High quality (2.6 MB) Low quality (1 MB) Connection Approximate Download Times T1 13 sec 5 sec DSL 27 sec 10 sec Cable 5 sec 2 sec 56kbps Dial-up 7 min 3 min Requires QuickTime player 5.0 or greater.

[Title screen. Text appears over photos of a blue heron, spraying water, and an aerial view of the Patuxent River . NOAA logo. Music plays in the background.]

Restoring Oysters After an Oil Spill

[Text changes. Subtitle.]

A Natural Resource Damage Assessment for the April 2000 Southern Maryland Oil Spill

[Text changes. The names of restoration trustees are displayed.]

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
State of Maryland
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
PEPCO and ST Services

[Photos of an electrical generating facility along the bank of a river. Female narrator, off camera.]

On April 7, 2000 , an oil pipeline ruptured at an electricity-generating facility in Southern Maryland. The pipeline was previously owned by the Potomac Electric Power Company, also known as Pepco, and operated by ST Services

[Photos of an oil boom, a person scooping oiled grass from water, cleanup workers, and an aerial view of the Patuxent River with oil in it. Female narrator, off camera.]

Roughly 140,000 gallons of oil spilled into the Patuxent River , a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay .

[Photos of a blue heron and a ruddy duck. Female narrator, off camera.]

The oil affected the area's wetlands, shoreline, fish and shellfish, and ruddy ducks and other birds—as well as recreational activities.

[Photos of cleanup workers on river shoreline, a woman on a boat, and volunteer cleanup workers working along the river's edge. Female narrator, off camera.]

NOAA, other trustee agencies, and Pepco worked cooperatively to assess these injured resources and identify restoration projects that addressed specific injuries.

[A boat with the sign, "Oyster Recovery Partnership" moves in the water. Water sprays from compartments on its side into the water below. A second angle shows the spray from underwater. Female narrator, off camera.]

In June 2004, NOAA, trustees, and the Oyster Recovery Partnership began one of several restoration projects—creating an oyster reef sanctuary and planting 10 million disease-free oysters.

[A sequence of underwater video showing the condition of river beds before and after oyster plantings. Screen captions read, "Patuxuent 2001, Unrestored"; "Patuxent 2001, Restored, planted 1998"; "Severn 2001, Planted 1999"; "Choptank 2001, Planted 2000"; "Eastern Bay 2000, Planted 2000." Female narrator, off camera.]

The sanctuary, like those previously planted in the Patuxent, Severn and Choptank Rivers, will help clean the water, provide habitat for a wide assortment of bay flora and fauna, and increase the oyster population in surrounding waters. It will be restricted from harvesting.

[Photos of a man standing at a podium microphone, three men standing next to each other, and three men standing in a tent having an informal discussion. Female narrator, off camera.]

Pepco officials, agency restoration experts, local citizens, and Congressman Steny Hoyer—whose district was affected by the spill—celebrated the seeding of the oyster sanctuary.

[Photos of a man at a podium presenting a picture or plaque to another man while shaking his hand, underwater video of fish swimming along a river bottom. Female narrator, off camera.]

At the restoration event, NOAA also recognized Pepco for its leadership during the natural resource damage assessment. The company served as a role model for how industry can produce significant restoration outcomes while addressing pollution liability.

[Map of Maryland, Virginia, and the Upper Chesapeake Bay with dots identifying restoration project locations; a map of the Patuxent River showing restoration projects, and aerial photos of the Patuxent River immediately following the oil spill and an aerial photo of the Patuxent River after it has been cleaned and restored. Female narrator, off camera.]

The oyster project is one of eleven restoration projects that will be implemented to restore affected resources and recreational services.

[Fade to black. Music.]