**Pesticides**
**Etc.**
**Pathogens**
**Bacteria**
**Viruses**

**Gear:**
**CTD**
**Rosette Sampler**
**Bottom Grabs**
**Fish/Shrimp Trawls**
**Phytoplankton**
**CCMA-NOS**

**Science Personnel from Miami (OAR), Seattle (NMFS), **
**Pascagoula (NMFS), Woods Hole (NMFS)**

**Joint NOAA Cruises and Related Sampling – OAR, NMFS, and NOS Response Aboard the RV Nancy Foster **

**Notes:**
Fish sampling results:
Sept. 12-16 cruise found 0 of 154 samples harbored E. coli 
Total coliforms were generally low with only 8 samples greater than 1000 cfu/g.
Bile from Atlantic croaker and bigeye tuna sampled during the Sept. 12-16 cruise indicated no greater exposure to polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs, which are indicative of petroleum products) than samples collected in 1990 under the NOAA National Benthic Surveillance Project.

Conclusions: Fish and invertebrate samples taken during the post Katrina cruise of Sept. 12-16 did not show significantly elevated or human health-threatening levels of E. coli contamination.

Water sampling results on next slide...

## Stations Sampled by the Nancy Foster

**Stations Sampled by the Nancy Foster**

**Notes:**
Water and Sediment sampling results:
None of the 22 water samples taken from Sept. 12-16 cruise exceeded EPA guidelines for recreational waters (i.e. greater than 235 and 61 cells per 100mL respectively)
3 sediment samples exceeded E. coli levels (stations 8,9,11); 1 sample (one of the previous three – station 9) also exceeded enterococcus levels too. (the presence of E. coli implies the presence of fecal contamination)
9 of the 22 water samples tested positive for the marine species Vibro (a naturally occurring marine species, some of which can be toxic) as well as 6 of the 8 sediment samples, however none of the samples proved toxogenic and the levels that were found are considered to be normal for the Gulf Coast marine waters and sediments

Conclusions: Water and sediment samples taken during the Sept. 12-16 cruise did not show significantly elevated or human health-threatening levels of bacterial indicators of fecal contamination.

## Chartered Fishing Vessel Sampling

**Bi-weekly sampling underway**

**Notes:**
Shrimp collected during Sept. 13-19 contained concentrations of persistent organic pollutants (POPs, which include PCBs, DDTs, and PBDEs) that were well below the FDA regulatory limits for seafood.
The FDA has no regulatory limits for polycyclic aromatic compounds, however (PAC, e.g. naphthalene and phenanthrene) levels were similar to those measured in clams and mussels from non-urban areas (such as remote areas of Alaska, etc.)

Conclusions: POP and PAC levels measured in shrimp, which all appeared to be within normal limits, were not likely a result of contamination released due to Hurricane Katrina.

## Assessment of the Effects of Hurricane Katrina on Coastal Ecosystems –OSV Bold

**Notes:**
Three related effort using OSV-Bold cruise and small vessels.
Mouth of Mississippi River Sept. 27-Oct 2
October 10-13 Mississippi Sound
Oct 10-14 Lake Ponchartrain

Samples off of MS Delta and MS Sound from Lake Borgne to Dauphin Island. 50 stations. 20 in first leg, 30 in second leg. Relatively low levels of fecal contamination (enterococcus) were present after the hurricane. Only four samples tested positive for enterococcus. Previously released enterococcus data also indicated that the water was suitable for any kind of recreational use – including swimming. 
Results not intended to assess seafood safety
Samples in Lake Pontchartrain. 30 stations. All fecal coliform data from Lake Pontchartrain were below EPA criteria for 200 fecal coliforma/100ml. Half of the stations were <1 CFU/100ml with 16 stations ranging from 1-12 CFU/100ml.
Results not intended to assess seafood safety

No Samples from the OSV-Bold exceeded EPA’s first or second criterion* for shellfish harvesting.
No Samples from the OSV-Bold cruise exceeded the EPA enterococci concentration criterion** for a bathing beach or an infrequent use beach.

*Shellfish First Criteria: (14cfu/100mL) is the 30-day median concentration; Second Criteria: (43cfu/100mL) is the criterion that should not be exceed by >10% of samples during the first 30-day period. [cfu=colony forming units]
**Criterion: Single Sample Maximum (SSM) for a bathing beach = 104cfu/100mL; and 501cfu/100mL for an infrequent use beach.

## NOAA National Status and Trends Program (NS&T) Mussel Watch Project Contaminant Monitoring

**120 Contaminants**
**Measured in ****American Oyster**

**Notes:**
NS&T Mussel Watch cruise represents more nearshore sampling sites. 
Sampled Sept 29-Oct 10. 
20 Sampling sites.
14 samples (70%) tested positive for fecal coliforms.
20 samples (100%) tested positive for enterococcus.
Fecal coliforms and enterococcus were detected at a higher frequency and in higher concentrations at the MW cruise compred to the EPA BOLD cruises. 
In general MW sites were closer inshore and potentially closer to land-based sources of fecal pollution.
MW samples were collected soon after landfall of Hurricane Rita and may reflect a pulse of fecal contamination. 

Additional contaminant levels were sampled at 20 Mussel Watch sites. 
Contaminants were measured in the tissues of oysters to determine concentrations of chlorinated pesticides, PCBs, PAHs and metals. These date are currently being analyzed and should be available soon. 

3 samples exceeded the first criterion* for shellfish harvesting (none exceeded the second criteria).
10 samples exceeded the EPA enterococci concentration criteria** for a designated bathing beach and one sample (MRPL) exceeded the infrequent use beach criteria.

*Shellfish First Criteria: (14cfu/100mL) is the 30-day median concentration; Second Criteria: (43cfu/100mL) is the criterion that should not be exceed by >10% of samples during the first 30-day period. [cfu=colony forming units]
**Criterion: Single Sample Maximum (SSM) for a bathing beach = 104cfu/100mL; and 501cfu/100mL for an infrequent use beach.

## Chlorophyll a SEAWIFS SatelliteSeptember 26, 2005 

## Ongoing NOAA Operations & Studies

- Sustained Operations for contaminants monitoring – cruise biweekly with other sampling as appropriate, *NANCY FOSTER*, *PATRICIA JEAN*
- Mussel Watch stations re-sampled
- EMAP stations sampled in NOAA & EPA cruise, EPA R/V *Bold*
- Hydrodynamic models being run to forecast materials distribution and to direct sampling
- Wetlands loss analysis being undertaken
- Re-assessment of community profiles, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, west coast of Florida
- Monitoring of SEAWiFS and shipboard samples for potential HAB outbreaks resulting from *Karenia brevis* (long lasting HAB off West Florida)
- Continuing coordination of activities with COE, USGS, EPA, FDA, NSF, State Directors and Agencies
- Website: **www.noaa.gov **– “Hurricane Katrina Environmental Impacts”

## SUMMARY

-  Interagency coordination allowed a more complete and rapid environmental impact assessment of GOM hurricane impacts than would have otherwise been possible
-  Interagency partnerships developed through this effort have been extremely productive and will continue
- EPA is leading the effort to develop a shared database
- Regular interagency phone calls that share data and initial results are extremely productive
-  New results are made available on Agency websites as analyses are completed
-  Recommend interagency data synthesis in future to determine ecosystem level impacts.

## Agency Partners and Points of Contact

- US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Dr. William H. Benson
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- Dr. Steve Murawski
- US Geological Survey (USGS)
- Donna Meyers
- US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- Dr. Robert Dickey