ABSTRACT (Paper253)
Environment and Climate Change Canada's (ECCC), Emergencies Science and Technology Section (ESTS) undertakes Research and Development (R&D) on a range of oil and chemical spill environmental topics. In addition, ESTS's role includes the transfer of scientific and technical results to the decision-makers and operational spill response community. Since 2016 ECCC has published three field guides related to oil spill response on marine and freshwater shorelines. Three additional guides are in production. They present scientific information on in-situ burning of oil spills and marine oil spill waste management. The third guide currently in development is the Manual on Monitoring and Sampling for Oil Spill Response. It is one tool from ECCC's effort to develop and implement a new comprehensive oil spill monitoring and sampling program for ECCC's Environmental Emergency Program (EEP).
A new Monitoring and Sampling Program has been launched by ECCC. It is intended to meet the needs of ECCC staff who have a regulatory and emergency response role at an oil spill incident. The Program considers the preparedness, response and recovery phases of an incident.
Results to date include the following:
The development of the first electronic edition of a Manual on Monitoring and Sampling for Oil Spill Response;
A digitally based monitoring and sampling training course created for hybrid and/or in-person learning;
Evaluation and use of new and novel portable instruments tested in the laboratory and during field studies for on-site use at spill incidents; and,
Development and validation of field and laboratory Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Tactical Sheets to Canadian and International accreditation standards.
The intent of the Program is to make available to EEP personnel the latest scientific information on sampling objectives, development and implementation of a plan, management within the response regime, considerations for data quality, on-site and laboratory analysis requirements and communication of results to spill response decision-makers, government and the general public.