Washington Administrative Code › Title 173 - Ecology, Department of (See also Titles 197, 317, 372, and 508) › Chapter 173-182 - Oil spill contingency plan › Part II - COVERED VESSEL AND FACILITY OIL SPILL CONTINGENCY PLANS › Section Section D - Response and Protection Strategies for Sensitive Areas › Section 173-182-540 - Planning standards for wildlife response

Current through Register Vol. 24-14, July 15, 2024
Plan holders must plan to respond to and care for wildlife
					 injured or endangered by oil spills. Wildlife response actions shall be
					 conducted in accordance with applicable federal and state regulations and the
					 Northwest Area Contingency Plan.
(1)
				  The plan must include contact information for any PRC or WRSP, available under
				  contract or other approvable means, and that maintain the required equipment,
				  personnel, permits, materials, and supplies, for conducting wildlife response
				  operations in accordance with the capabilities detailed below.
(2) The plan shall describe the equipment,
				  personnel, and resources for wildlife response, including:
(a) Equipment and personnel that may be used
				  to support an initial impact assessment and wildlife reconnaissance via air,
				  land, or water in the spill area.
(b) Equipment and personnel for whale
				  reconnaissance, if these animals may be present in the areas the plan holder
				  operates or transits, including:
(i) Contact
				  information for providers of aircraft capable of supporting aerial
				  reconnaissance, and deterrence, beyond the immediate spill area to locate
				  whales, which may include southern resident killer whales.
(ii) Contact information for persons or
				  organizations that can identify whales, which may include southern resident
				  killer whales, from aerial observation and support field reconnaissance
				  activities.
(c)
				  Equipment and personnel that may be used to deter the types of wildlife likely
				  to be found within the areas where the plan holder operates or transits,
				  including the types and staging locations of the deterrent equipment. This
				  equipment must have the capability to arrive on-scene within twelve hours of
				  spill notification.
(d) Based on
				  the areas the plan holder operates or transits, equipment and personnel to
				  conduct monitoring and deterrence operations to prevent whales, which may
				  include southern resident killer whales, from encountering spilled oil. The
				  plan shall include contact information for a list of vessels, which may be
				  whale watching vessels, which have been vetted, trained, and equipped to
				  support killer whale deterrent operations. The accuracy of the contact
				  information will be verified in tabletop drills. The deployment capability will
				  be tested in multiple plan holder deployment drills.
(e) Equipment and supplies for mobile field
				  stabilization activities, such as, conducting the initial health assessment and
				  treatment of impacted wildlife prior to transport to an oiled wildlife
				  rehabilitation facility. The mobile field stabilization asset must be enclosed,
				  a minimum of one hundred eighty square feet, lighted and heated, and capable of
				  arriving on-scene within twelve hours of spill notification.
(f) Wildlife rehabilitation facilities,
				  space, and equipment suitable to conduct wildlife rehabilitation activities.
				  Wildlife rehabilitation facilities shall meet the WDFW rehabilitation
				  requirements detailed in WAC
				  220-450-100.
				  The plan holder must have access under contract or other approvable means to
				  wildlife rehabilitation spaces and necessary supporting supplies and equipment
				  as described below. The facility spaces and equipment must have the capability
				  to be strategically placed to support the response within twenty-four hours of
				  spill notification. The facility space must meet the following minimum
				  requirements:
(i) A minimum of two thousand
				  four hundred square feet of space to house and treat wildlife. This space shall
				  have the ability to be configured to support intake, prewash stabilization,
				  wash/rinse, drying, and isolation/intensive care activities as needed. A
				  minimum of four wash and rinse stations will have the ability to be located
				  within this space.
(ii) A minimum
				  of one thousand square feet of space to support rehabilitation activities. This
				  space shall have the ability to be configured to support animal food
				  preparation, medical lab, dry storage, morgue and necropsy areas.
(iii) Pools with a minimum of one thousand
				  two hundred square feet of surface area are required. Pool dimensions will be
				  such that no point in a pool will be greater than eight feet from a side. Pools
				  will have the ability to be filled with freshwater to a minimum depth of three
				  feet.
(iv) Access to laundry and
				  cold/freezer storage capacity to support wildlife response. These spaces may be
				  located offsite.
(v) Include a
				  diagram of how the equipment could be configured and provide details about at
				  least one strategic staging location for the rehabilitation facility.