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Case: Cooper River, M/V
Everreach, SC
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Date of incident: September 30, 2002.
Location: Charleston Harbor, South Carolina.
Trustees:
Case status: Restoration Planning.
Overview:
On or about September 30, 2002, #6 fuel oil was discharged into the waters of
the Cooper River and Charleston Harbor, in South Carolina, from the
containership M/V EVERREACH as that vessel prepared for or left the harbor for
its next port of call. The volume of oil discharged has been estimated to be
approximately 12,500 gallons. The distribution of oil was predominately
concentrated along the western shore of the Cooper River between the Interstate
526 Bridge and the Cooper River Bridge, in the vicinity of the North Charleston
Terminal and the Old Navy Base piers and docks, but other shoreline areas were
also exposed to the oil in varying degrees. In all, the oil ranged over
approximately 30 linear miles of shoreline comprised of a variety of shoreline
types, including tidal flats, fringing marshes, intertidal oyster reefs, sandy
beaches and manmade structures (i.e., docks, piers, bulkheads), and their
associated sediments. The oil spill also resulted in the oiling of a number of
shorebirds, a shellfish bed closure, and a temporary disruption to recreational
shrimp-baiting in area waters. The natural resource damage assessment is being
pursued under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990.
Injury assessment activities have been completed and the Trustees are developing
a draft restoration plan that is expected to be available for public review and
comment in 2007.
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