IPSWICH — As the nation's worst environmental disaster continued to unfold in the Gulf of Mexico, local emergency personnel took advantage of yesterday's beach weather to practice responding to a marine oil spill.
It was a chance to find the chinks in the protective armor that would be deployed in such a crisis, but also a stark reminder that our best defense against spills is prevention.
"Nothing good ever happens when oil hits the water," said Rich Packard from the state Department of Environmental Protection's oil spill prevention and response program, which coordinated yesterday's drill.
The state agency has provided every coastal community with a trailer filled with equipment that might be needed for an emergency response. Included are four, 250-foot yellow "booms" that could be used to contain or direct an oil spill.
They're similar to the ones being used on the Gulf Coast. They are divided into pockets that hold a flotation device. Once they were dragged in the water, however, they proved quite a load for the small boats from the Essex and Rowley harbormasters and the Ipswich Fire Department, along with Ipswich's pump-out boat.
Nuka Research and Planning Group was hired to develop strategies for dealing with a spill. Elise DeCola, operations manager for the company, said yesterday's exercise provided "a measurable objective to train to."
Boat captains quickly learned that the tide and current ripping through the mouth of the Ipswich River, coupled with a following wind, made maneuvering the booms difficult. One boom was momentarily wrapped around a power boat moored between Little Neck and the back side of Crane Beach, but the other captains learned from that difficulty, and the rest of the booms were waterborne without incident.
They were subsequently tethered off Great Neck and Plum Island, where they would divert oil for collection during a real spill.
Ipswich's acting police chief, Paul Nikas, noted that every circumstance can't be rehearsed. It's still early in the boating season, but come July Fourth, the river will be filled with many more moored boats and boaters, making boom deployment even more difficult, Nikas said.
Oil spills produce emotional responses from people who hear their favorite beach has been fouled, Packard said. Yet, if possible, emergency responders would direct oil to such beaches, where it's much easier to collect than on a rocky shore, he said.
All three communities taking part in yesterday's drill have a vested interest in protecting clam flats that represent their long ties to the ocean. And they all contain significant portions of New England's brackish gem, the Great Marsh.
So while Plum Island Sound is not home to any drilling rigs or oil-laden ships, its value to the North Shore is a paramount concern.
"It's a difficult area to protect if there is a spill," Packard said.
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