1

FINAL REPORT 

IGAP Unmet Needs Project – Oil Spill Monitoring Capacity - 8019

Tribe’s Name Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association, Inc.

Environmental Contact 

Names

Bruce Wright and Karen Pletnikoff

Contact Phone Number 907-222-4260

Grant Name Indian Environmental General Assistance Program (GAP) Unmet Needs Project – Oil Spill 

Monitoring Capacity

Grant Number and Project 

Period

G- 96001901-1; Project Period: October 1, 2005 - December 31, 2009

EPA’s Project Officer Name 

and Address

Tami Fordham, Tribal Coordinator

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Alaska Operations Office

222 West 7th Avenue, #19

Anchorage, AK 99513

INTRODUCTION

The oil pollution monitoring project is funded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and was established to develop oil 

monitoring protocol, increase local capacity, monitor subsistence areas, determine if there is low-level PAH contamination, identify

potential sources of contamination, explore the establishment of regional monitoring partnerships and increase the capacity of tribal 

environmental staff to monitor for oil in the environment which could impact subsistence resources. The baseline hydrocarbon data 

will be useful for supporting the environmental impact statement for the exploration and development of oil and gas in the North 

Aleutian Basin. This project developed a program for monitoring the marine environment for oil from spills and other pollution events 

including chronic releases of oil from the land, natural seeps in the ocean and spills and discharges from sea going vessels, perform 

monitoring of the water in Aleutian and Pribilof Island villages and to provide recommendations based on the findings for the longterm prevention of oil spills and pollution in the region. 
2

Passive samplers will be deployed for a month at a time, several times throughout the year at several sites near the villages of Akutan, 

Atka, False Pass, King Cove, Nikolski, St. George and St. Paul. 

Locals were trained (under contract through local Tribes) to 

deploy and retrieve the passive samplers; analyses of the passive 

samplers will be conducted by chemists at the Auke Bay

Laboratory. Sampling locations will include nearby subsistence 

areas as well as high use areas at each general location. 

Passive samplers: Passive accumulation devices (Figure 1) 

consist of a container with a low density polyethylene 

membrane that allows organic compounds to penetrate and 

absorb hydrocarbons over a period of time, in contrast to a 

“grab” sample which is a “snap shot” in time. Consequently, 

passive sampling devices are more effective in capturing 

hydrocarbon signals from chronic low level events or events that 

are intermittent, and they are very sensitive. Mussels are often used as biological sampling devices in many habitats worldwide, but 

are often not available on the coastlines of the Bering Sea, at least in numbers that permit sampling across time and space. 

Figure 2. Tyler Melovidov is deploying a 

passive sampler in the intertidal zone on St. 

Paul Island.
3

Passive samplers can sample large volumes of water, amplify trace hydrocarbon quantities (part-per-billion or part-per-trillion) to 

detectable levels, and average the signal over time. In addition, they are cheaper and easier to analyze than biological tissue and can be 

deployed over a greater range of environmental conditions. Composition of PAH accumulated by the passive samplers can be used to 

identify hydrocarbon sources in situations not complicated by multiple sources (not the case with biological tissue samples). 

Usually the sampling for this project takes place in the ocean and along the beaches, but we adapted the sampling design for a special 

situation in Atka. Some of the residents of the new part of Atka have been complaining of smelling diesel or gas in their water. We 

suspected the water line may be attracting hydrocarbons where it traveled through a polluted area and was transferring the pollution 

(diesel) to the drinking water. For the first time for this project, we deployed a sampling device in the freshwater holding tank for a 

month. The Atka water tank sample had a total PAH of 82 parts per billion/device, and very comparable to the controls. This means 

the water in the tank tested at very, very low levels of hydrocarbons and is safe to drink from that perspective based on this one test.

With the proposed development of the East Aleutian Basin Outer Continental Shelf lease sale and environmental impact statement, 

APIA requested Minerals Management Service (MMS) to continue our community-based contaminant monitoring project. MMS is 

considering our proposal.

OBJECTIVES

Objective 1. To increase the capacity of tribal environmental staff to monitor for oil in the environment which could impact subsistence 

resources.

Objective 2. To develop a program for monitoring the marine environment for oil from spills and other pollution events including chronic 

releases of oil from the land, natural seeps in the ocean and spills and discharges from sea going vessels.

Objective 3. To perform monitoring of the water in villages on islands neighboring to Unalaska where the Selendang Ayu oil spill occurred.

Objective 4. To provide recommendations based on the findings for the long-term prevention of oil spills & pollution in the Aleut Region.
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ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Objective 1. Increase the capacity of tribal environmental staff to monitor for oil in the environment which could impact subsistence 

resources.

We trained technicians, usually Tribal members who were IGAP coordinators, to deploy the monitoring equipment and retrieve and 

ship the samplers. The offshore deployment method (Appendix A) failed in some locations, lost to strong currents and winds. The new 

method (Appendix B) required on-site re-training of local technicians and tracking of sampler recovery and second deployment and 

recovery (see Appendix C). Accordingly, one community at a time was sampled with two deployments each. Seven communities 

participated; Akutan, Atka, False Pass, King Cove, Nikolski, St. George and St. Paul. 

Objective 2. Develop a program for monitoring the marine environment for oil from spills and other pollution events including chronic 

releases of oil from the land, natural seeps in the ocean and spills and discharges from sea going vessels.

The surface sampling devices (see Appendix A) were deployed in Akutan, St. Paul and Nikolski in FY 2006, but the sampling devices 

were lost in two of the three villages where deployments took place. Strong currents and large waves in Nikolski and St. George cause 

loss of offshore mooring equipment. New methods (Appendix B) were developed using on-shore deployments. Shipping of sampling 

devices has taken much time to coordinate transportation of supplies (sampling devices) between Auke Bay Lab and the field and back 

and additional time has been needed to train local technicians and coordinate tracking of sampler recovery and second deployment and 

recovery. Using the new methodology we were finally successful developing the oil monitoring program. And, we provided a 

proposal to US Minerals Management Service to continue monitoring for hydrocarbons in Aleut communities.

Objective 3. Perform monitoring of the water in villages on islands neighboring to Unalaska where the Selendang Ayu oil spill occurred.

Training in the first three communities (Akutan, Nikolski and St. George) took place in April and May 2006. Akutan sampling went 

well even with some early problems with shipping samples to the Juneau lab. Year 2 study design called for two deployments with 

three sampling stations mounted onshore in each of the 7 communities. Sampling using the new methods was completed in all 7 

communities.

Objective 4. Provide recommendations based on the findings for the long-term prevention of oil spills and pollution in the Aleut Region.

Results from the Akutan sampling lend evidence that the waters in most of the monitored villages are not very contaminated with 

polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). However, occasional spills and active incinerators and outfalls continue to be a concern for 

pollution. The shore-based redeployment in Akutan Harbor moved the sampling devices close to mussel beds used for subsistence 

food and nearer the fish processing plant; this resulted in a very high reading. During the first deployment in Atka we also sampled the 

freshwater tank for PAHs. We found no indication of hydrocarbon contamination in the water tank. We strongly recommend 
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continued monitoring in Aleut communities and further investigation of the possibly pollution coming from the Akutan fish 

processing plant. Year 2 study design altered significantly to overcome severe weather conditions and to insure safety of local staff

(see APPENDIX B). Shore-based sampling replaced the offshore sampling. Shipping problems were overcome with implementation 

of closely monitored tracking. We recommend the methodology be followed in future PAH testing projects.

Results

Total TPAH data summary for the Aleutian data: sorted by increasing TPAH concentrations.

As for the general rules of interpretation, quality of data there are as follows for good data and what modifications to these rules for 

this data. The cleaner/tighter the blank and environmental samples are, the stricter can be these rule applications. Unfortunately this 

data set has the opposite application.

1. Blanks should be TPAH < 100 ng/device, loosen to TPAH < 200ng/device for these data

2. Environmental sample TPAH < 500ng/device, no real signal, loosen to TPAH < 1000 ng/device for these data

3. Environmental sample TPAH > 1000 ng/device start to be useful signals for modeling, loosen to > 2000 ng/device for these data

4. Having modified these data interp. rules, there still is the problem from the model info below, that there is no clear or convincing 

pattern of pyro/petro origin, i.e. things are all over the board.

Sorted	by	TPAH	

Data	in	RED	are	blanks	(	38	blanks) 82	total	LDPE	samples

Aleutian/Pribilof	Project	2006-2009

SIN Days	exposed Site Date	collected Comments QCBatch TPAH		

1700501 0 ABL 1-Mar-06 Lab	Blank	(batch	97) F071806 0.00

1702101 0 ABL 17-Jul-06 Lab	Blank	(Batch	104) F071806 0.00

1802901 0 ABL 25-Jan-08 Lab	Blank F062408 0.00
6

1701401 0 ABL 12-Jun-06 Lab	Blank	(batch	100) F072406 3.94

1900102 0 ABL 21-Feb-08 Lab	Blank R082609 13.31

1900101 0 ABL 21-Feb-08 Lab	Blank R081809 28.55

1802906 33	days Old	Village	Water	Tank	- Atka 11-Apr-08 F062408 43.95

1800701 0 ABL 30-Apr-07 Trip	Blank R031308 44.99

1802907 0 ABL-Atka-ABL 17-Apr-08 Trip	Blank F062408 53.75

1800601 0 ABL 30-Apr-07 Lab	Blank R030408 109.82

1900407 28	days Chungusix	Beach 11-May-08 F071408 123.83

1702601 0 ABL 31-Jan-07 Lab	Blank R021108 129.88

1701402 Entrance	Pt	(Akutan) 24-Jul-06 Collectors	Code	(AK001) F081506 132.98

1900303 30	days S.	Side	- False	Pass 17-Jul-08 R090109 140.12

1800506 34	days Nikolski	- CoastGaurd	Gate 4-Dec-07 R081809 150.64

1800605 30	days Nikolski	- Moan	Lisa 31-Oct-07 R031308 156.98

1900403 0 ABL-Atka-ABL 19-May-08 Trip	Blank F062408 160.50

1802905 33	days Nazon	Beach	- Atka 11-Apr-08 F062408 180.20

1800803 31	days St	Paul	- Pier	Point 24-Aug-07 R031308 181.41

1701406 0 ABL	- Akutan-ABL 31-Jul-06 Trip	Blank F081506 192.61

1900201 East	Landing-St.	George 2-Feb-09 R082609 218.02

1800508 34	days Nikolski	- Mona	Lisa 4-Dec-07 R081809 227.09

1800703 42	days St.	Paul	- Outfall 27-Jun-07 R031308 229.65

1700602 Akutan 20-Jun-06 Collectors	Code	(AK001) F071806 239.06

1900202 North	- St.	George 2-Feb-09 R082609 239.37

1900404 28	days Dump	Beach 11-May-08 F062408 257.53

1900103 0 ABL-King	Cove-ABL 27-Oct-08 Trip	Blank R082609 285.74

1800603 30	days Nikoski	- Coast	Guard 31-Oct-07 R030408 287.31

1900401 33	days New	Subdivision	- Nazon	Bay?	-Atka 11-Apr-08 F062408 290.10

1900604 5	min? ? ? Field	Blank R090109 296.70

1900204 East	Landing-St.	George 2-Feb-09 Field	Blank	? R082609 299.02

1802902 10	min Nazon	Beach	- Atka 9-Mar-08 Field	Blank F062408 311.65

1800403 32	days Akutan-east 5-Jun-07 R030408 319.93

1802904 33	days Nazon	Beach	- Atka 11-Apr-08 F062408 369.73

1900502 North	- St.	George 4-Mar-09 R090109 370.22

1900205 ABL-St.	George-ABL Trip	Blank R082609 376.21

1800604 30	days Nikoski	- Boat	Launch 31-Oct-07 R030408 394.82

1900107 5	min? ? ? Field	Blank R082609 400.22

1900605 0 ABL-King	Cove-ABL 28-Jul-08 Trip	Blank R090109 411.30
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1702602 0 Trip	Blank 18-Apr-07 Trip	Blank R021108 421.04

1900504 Wind,	South	- St.	George 4-Mar-09	? Field	Blank	? R090109 422.99

1700603 Akutan 20-Jun-06 Collectors	Code	(AK002) F071806 423.27

1800706 0 ABL-St.Paul-ABL 6-Jul-07 Trip	Blank R031308 427.60

1800404 ? Akutan	(FB/TB?) ? seal	broken	field/trip	blank?	where? R030408 430.63

1701404 Across	The	Bay	(Akutan) 24-Jul-06 Collectors	Code	(AK003) F081506 469.60

1700604 Akutan 20-Jun-06 Collectors	Code	(AK003) F071806 471.51

1701405 0 Head	Of	Bay	?	(Akutan) 20-Jun-06 Field	Blank	@	AK002? F081506 475.27

1802903 33	days Puyakix	Beach	- Atka 11-Apr-08 F062408 487.52

1900203 South	- St.	George 2-Feb-09 R082609 503.61

1800602 10	min? Nikoski	(Coast	Guard) 1-Oct-07 Field	Blank R030408 520.21

1900402 28	days Puyakix	Beach	- Atka 11-May-08 F062408 539.17

1900106 37	days Airport	Beach	- King	Cove 28-Aug-08 R082609 540.56

1800507 34	days Nikoski	- Boat	Launch 4-Dec-07 R081809 577.75

1702604 32	days Akutan-east 13-Apr-07 R021108 590.06

1900304 5	min? False	Pass 17-Jul-08	? Field	Blank R090109 608.31

1900305 0 TSMRI	- False	Pass	- TSMRI 24-Jul-08	? Trip	Blank R090109 678.78

1800702 10	min? St.	Paul	- Rookery	 16-May-07 Field	Blank R031308 681.48

1800801 31	days St.	Paul	- Island	Harbor 24-Aug-07 R031308 687.51

1800405 ? Akutan	(FB/TB?) ? seal	broken	field/trip	blank?	where? R030408 697.15

1900505 ABL-St.	George-ABL Trip	Blank R090109 769.36

1900301 30	days N.	Side	- False	Pass 17-Jul-08 R082609 802.44

1800606 0 ABL-Nikoski-ABL 8-Nov-07 Trip	Blank R031308 818.00

1800704 42	days St.	Paul	- Island	Harbor 27-Jun-07 R031308 834.46

1900603 30	days Airport	Lagoon	- King	Cove 21-Jul-08 R090109 913.19

1800804 10	min? ? 24-Aug-07 Field	Blank R031308 931.94

1702603 15	min Field	Blank	- Location? 13-Apr-07 Field	Blank R021108 991.51

1800503 0 ABL-Nikolski-ABL 26-Dec-07 Trip	Blank R081809 1001.15

1800502 15	min Field	Blank	- Nikiski 31-Oct-07 Field	Blank F062408 1053.57

1800805 0 ABL-St.Paul-ABL 24-Aug-07 Trip	Blank R031308 1254.93

1700601 0 Akutan 12-May-06 Field	Blank F071806 1407.99

1702605 32	days Akutan-center 13-Apr-07 R021108 1682.62

1700605 0 ABL	- Akutan-ABL 11-Jul-06 Trip	Blank F071806 1775.11

1900601 30	days Below	Esiahs	- King	Cove 21-Jul-08 R090109 1814.91

1701403 Head	Of	Bay	(Akutan) 24-Jul-06 Collectors	Code	(AK002) F081506 1894.02

1900104 37	days Beach	Below	Esiahs	- King	Cove 28-Aug-08 R082609 2284.93
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1900105 37	days Harbor	Bridge	- King	Cove 28-Aug-08 R082609 2394.26

1702606 32	days Akutan-west 13-Apr-07 Very	sticky	film	on	puck R021108 3087.17

1900602 30	days Harbor	Bridge	- King	Cove 21-Jul-08 R090109 3118.53

1800402 32	days Akutan-center 5-Jun-07 R030408 3408.22

1900302 30	days PPSF	- False	Pass 17-Jul-08 R082609 7188.01

1800401 32	days Akutan-west 5-Jun-07 R021108 52594.97

1800501 0 ABL 30-Apr-07 Lab	Blank	(lost)

1800504 SIN	never	Assigned SIN	never	Assigned SIN	never	Assigned

1800505 SIN	never	Assigned SIN	never	Assigned SIN	never	Assigned

1800705 St.	Paul	- Rookery	 Lost?	Never	rec'd

1800802 St.	Paul	- Outfall Puck	apart	@	receipt	no	LDPE

1900405 NO	SAMPLE		- Line	Blank

1900406 NO	SAMPLE		- Line	Blank

1900501 East	Landing-St.	George 4-Mar-09 Sample	Lost?

1900503 South	- St.	George 4-Mar-09 Sample	Lost?
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DISCUSSION

The laboratory blanks are within tolerances, but many of the field and trip blanks are high and indicate some level of contamination 

possibly from shipping and/or storage. Further investigation may reveal what happened with the blanks but currently the models 

cannot discern the problem with these inconsistent data.

Figure 3. This is the incinerator at the Trident fish processing 

plant. It is used to burn cardboard, wood and a variety of plastic 

materials.

The field samples TPAH range 44 to 53000 with Akutan having 

the highest reading. The PAH weathering model indicates the 

source of the PAHs as combustion byproducts. This may be 

explained by the active incinerator found at the Trident fish 

processing facility only a few hundred meters from the village 

(Figure 3).
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Below are the PAH data by village.

Akutan

Entrance Pt (Akutan) 24-Jul-06 F081506 132.98

Akutan 20-Jun-06 F071806 239.06

Akutan-east 5-Jun-07 R030408 319.93

Akutan 20-Jun-06 F071806 423.27

Across The Bay (Akutan) 24-Jul-06 F081506 469.60

Akutan 20-Jun-06 F071806 471.51

Akutan-east 13-Apr-07 R021108 590.06

Akutan-center 13-Apr-07 R021108 1682.62

Head Of Bay (Akutan) 24-Jul-06 F081506 1894.02

Akutan-west 13-Apr-07 R021108 3087.17

Akutan-center 5-Jun-07 R030408 3408.22

Akutan-west 5-Jun-07 R021108 52594.97

Atka

Old Village Water Tank - Atka 11-Apr-08 F062408 43.95

Chungusix Beach 11-May-08 F071408 123.83

Nazon Beach - Atka 11-Apr-08 F062408 180.20

Dump Beach 11-May-08 F062408 257.53

Nazon Beach - Atka 11-Apr-08 F062408 369.73

Puyakix Beach - Atka 11-Apr-08 F062408 487.52

Puyakix Beach - Atka 11-May-08 F062408 539.17

False Pass

S. Side - False Pass 17-Jul-08 R090109 140.12

N. Side - False Pass 17-Jul-08 R082609 802.44

PPSF - False Pass 17-Jul-08 R082609 7188.01

King Cove

Airport Beach - King Cove 28-Aug-08 R082609 540.56

Airport Lagoon - King Cove 21-Jul-08 R090109 913.19

Below Esiahs - King Cove 21-Jul-08 R090109 1814.91

Beach Below Esiahs - King Cove 28-Aug-08 R082609 2284.93
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Harbor Bridge - King Cove 28-Aug-08 R082609 2394.26

Harbor Bridge - King Cove 21-Jul-08 R090109 3118.53

Nikolski

Nikolski - CoastGaurd Gate 4-Dec-07 R081809 150.64

Nikolski - Moan Lisa 31-Oct-07 R031308 156.98

Nikolski - Mona Lisa 4-Dec-07 R081809 227.09

Nikoski - Coast Guard 31-Oct-07 R030408 287.31

Nikoski - Boat Launch 31-Oct-07 R030408 394.82

Nikoski - Boat Launch 4-Dec-07 R081809 577.75

St. George 

East Landing-St. George 2-Feb-09 R082609 218.02

North - St. George 2-Feb-09 R082609 239.37

North - St. George 4-Mar-09 R090109 370.22

South - St. George 2-Feb-09 R082609 503.61

St. Paul

St Paul - Pier Point 24-Aug-07 R031308 181.41

St. Paul - Outfall 27-Jun-07 R031308 229.65

St. Paul - Island Harbor 24-Aug-07 R031308 687.51

St. Paul - Island Harbor 27-Jun-07 R031308 834.46

CONCLUSIONS

This project was fully successful in meeting the objectives. We increased the capacity of tribal environmental staff to monitor for oil in the 

environment which could impact subsistence resources. We developed a program for monitoring the marine environment for oil from spills 

and other pollution events including chronic releases of oil from the land, natural seeps in the ocean and spills and discharges from sea going 

vessels. We performed monitoring of the water in villages on islands neighboring to Unalaska where the Selendang Ayu oil spill occurred.

Our recommendations based on the findings for the long-term prevention of oil spills & pollution in the Aleut Region. Results from the 

Akutan sampling lend evidence that the waters in most of the monitored villages are not very contaminated with PAHs, but occasional spills 

and active incinerators and outfalls continue to be a concern for pollution. We strongly recommend continued monitoring in Aleut 

communities and further investigation of the possibly pollution coming from the Akutan fish processing plant. We recommend the 

methodology (see APPENDIX B) be followed in future PAH testing projects.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

During this project many people offered their time, knowledge and support. Their help in making this a useful and informative project 

was greatly appreciated. Thanks to:

Santina Baumeister, George Bereskin, Cara Bethe, Michael Brubaker, Mark Carls, Tami Fordham, Charley (Akutan), Siri Goulette,

Larry Holland, Scott Kerr, Patricia (St. George), Tyler Melovidov, Jeep Rice, Desirae Roehl, Billy Shellikoff, Gilda Shellikoff, 

(Akutan) Stepenson, Andrew Zaochney and Phil Zavadil 
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APPENDIX A

Standard Operating Procedures for Preparing, Handling, Deploying, Retrieving and Shipping Polyethylene Membrane 

Devices (PEMDs)

Introduction 

Passive accumulation devices (PADs) are hydrophilic (fat loving) membranes with or without hydrophilic reservoirs and they are 

designed to sample non-polar hydrophobic hydrocarbons, including polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) (oil and petroleum 

products) and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) (contaminants like PCBs) from air, water, and sediment. A commercially available 

PAD commonly available in the USA is the semi-permeable membrane device (SPMD); its central reservoir is triolein (e.g., Huckins 

et al. 1990). Hydrocarbons in SPMDs diffuse through pores in the membranes and are trapped in the central triolein matrix, mimicking

uptake by living organisms. Advantages of passive sampling are that they can sample large volumes of water, amplify trace 

hydrocarbon quantities (part-per-billion or part-per-trillion) to detectable levels, and average the signal over time. In addition, they are 

cheaper and easier to analyze than biological tissue and can be deployed over a greater range of environmental conditions.

At low ambient hydrocarbon concentrations, low-density polyethylene membrane devices (PEMDs) deployed without inclusion of the 

central hydrocarbon reservoir are simpler and less expensive sampling devices than SPMDs, yet provide the same benefits (Carls et al. 

2004). Loss of accumulated PAH is slow, thus PEMDs reliably capture sporadic or fluctuating events. Composition of PAH 

accumulated by PEMDs can be used to identify hydrocarbon sources in situations not complicated by multiple sources. At the Auke 

Bay Laboratory, we also refer to PEMDs as LDPEs (low density polyethylene devices) or PMDs (polyethylene membrane devices). A 

universal moniker has not yet been established in the literature. 

Laboratory preparation 

Low-density polyethylene tubing (98 μm × 4.9 cm × 50 cm) is sonicated twice in pentane to remove hydrocarbons, placed in 

aluminum samplers (11.5 diameter × 6.6 cm with perforated endplates, 3 mm holes spaced 4.8 mm apart, precleaned in 

dichloromethane), wrapped with two layers of aluminum foil, heat-sealed in two plastic bags, and frozen until shipment (Fig. 1; Carls 

et al. 2004). 
14
15

Caution 

These devices are incredibly sensitive!!! Be careful!!! 

PEMDs sample both air and water and tiny unwanted quantities can swamp the target 

signal! For example, a venting gas tank in a skiff is very bad. (Solution – do not fill the 

tanks full!) The person who deploys or retrieves the PEMDs should NOT be the same 

one running the engine, handling the trailer, or fiddling with gas!!! Petroleum products 

have a way of migrating from hands/clothing to the PEMDs. Open the devices only when 

ready to deploy without delay; wrap and bag them without delay upon retrieval. Practice 

your moves and carefully arrange your tools ahead of time to minimize time and the 

possibility of contamination. Wear disposable gloves and change them between every set 

and retrieval. If available, an assistant (also with clean gloves) can open or close 

pails/bags. Do not allow devices to come in contact with clothing, the boat etc; it should 

go straight from bag to water and vice versa. Design your fastening system to work with 

minimal effort – rusty shackles that require wrenches add time and increase the odds of 

unwanted contamination. Any necessary tools should be cleaned ahead of time; this may

include the boat. Oil or gas weeping from a boat will ruin samples! 

Deployment & Retrieval 

These safety rules MUST be followed when deploying PEMDs from a boat: 

1) Leave a float plan with a friend or family member.

2) Two people are required to deploy PEMDs from a boat.

3) Wear a personal floatation device (PFD).

4) Take a VHF radio and make sure the battery is charged.

5) Have flares, light, or signaling device in working order.

6) Have enough fuel (but don’t overfill).

7) Report to your friend upon your return.

The general strategy is to determine where the devices are to be located, deploy suitable 

anchors for them, then deploy sampling device. All hardware must be very clean; 

hydrocarbons that leach from anchor cable, for example, will become the sample, 

compromising the study. “Very clean” typically means solvent-washed in the laboratory

and transported appropriately (e.g., in Ziploc bags) so that hydrocarbons are not 

accumulated along the way. Anchors, other hardware, floats, and rope can be reused 

repeatedly without further cleaning assuming that it is not contaminated during 

exchanges. New rope (nylon, polypropylene) does not cause contamination. Do not use 

old rope that has an unknown history or rope that has been exposed to bilge water, etc. 

Rope should be placed in suitable bags (e.g., garbage or Ziploc bags) when transported to 

avoid contamination! The same is true for transportation of every other item and tool. 
16

Clean bags are acceptable storage for PEMDs, tools, & gear. Start with new clean Ziploc

and garbage bags and keep them clean in other bags & in pails. 

Five gallon pails are excellent for transportation and collection. Buy new ones and keep 

the insides clean! Stacking pails with hydrocarbons stuck to the outside will contaminate 

pail insides! (Buckets can be stacked if lined with clean garbage bags.) Screw-top lids are 

very useful in this context and a variety of colors is recommended buckets are easily

distinguished (see Table 1 for example bucket contents). Two or three half-gallon plastic 

drinking containers placed inside can provide structure for pails used for tools and small 

gear (Fig. 2). Place bagged PEMDs inside garbage bags inside pails. When open, place 

lids upside down (inside showing) on the ground or other surfaces to avoid transferring 

potential external contamination into buckets. Keep buckets closed as much as possible.

Deployment. Do not open a PEMD until you are ready to place it. Put on clean disposable 

gloves. Tear through the two heat-sealed Ziploc bags and remove the aluminum foil. A 

second person to manage the waste can be helpful, particularly under windy conditions. 

Fasten the PEMD onto its anchoring device and back/drift away. (Do not contaminate 

newly installed devices by standing upstream of them, running boat exhaust by them,

etc.) 
17

Retrieval. Retrieval is essentially the reverse of deployment and should occur first when 

swapping. ‘Collection kits’ are needed; these are simply pre-cut aluminum foil sheets 

placed in Ziploc bags. Arrange collection gear to optimize efficiency and minimize time; 

put on clean disposable gloves. Retrieve the PEMD; this may require tools, such as wire 

cutters, wrenches, etc. Be sure to swirl sediment out of the canister with the water it has 

been in. Fold the shackle to the canister and place the PEMD at the center of an 

aluminum sheet; fold to cover completely. Repeat with a second sheet, starting at the 

opposite side. (A helper makes this process easier, particularly in wind. Avoid contact 

with clothing!) Then place the PEMD in a Ziploc bag; close (with as little air as 

practical). Place this in a second Ziploc bag. Add a label and seal. Put this package in a 

garbage bag inside a bucket. Depending on time and sampling circumstances, you might 

wish to bundle groups of PEMDs in separate garbage bags, tied shut at intervals to 

minimize any possibility of contamination. Freeze as soon as possible. 

Blanks. Site blanks are a necessary quality assurance technique. Open one container per 

site / trip, depending upon agreed-upon design. Expose to air about 1 minute, then re-bag, 

label, and freeze as above. 

Labels & record keeping. Make labels out of paper; “Rite in the rain” all weather paper is 

nice. Pre-printed labels with a minimum of necessary identification information are nice; 

keep them clean in a small Ziploc bag. Each label should have a sample number; use a 

pencil to write the information. Place labels outside of the inner PEMD bag and inside the 

second bag. A complete record of collection, including location and time should be kept 

in a separate notebook. In addition, complete chain of custody forms; these are required 

by the Auke Bay Laboratory for record keeping and processing (Table 2). 

Stream deployment 

Subdivide streams into oiled/polluted (typically downstream) and non-oiled/non-polluted 

(upstream) sections. Non-oiled sites are intended to be stream-specific references. 

Identify and similarly sample matched reference streams. Where feasible, consider 

determining stream gradients and place samplers at the same elevation in multiple 

streams. Be aware, however, that stream gradients can vary considerably, thus site 

elevations and spacing between sites cannot always be uniform from stream-to-stream. 

To sample the hyporheic zone, bury the PEMDs below the stream bed (e.g., 10 to 20 cm 

deep; Fig. 3; Carls et al. 2004). Sometimes stream activity will excavate buried devices. 

PEMDS can be anchored with duckbill anchors (attach shackle to cable with zip ties) or 

weighted polypropylene mesh bags. Partially fill anchor bags with stream rock. Mark 

positions with GPS. Floats located downstream of the PEMD, stakes or cairns on the 

bank, or other identifying marks can be helpful. Photographs are also helpful for locating 

PEMDs. 

Intertidal deployment 

We have successfully used several techniques for anchoring PEMDs in intertidal areas. 

These include weighted bags, duckbill anchors, and expansion bolts drilled into rock. Zip 

ties or nylon rope are used as connectors. PEMDs can be buried or placed on the surface, 
18

depending on objectives. Objectives should also be considered when deciding sampler 

elevation. 

Marine water deployment 

Place anchors on polypropylene rope in desired depth of water. Consider using chain on 

Danforth anchors, then rope (Fig. 3). Alternatively, fasten the rope to the anchor and 

place a lead cannonball weight about 10’ up the rope: this should force the anchor to dig. 

When tying rope to anchors, be sure to smooth sharp edges on the anchor if present – or 

use a shackle. Make eye splices with protective sleeves if possible, or reweave rope ends 

back into the rope several times after knotting (e.g., bowline or rewoven figure eight). 

Use 3/8” line or larger. Keep float sizes small to reduce lift on the anchors – but large 

enough to float the hardware and big enough that you can find them. Bullet or seine floats 

are ok. Assuming the anchors (& other bottom hardware) are reasonably clean (consider a 

detergent wash) and that there are several meters between the anchor and buoy, solvent 

cleaning isn’t needed. Allow enough line for tidal fluctuation, extra slack, etc. Consider 

weighting partway down so it sinks to prevent navigation hazard. 

Gear has a better chance of surviving if placed outside the surf zone and on a broad flat 

shelf. Lines will eventually part if there is too much wave energy, so inspect them 

periodically for wear. Anchors have a habit of moving around even if they initially

appear to be well set; if they slide too far down a slope the buoys will be pulled under and 

the gear will be lost. 

Deploy/retrieve sequence: set anchor, mark position with GPS. Shut engine off!!! Swing 

on the anchor until fumes clear from the air. No smoking; it will contaminate the 

sampler. Only then, deploy (or retrieve) the PEMD. 

Subsurface deployment. PEMDs deployed below the surface are designed to assess 

average hydrocarbon concentrations in various water layers. We typically deploy 1 m 

below the surface to characterize this layer. The most efficient method is to pass a loop of 

anchor rope through the shackle on the PEMD and around the PEMD, then cinch it tight 

(Fig. 4). In our experience, the PEMD will stay put (not sink) on 3/8” polypropylene rope 

and 3/8” may be the largest rope diameter possible for this method. To preclude sinking, 

consider hanging the PEMD from a loop attached directly to the 
19

buoy; the disadvantage is that this can snarl. Another way to stop potential sinking is to 

place a knot in the anchor rope below the device loop. For line larger than 3/8” a second

larger shackle will be necessary (precleaned, of course). Obviously, a knot (e.g., 

butterfly) can be placed in the anchor line at the appropriate depth (e.g., 1 m below the 

buoy) and the PEMD can be shackled to it. Shackles can add time at retrieval and are 

difficult when rusty. One solution is to place a rope loop between both shackles, again 

passed around the PEMD. (An effective knot for making loops is the double fisherman’s 

bend; Fig. 5). Shackles could be potentially linked together with zip ties, but this has not 

yet been tried with this type of deployment and is not recommended. 

Surface deployment. PEMDs deployed at the surface are designed to sample the surface 

microlayer. Well known is the propensity for hydrophobic compounds to accumulate in 

this layer, increasing the probability of detecting very low hydrocarbon levels. A 

technique we previously used was to pass a threaded shaft through the center of the 

PEMD canister; floats were placed at each end of the shaft and the PEMD shackle was 

tied to the anchor rope. A major disadvantage with this system was that field assembly

was necessary and slow. A suggested modification is to revise the sequence; place the 

two floats near the center of the shaft with a gap for a shackle; this will connect to the 

anchor rope (Fig 6). Place a dummy (or replicate) PEMD at one end of the shaft; place 

another PEMD at the other end. These will be held in place with nylon-bushed nuts to 

prevent unthreading. Two nuts at each end are advisable and an ancillary rope or cable 

from the PEMD shackle to the anchor line is possible. 
20

Shipping 

PEMDs in buckets and bagged as outlined above can be shipped via Alaska Air Freight. 

Indicate that the buckets are to be kept frozen. General delivery is ok under these 

conditions. If freezers aren’t working or are not available, then ship priority (or Gold 

Streak). 

Laboratory Analysis 

PEMDs are extracted with organic solvent after wiping to remove gross surface 

contamination. Membranes are placed in centrifuge tubes and spiked with six deuterated 

PAH standards (Carls et al. 2004). Spike solvent (hexane) is allowed to evaporate, then 

the tubes are placed in a sonic bath, and extracted in 80:20 ml pentane/dichloromethane 

for 130 min. The sonicator is on for the first 20 min of each 50 min period. The PEMDs 

are rinsed with pentane as they were removed without delay after the final sonication. 

Extracts are concentrated to 20 to 30 ml, dried with 2 to 4 g of sodium sulfate,

concentrated to 1 to 2 ml in hexane, and passed through 1.5 g silica gel columns. All 

extracts were spiked with an internal standard (hexamethyl benzene) and frozen pending 

analysis. 

Extracts are analyzed by gas chromatography equipped with a mass selective detector and 

PAH concentrations are determined by the internal standard method (Short et al. 1996). 

Experimentally determined method detection limits (MDL) are generally 0.18 to 3.94 

ng/g in PEMDs. Concentrations below MDL are considered equivalent to zero and are 

not reported. The accuracy of the hydrocarbon analyses is typically about " 15% based on 
21

comparison with National Institute of Standards and Technology values, and precision 

expressed as coefficient of variation is usually less than about 20%, depending on the 

PAH. Samples with questionable internal standard recoveries (< 25% or > 150%) are 

typically excluded from analyses unless the results can be independently corroborated by 

other data. 

References 

Carls, M.G., L.G. Holland, J.W. Short, R. A. Heintz, and S. D. Rice. 2004. Monitoring 

polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons in aqueous environments with passive lowdensity polyethylene membrane devices. Environ Toxicol Chem 23:1416-1424. 

Huckins JN, Tubergen MW, Manuweera GK. 1990. Semipermeable membrane devices 

containing model lipid: a new approach to monitoring the bioavailability of 

lipophilic contaminants and estimating their bioconcentration potential. 

Chemosphere 20:533-552. 

Short JW, Jackson TJ, Larsen ML, Wade TL. 1996. Analytical methods used for the 

analysis of hydrocarbons in crude oil, tissues, sediments, and seawater collected 

for the natural resources damage assessment of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Am 

Fish Soc Symp 18:140-148. 

Table 1. Example equipment and supply lists, arranged by bucket. Buckets with colored 

screw-top lids are one convenient way to transport gear and retrieve PEMDs. A fourbucket system is used in this example, each dedicated to a specific purpose. On a first 

trip, an installation bucket with appropriate gear might be substituted for the pickup kit. 

Yellow Red 

Pickup kit Equipment kit 

field notebook YSI salinity, 

temperature meter 

labels Sonar (handheld) 

Aluminum foil GPS 

Disposable gloves VHF radio 

Ziploc bags pens, pencils, 

markers 

garbage bags, 

large, black 

knife 

garbage bags, 

small, white 

wrench(es) 

nut driver 

cutters 

Blue wire cutters 

PEMD 

deployment kit 

screw drivers 

New PEMDs spare batteries 

marlinspike or fid or plastic stake 
22

White 

PEMD retrieval kit 

garbage bags 

retrieved PEMDs 

Supplies Quantity Cost per unit Total

gloves 3 boxes

samplers 21 Provided by ABL 0

1” poly line 2,100 feet

buoys 9

40# anchors 9

10# lead balls 9

Misc. hardware Line eyes, 

small rope,

shackle, etc.

~$250

Float coat PFD 6

write-in-the-rain 

notebook

3

write-in-the-rain 

pens

12

sharpies 6

Sample shipping 

supplies (boxes, 

tape, etc)

For 18 

shipments

Coolers/buckets 3
23

Table 2. Example chain of custody form required by the Auke Bay Laboratory as a data 

record and for analytical processing. 
24

APPENDIX B

Year 2 study design altered significantly to overcome severe weather conditions and to 

insure safety of local staff. Shore-based sampling will replace the offshore sampling. 

Shipping problems have been overcome with implementation of closely monitored 

tracking.

Oil Spill Capacity Building, Preparedness and Monitoring Project

Standard Operating Procedures for Handling, Deploying, Retrieving and Shipping 

Polyethylene Membrane Devices (PEMDs) 

Introduction 

Passive accumulation devices (PADs) are hydrophilic (fat loving) membranes designed to 

sample non-polar hydrophobic hydrocarbons, including polynuclear aromatic 

hydrocarbons (PAH) (oil and petroleum products) and persistent organic pollutants 

(POPs) (contaminants like PCBs) from air, water and sediment. Advantages of passive 

sampling are they can sample large volumes of water, amplify trace hydrocarbon 

quantities (parts-per-trillion) to detectable levels and average the signal over time. In 

addition, they are cheaper and easier to analyze than biological tissue and can be 

deployed over a greater range of environmental conditions. The PAD we will be using 

contains a polyethylene membrane and is called a polyethylene membrane device 

(PEMD), but it is often referred to as a ‘puck’ (Figure 1).

Deployment & Retrieval 

Low-density polyethylene sampling material is placed in the pucks, wrapped with two 

layers of aluminum foil, heat-sealed in two plastic bags and frozen until shipment (Fig. 1; 

Carls et al. 2004). They will be shipped in a 5 gallon plastic bucket. Auke Bay Lab 

scientist Larry Holland will prepare 5 of these devices for each bucket. The contacts at 

Auke Bay Lab are Larry Holland (telephone 907-789-6083 and e-mail 

larry.holland@noaa.gov) who is a chemist and Mark Carls (telephone 907-789-6019 and 

e-mail mark.carls@noaa.gov) who is a biologist. 
25

PEMDs sample both air and water and tiny unwanted quantities of contaminants can 

swamp the target signal. For example, someone smoking a cigarette nearby can damage 

the PEMD. So be cautious, these devices are incredibly sensitive!!! Petroleum products 

have a way of migrating from hands and clothing to the PEMDs. Open the PEMDs 

protective plastic and foil only when ready to deploy without delay; wrap and bag them 

without delay upon retrieval. Practice your moves and carefully arrange your tools ahead 

of time to minimize time and the possibility of contamination. Wear disposable gloves 

and change them between every set and retrieval. Do not allow devices to come in 

contact with clothing; it should go straight from bag to the rock and vice versa. 

Bruce Wright, the APIA project manager, will assist in establishing the sampling sites 

and anchoring locations. You will be trained how to deploy and retrieve the pucks 

without contaminating them. The only tool you need is a clean wrench. This will be 

provided. You will be provided with wrenches, write in rain paper labels, pencils, 

indelible ink markers, 1 gallon Ziploc bags, chain of custody forms (coming from ABL 

w/PEMD), latex gloves and aluminum foil in Ziploc bags.

Five gallon pails are excellent for transporting and collecting PEMDs. When open, place 

lids upside down (inside showing) on the ground or other surfaces to avoid transferring 

potential external contamination into buckets. Keep buckets closed as much as possible.

Do not open a PEMD until you are ready to place it. Put on clean disposable gloves. Tear 

through the two heat-sealed Ziploc bags and remove the aluminum foil. A second person 

to manage the waste can be helpful, particularly under windy conditions. Fasten the 

PEMD onto its anchoring.

Retrieval and Deployment: Monthly Sampling

Retrieval is essentially the reverse of deployment. ‘Collection kits’ are needed; these are 

simply pre-cut aluminum foil sheets placed in Ziploc bags. Arrange collection gear to 

optimize efficiency and minimize time; put on clean disposable gloves. Retrieve the 

PEMD using the wrench. Disconnect the redundant safety cable. (see Figure 3).
26

Figure 2. Puck mounted to bedrock and attached redundant cable also mounted to 

bedrock.

Be sure to flush sediment out of the canister with seawater. Fold the shackle to the 

canister and place the PEMD at the center of an aluminum sheet; fold to cover 

completely. Repeat with a second sheet, starting at the opposite side. (A helper makes 

this process easier, particularly in wind. Avoid contact with clothing!) Then place the 

PEMD in a Ziploc bag; close (with as little air as practical). Place this in a second Ziploc 

bag. Add a label and seal (The labels can be prepared before going into the field and 

contain the following information: date, location, operator and notes such as 

contamination problems). Put this package inside the bucket. Ship the bucket as soon as 

possible (address/shipping label below). 

During each trip to each sampling station you should inspect the sampling apparatus for 

corrosion and wear. Alert Bruce Wright if you believe there is a problem. Clean any 

biofouling (kelp, algae, barnacles, mussels, etc.) from the sampling apparatus. 

Field Blanks.. Field or site blanks are a necessary quality assurance technique. Open the 

plastic bags and remove the foil layers, expose to air about 1 minute, then re-bag and 

label. Label the field blank. Any of the pucks can be used as a field blank or trip blank.

Trip Blanks. Any of the pucks can be used as a field blank or trip blank. Carry the trip 

blank with you, in the bucket with the samples and field blank. Don’t open or deploy the 

trip blank. There is no need to label the trip blank; it just rides along and insures the 

chemist back at Auke Bay Lab that clean procedures are being followed and the samples 

are not being compromised. Never open the trip blank!
27

Labels & record keeping. Make labels out of paper; “Rite in the rain” all weather paper is 

nice. Pre-printed labels with a minimum of necessary identification information are nice; 

keep them clean in a small Ziploc bag. Each label should have a sample number, location, 

operator and date; use a pencil to write the information. Place labels outside of the inner 

PEMD bag and inside the second bag. A complete record of collection, including location 

and time should be kept in a separate notebook. 

The chain of custody forms will be included in the bucket. The chain of custody form is 

required by the Auke Bay Laboratory for record keeping and processing (example: Figure 

3). Complete these forms after recovering the PEMDs from the field. Include as much 

information as you can, although you may not be able to complete all categories 

indicated. Make a copy of the chain of custody for your files and send the original back to 

Auke Bay Lab in the same bucket as the 5 PEMDs.

Shipping 

Put PEMDs in bucket and bagged as outlined above. The bucket should be shipped via 

priority U.S. Mail. Ship collect or, if you pay for shipping, keep the receipt so you can get 

reimbursed. The shipping labels are below.

References 

Carls, M.G., L.G. Holland, J.W. Short, R. A. Heintz, and S. D. Rice. 2004. Monitoring 

polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons in aqueous environments with passive lowdensity polyethylene membrane devices. Environ Toxicol Chem 23:1416-1424. 

Short JW, Jackson TJ, Larsen ML, Wade TL. 1996. Analytical methods used for the 

analysis of hydrocarbons in crude oil, tissues, sediments, and seawater collected 

for the natural resources damage assessment of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Am 

Fish Soc Symp 18:140-148. 
28

Table 1. Supplies needed for deployment and retrieval of PEMDs:

new PEMDs (5)

aluminum foil 

disposable gloves (large)

wrenches

Attachment supplies

pencil 

chain of custody forms

Ziploc bags 

Table 2. OIL MONITORING CONTACTS

ALEUTIAN PRIBILOF ISLANDS ASSOCIATION

Primary Contact: Bruce Wright, Senior Scientist

Address: 1131 E. International Airport Rd. , Anchorage, AK 99518 

Telephone: (907) 222-4260 or (800) 478-2742 

Fax: (907) 222-4273 

Email: brucew@apiai.org

AUKE BAY LAB

Primary Contact: Larry Holland, Chemist 

Secondary Contact: Mark Carls, Biologist 

Address: 17109 Pt. Lena Loop Road ,Juneau, AK 99801

Phone: (907) 789-6083 or (907) 789-6019 

Fax: (907) 789-6094 

Email: larry.holland@noaa.gov & mark.carls@noaa.gov
29

APPENDIX C

This is the document used to track deploying, retrieving and shipping the sampling 

devices, and interactive document.

Oil Monitoring Project Contacts, Schedule and Tracking

Akutan: George Bereskin, PO Box 4, Akutan, 99553, 698-2399 (city office 698-2228)

1

st deployed 3/12/07, 1st received ABL 4/18/07

2

nd deployed 5/1/07, 2nd pulled 6/5/07 and shipped to ABL on 6/6/07, arrived ABL on 

6/13/07.

Atka: Andrew Zaochney. PO Box 47031, Atka, AK 99547, 839-2233 (office), 839-2208 

(home), 301-2197 (mobile), andrewz@gci.net

1

st deployed 3/11/08, 1st pulled 4/11/08, 1st received ABL 4/16/08

2

nd deployed 4/11/08, 2nd pulled 5/12/08.

False Pass: Gilda Shellikoff, Tribal Administrator, PO Box 29 False Pass AK 99583, 

(907) 548-2227, fax (907) 548-2256, falsepasstc@gci.net (Billy Shellikoff 548-2207) 

(Siri Goulette 548-2226)

1

st and ONLY deployed 6/16-6/17/08,1st pulled , and 1st received ABL .

King Cove: Desirae Roehl, 497-2648, des_atcenvironment@yahoo.com, ATC, PO Box 

5, King Cove, AK 99617 

1

st deployed 6/21-6/22/08, 1st received ABL 7/18/08

2

nd deployed 7/22/08, 2nd pulled and shipped to ABL on 8/28/08 .

Nikolski: Scott Kerr, Aleutian Island Adventures, PO Box 10 Nikolski, AK 99638 (576-

2239)

1

st deployment 10/1/07, pucks picked up 10/31/07 and mailed to ABL.

2

nd bucket sent 10/24/07, pucks deployed 11/1/07 and picked up and sent to ABL 

12/5/07.

St. George: Patricia 859-2403.

1

st deployed January 3, 2009, 1st received ABL 

2

nd deployed February 3 (?), 2009 , 2nd pulled, and shipped to ABL on ,arrived 

ABL on .

St. Paul: Tyler Melovidov (546-2502), Phil Zavadil (546-3230 

pazavadil@tribaleco.com)

1

st deployment 5/16/07. 1st deployment pulled 6/27/07 and arrived ABL 7/5/07.

2

nd deployment pucks arrived ABL 7/11/07 (2 days shipping). Puck deployed 7/24/07 and 

picked up and sent to ABL on 8/24/07. Arrived ABL on 8/27/07.