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This website describes the process used to develop Geographic Response Strategies (GRS) to protect sensitive coastal environments in the Cook Inlet Subarea. The Cook Inlet Subarea encompasses the boundaries of the Kenai Peninsula Borough, the Municipality of Anchorage, and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, including adjacent shorelines
GRS are oil spill response plans tailored to protect a specific sensitive area from oil impacts following a spill. These response plans are map-based strategies that can save time during the critical first few hours of an oil spill response. They show responders where sensitive areas are located and where to place oil spill protection resources.
The Cook Inlet Subarea includes the geographic response zones included in the following list and shown on the map below. GRS have been developed for all zones except for Whittier.
Download a larger, printable copy of this map (164 KB pdf).
The Cook Inlet GRS Site Selection Process
The first step in the GRS site selection process was to identify candidate sites. Within each of the subzones in Cook Inlet, candidate sites were identified based on a set of site selection criteria.
If funding permits, GRS may eventually be developed for all candidate sites. However, most GRS projects are carried out in phases, where a smaller group of sites (usually around 20) are selected for initial GRS development. GRS sites are selected on the basis of three major criteria:
- environmental sensitivity,
- risk of being impacted from a water borne spill; and
- feasibility of successfully protecting the site with existing technology.
Public comments were also considered during site selection, and additional sites may be selected by the workgroup based on this input. Once GRS site selection was finalized, the workgroup developed strategies for each site.
In Cook Inlet, the workgroups for each sub zone considered potential GRS locations based on the following criteria of environmental sensitivity, which are set forth in the Cook Inlet Subarea Plan:
- Threatened and Endangered Species/Habitats
- Marshes
- Sheltered Tidal Flats
- Sheltered Rocky Shores
- Sea Otter Concentration Areas
- Harbor Seal Haulouts
- Sea Lion Rookeries and Haulouts
- Large Seabird Colonies
- Waterfowl and Shorebird Spring and/or Fall Concentration Areas
- Eagle Nest Sites
- Large Anadromous Fish Streams
- Intertidal Salmon Spawning Areas
- Hatcheries
- Herring Spawning Areas
- Federal Wilderness Areas, Wild and Scenic Rivers, and National Natural Landmarks
- State Refuges, Sanctuaries, and Critical Habitat Areas
- Cultural Resources/Archaeological Sites
- Intertidal Sites
- Subsistence Harvest Areas
- High Use Commercial Fishing Areas
- High Use Recreational Areas
The workgroup process was opened to the public and public participation was welcomed and encouraged. The workgroup's record is available for public review, and meeting schedules and documents are available from each subarea site. For additional information regarding Geographic Response Strategies or the workgroup process, or if you have local knowledge about the portions of coastal Alaska for which GRS have been developed please contact: dec.spar.grs@alaska.gov
The Cook Inlet GRS
The final Cook Inlet GRS documents consists of the following parts:
- Table of Contents (18KB pdf)
- Part 1. Introduction (223KB pdf) including:
- Purpose and Scope,
- How to Use the Document,
- Who to Contact for Input,
- How the Document was Developed,
- How Sites were Selected;
- Part 2. General Protection/Collection Tactics (758KB pdf) including:
- A vessel classification system,
- Detailed descriptions and drawings of tactics that may be used to protect sensitive areas in the Seward Zone;
- Part 3. Site-specific Geographic Response Strategies including:
- Index Map
- Site Descriptions,
- Reference Maps
- Overall Site Photo,
- Shoreline Description and Information,
- Sensitive Resource Description (by seasons),
- Scope of Plan,
- Site-Specific Logistical Information; and
- Part 4. References (16KB pdf)
You can learn more about Geographic Response Strategies by reading our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, Cook Inlet Regional Citizens' Advisory Council, Kenai Fjords National Park, the Kenai Peninsula Borough, and Prince William Sound Regional Citizens' Advisory Council have provided funding for this project.
This page last updated: June 19, 2008 by Nuka Research & Planning Group, LLC
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