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Geographic Response Plan_Sample

Ala' Hamdan-PMP
Ala' Hamdan-PMP

This Geographic Response Plan (GRP) provides an emergency response strategy for a hypothetical oil spill from a pipeline extending from George West to Corpus Christi, Texas. The plan divides the response area into five priority zones based on environmental, economic and social factors. It identifies two staging areas and equipment deployment schedules. Tactical routes and the incident command structure are also outlined. Appendix A describes the potential environmental impacts to sensitive habitats in Nueces Bay, as well as economic impacts to fisheries and the Port of Corpus Christi. The GRP is intended to provide a quick and effective response to minimize impacts from an oil spill in the area.

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George West to Corpus Christi Geographic Response Plan 2014 Authored by Convenient Innovations Inc. and Midlinx Convenient Innovations, Inc. GIS Consulting Services
TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. PRODUCT DESCRIPTION 1 2. GRP SAMPLE PLAN SITE 1 3. EMERGENCY RESPONSE ZONES 4 4. SITE CONTROL 5 A. LEVEL I: TACTICAL SITE AND STAGING AREAS 5 B. LEVEL II: STAGING AREAS 7 C. TACTICAL ROUTE RESOURCES 8 D. EQUIPMENT AND DEPLOYMENT SCHEDULE 9 E. INCIDENT COMMAND STRUCTURE AND RESPONSIBILITIES 10 F. LOCAL SITE LOGISTICS 11 5. APPENDIX A: POTENTIAL IMPACTS 12 A. ENVIRONMENTAL 12 B. ECONOMIC 15 C. SOCIAL 15
GEORGE WEST TO CORPUS CHRISTI GEOGRAPHIC RESPONSE PLAN 1. PRODUCT DESCRIPTION A Geographic Response Plan (GRP) provides a clear, comprehensive and brief oil or chemical spill emergency response plan for a given site. The GRP includes maps of the emergency response strategies of how the spill is to be contained in the quickest, most efficient and least impactful way possible. Inefficiencies during an oil spill response can turn into millions of dollars in finds and from settlements. GRP plans provided by Convenient Innovations Inc. and Midlinx, can account for hundreds of factors and can provide a comprehensive, yet simple plan of action to be tested during drills and implemented during a spill event. The GRP is developed to: Prioritize zones of response based on site specific social, cultural, environmental, microeconomic and macroeconomic potential impacts. Understand unique site logistic constrains and topographic challenges Identify solutions to site specific problems Determine man power requirements Define emergency response tasks, their execution priority, and location to successfully contain and clean the spill. The sample GRP presented herein provides an execution plan for a given site. 2. GRP SAMPLE PLAN SITE The GRP site is located along a pipeline system, extending from George West to Corpus Christi. It is a pipeline system of a 12.75 crude oil pipeline. Near the termination point, in Corpus Christi, the system comes within the proximity of numerous resources of high social, environmental, and economic value. The site plan, provided in Figure 1, depicts the various factors as weightings, that when added together; highlight the zones of highest potential impact. The criterion for the weightings is outlined within the Potential Impact Measurement System (PIMS) GIS dataset, further described in Appendix A. See Figure 1 for a pipeline system illustration of the high potential impact zones, located within 20 miles of the pipeline system. Geographic Response Plan Page 1
FIGURE 1: PIPELINE SYSTEM POTENTIAL IMPACT ZONES OVERVIEW Within the pipeline system illustrated in Figure 1, this GRP provides sample oil spill emergency response strategies for a pipeline segment extending from US Highway 77 to Marvin Berry Road. The extent of the GRP site is illustrated in Figure 2. Geographic Response Plan Page 2
FIGURE 2: GEOGRAPHIC RESPONSE PLAN EXTENT For illustration purposes only, a hypothetical incident site has been selected at the intersection of US Highway 77 and Interstate Highway 37 (see below). Geographic Response Plan Page 3
FIGURE 3: HYPOTHETICAL INCIDENT SITE AND NEARBY HYDROLOGIC NETWORKS As illustrated in Figure 3, the incident site above crosses tributaries leading to the Nueces Bay and out to the Gulf of Mexico. There are fisheries a number of environmental sensitive habitats and commercially navigable waterways that can potentially be affected if the contamination reaches the streams over land. Appendix 5 provides full details of the affected resources. 3. EMERGENCY RESPONSE ZONES The GRP subdivides a given site into five priority zones. The zones have been ranked based on the number of factors and their ranking or significance within each zone. The zone with the highest priority is Priority Zone 1. The zone with the lowest priority is Priority Zone 5. The emergency zones per order of priority are illustrated in Figure 4. Assets that need to be immediately protected during a spill, based on their importance, are shown as Priority Zone 1. The assets of second highest priority are depicted under Priority Zone 2; other assets to be protected are depicted in order of significance under priority zones 3, 4 and 5 respectively. Geographic Response Plan Page 4
FIGURE 4: EMERGENCY RESPONSE PRIORITY ZONES 4. SITE CONTROL The GRP provides full details of the location and set-up of staging areas and the emergency response logistics strategy that addresses the local sites geographic constrains and site specific sensitivities. A. LEVEL I: TACTICAL SITE and STAGING AREAS For illustration purposes, these GRP proposes that the level I tactical site and staging area 1 be located 250 feet away from the incident site, outside of the cold zone of the spill (see Figure 5). Geographic Response Plan Page 5
FIGURE 5: HYPOTHETICAL INCIDENT SITE Note: Level I response staging areas should be in close proximity to the TCP; 3 to 5 minutes from the incident site. The deployment of the spill containment equipment is planned taking into account the location of the site with respect to topography. Topography is used to attenuate the effects of the spill. On this sample GRP, the incident site is 9-10 meters above sea level. Due to its proximity to the Gulf of Mexico, It slopes downwards, towards the ocean. The proposed locations for the absorbent boon barricades were selected based on the locations where the booms would have maximum impact, when accounting for local topography. The lengths of the boom barricades are given in Figure 6. The boom barricades proposed are laid out in order of priority with barricade 1 being the first barricade to be set-up. Note: Several absorbent boom equipment types are available. An on-site investigation and further study is required prior to finalizing the boom placement and boom types). During an on-site visit and based on further study, some other precautionary may be identified and provided. As an example, if the site is identified as being extremely high risk, an actual earth berm, absorbent boom(s), and or sand bags may need to be placed by the operator within the proximity of the site permanently in order to optimize response time. Geographic Response Plan Page 6
FIGURE 6: BOOM CONTAINMENT STRATEGY All tactical response resources, defined for Staging Area 1, are to be stored in close proximity of the TCP and the On-Scene Commander is to be notified of their location. Within an actual GRP, the location of the resource would be identified. B. LEVEL II: STAGING AREAS Should the spill enter the Nueces Bay, two additional nearby existing staging areas may be used to contain the spill, if available. One houses a Vessel of Opportunity Skimming System (VOSS) and the second houses 3000 feet of hard boom. The staging areas are show in Figure 7. Note: An on-site reconnaissance would verify the location of the boom and VOSS equipment, their availability, current point of contact and condition. Geographic Response Plan Page 7
FIGURE 7: LEVEL 2 STAGING AREAS The VOSS would be used to collect the oil and to remove the oil away from the site. In-situ burning is not allowed within 3 miles of the coastline. C. TACTICAL ROUTE RESOURCES The two main access routes to be used to move equipment and personnel are Interstate Highway 37 and US Highway 77 as applicable (See Figure 8). Geographic Response Plan Page 8
FIGURE 8: TACTICAL ROUTES D. EQUIPMENT AND DEPLOYMENT SCHEDULE The Staging Area 1 coordination strategy for equipment, base location of equipment, staff and deployment schedule are provided in Table 1. Equipment Base Location Function Count #Staff/ Shift Mob Time Deploy Time Vacuum Truck Corpus Christi Waste Water Removal 1 2 2 hrs. 0.5 hrs. Decon Pit Houston Decontamination 2 4 1 hr. 2 hrs. Absorbent boom and pads Staging Area 1 Oil Spill Containment 5 TBD TBD TBD Grass Mower Houston Oil Spill Clean-up 2 2 2 hrs. 0.5 hrs Table 1: EQUIPMENT AND PERSONNEL NEEDS Equipment and deployment schedule for Staging Areas 2 and 3 would be developed after site visit based on availability. Geographic Response Plan Page 9
E. INCIDENT COMMAND STRUCTURE AND RESPONSIBILITIES In general, each Staging Area must have a manager, who reports to the On-Scene Commander (Deputy Operations Section Chief) or Branch Director. There is also a site safety officer for each staging area. The point of contact for Staging Areas 2 and 3 must be identified during the on-site reconnaissance and incorporated in the flow chart below. The Incident Commanders responsibilities are: The Staging Area Commander responsibilities are: Prepare ICS 201 Incident Briefing document Designate Aide(s) File Field Reports Instituted personnel accountability procedures Set up decontamination station and procedures Manage personnel as required Geographic Response Plan Page 10
Site Safety Officer Responsibilities Conducted tailgate safety briefings Coordinate medical screening Determined need to evacuate non-responders from Isolation Zone Identify and manage wastewater removal site Identify PPE requirements F. LOCAL SITE LOGISTICS Helipad and near airfield displayed in Figure 9 could be used to evacuate personnel. An on-site reconnaissance to identify availability and condition of resources is required. There are no major hospitals in the area. FIGURE 9: LOCAL SITE LOGISTICS Geographic Response Plan Page 11
5. APPENDIX A: POTENTIAL IMPACTS Convenient Innovations Inc. offers the patent pending Potential Impact Measurement System (PIMS). PIMS is a single spatial database affecting the value of anyone place. The PIMS system was used to identify high risk zones for this GRP. The detailed results of the affected resources identified through PIMS, with respect to environmental, economic and social are provided below. A. ENVIRONMENTAL There are several sensitive habitats near and within the Nueces Bay. Figure 10 subdivides the sites into zones. Table 2 describes each of the zones. FIGURE 10: ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS Geographic Response Plan Page 12
Zone Location Description Bird Description Fish Description Wetland Description Shorebirds, wading birds, sandhill cranes, waterfowl, marsh birds, gulf saltmarsh snake Good shrimp, fish nursery 1 Deltaic marsh (Salicornia, Borrichia, Batis, Scirpus) with fringe of Spartina alterniflora on bay margin; high marsh (Spartina spartinae, other species) in interior 1 Nueces delta marsh and flats 2 South of Rincon Bayou Nursery for shrimp, fish 3 Lake, marsh north of Nueces River Nursery 4 Lake west of Nueces delta Nursery 5 Nueces delta marsh and flats 6 High marsh in Nueces River delta 7 Nueces River delta marsh 8 Mitigation area in Wading birds, Nursery habitat Nueces delta ducks, shorebirds for shrimp, crabs Open water with some Ruppia 9 Area north of landfill and MoPac Railroad line, south of Nueces River High delta marsh (Monanthochloe, Salicornia, Borrichia) 10 Flats, deltaic marsh north of Nueces River Shorebirds, wading birds, sandhill cranes, waterfowl, marsh birds, gulf saltmarsh snake Important nursery Deltaic marsh (Salicornia, Borrichia, Batis, Scirpus) with fringe of Spartina alterniflora on bay margin; high marsh (Spartina spartinae, other species) in interior Marsh birds, some waterfowl Nursery Brackish marsh, Spartina alterniflora on bay margin Geographic Response Plan Page 13
11 Upper Nueces Bay Waterfowl (scaup, Important fish, redhead, pintail), shrimp nursery ospreys, pelicans; diamondback terrapin 12 Upper Nueces Bay Waterfowl (scaup, Important fish, redhead, pintail), shrimp nursery ospreys, pelicans; diamondback terrapin 13 Upper Nueces Bay Waterfowl (scaup, Important fish, redhead, pintail), shrimp nursery ospreys, pelicans; diamondback terrapin 14 Islands in northwest Nueces Bay Rookery (614Fish, shrimp, 140) for most scattered oysters species of wading birds, terns; waterfowl (scaup, redhead, pintail), ospreys, pelicans; diamondback terrapins 15 North Nueces Bay shoreline south of Whites Point oilfield 16 Flats at Nueces River mouth 17 18 Nursery, sport fishing Halodule, patchy Spartina alterniflora along shoreline Shorebirds, wading birds on shoreline flats Nursery, recreational fishing Spartina alterniflora marsh Marsh south of Whites Point oilfield Shorebirds, nesting Wilsons and snowy plovers, least terns, waterfowl Nursery Spartina alterniflora zone; salt marsh and high marsh East White Point marsh Piping plover use, Nursery nesting snowy plover and least tern, shorebirds, wading birds Spartina alterniflora zone; salt marsh and high marsh TABLE 2: ENVIRONMENTAL SENSITIVITY ZONES DESCRIPTION Geographic Response Plan Page 14
B. ECONOMIC The Nueces Bay contains many important fish and shrimp nurseries, documented in Table 2, under Zones 1-5, 7-8 and 11-18. In addition to the many important fish and shrimp nurseries in the area, the nearby Corpus Christi Port is the fifth largest port in the US is used as a Commercially Navigable Waterway and contains an oil refinery subzone. FIGURE 11: ECONOMIC FACTORS Geographic Response Plan Page 15
Port. C. SOCIAL As illustrated in Figure 12, Corpus Christi population densities are highly concentrated near the Nueces Bay and the Corpus Christi FIGURE 12: SOCIAL IMPACT Geographic Response Plan Page 16

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Geographic Response Plan_Sample

  • 1. George West to Corpus Christi Geographic Response Plan 2014 Authored by Convenient Innovations Inc. and Midlinx Convenient Innovations, Inc. GIS Consulting Services
  • 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. PRODUCT DESCRIPTION 1 2. GRP SAMPLE PLAN SITE 1 3. EMERGENCY RESPONSE ZONES 4 4. SITE CONTROL 5 A. LEVEL I: TACTICAL SITE AND STAGING AREAS 5 B. LEVEL II: STAGING AREAS 7 C. TACTICAL ROUTE RESOURCES 8 D. EQUIPMENT AND DEPLOYMENT SCHEDULE 9 E. INCIDENT COMMAND STRUCTURE AND RESPONSIBILITIES 10 F. LOCAL SITE LOGISTICS 11 5. APPENDIX A: POTENTIAL IMPACTS 12 A. ENVIRONMENTAL 12 B. ECONOMIC 15 C. SOCIAL 15
  • 3. GEORGE WEST TO CORPUS CHRISTI GEOGRAPHIC RESPONSE PLAN 1. PRODUCT DESCRIPTION A Geographic Response Plan (GRP) provides a clear, comprehensive and brief oil or chemical spill emergency response plan for a given site. The GRP includes maps of the emergency response strategies of how the spill is to be contained in the quickest, most efficient and least impactful way possible. Inefficiencies during an oil spill response can turn into millions of dollars in finds and from settlements. GRP plans provided by Convenient Innovations Inc. and Midlinx, can account for hundreds of factors and can provide a comprehensive, yet simple plan of action to be tested during drills and implemented during a spill event. The GRP is developed to: Prioritize zones of response based on site specific social, cultural, environmental, microeconomic and macroeconomic potential impacts. Understand unique site logistic constrains and topographic challenges Identify solutions to site specific problems Determine man power requirements Define emergency response tasks, their execution priority, and location to successfully contain and clean the spill. The sample GRP presented herein provides an execution plan for a given site. 2. GRP SAMPLE PLAN SITE The GRP site is located along a pipeline system, extending from George West to Corpus Christi. It is a pipeline system of a 12.75 crude oil pipeline. Near the termination point, in Corpus Christi, the system comes within the proximity of numerous resources of high social, environmental, and economic value. The site plan, provided in Figure 1, depicts the various factors as weightings, that when added together; highlight the zones of highest potential impact. The criterion for the weightings is outlined within the Potential Impact Measurement System (PIMS) GIS dataset, further described in Appendix A. See Figure 1 for a pipeline system illustration of the high potential impact zones, located within 20 miles of the pipeline system. Geographic Response Plan Page 1
  • 4. FIGURE 1: PIPELINE SYSTEM POTENTIAL IMPACT ZONES OVERVIEW Within the pipeline system illustrated in Figure 1, this GRP provides sample oil spill emergency response strategies for a pipeline segment extending from US Highway 77 to Marvin Berry Road. The extent of the GRP site is illustrated in Figure 2. Geographic Response Plan Page 2
  • 5. FIGURE 2: GEOGRAPHIC RESPONSE PLAN EXTENT For illustration purposes only, a hypothetical incident site has been selected at the intersection of US Highway 77 and Interstate Highway 37 (see below). Geographic Response Plan Page 3
  • 6. FIGURE 3: HYPOTHETICAL INCIDENT SITE AND NEARBY HYDROLOGIC NETWORKS As illustrated in Figure 3, the incident site above crosses tributaries leading to the Nueces Bay and out to the Gulf of Mexico. There are fisheries a number of environmental sensitive habitats and commercially navigable waterways that can potentially be affected if the contamination reaches the streams over land. Appendix 5 provides full details of the affected resources. 3. EMERGENCY RESPONSE ZONES The GRP subdivides a given site into five priority zones. The zones have been ranked based on the number of factors and their ranking or significance within each zone. The zone with the highest priority is Priority Zone 1. The zone with the lowest priority is Priority Zone 5. The emergency zones per order of priority are illustrated in Figure 4. Assets that need to be immediately protected during a spill, based on their importance, are shown as Priority Zone 1. The assets of second highest priority are depicted under Priority Zone 2; other assets to be protected are depicted in order of significance under priority zones 3, 4 and 5 respectively. Geographic Response Plan Page 4
  • 7. FIGURE 4: EMERGENCY RESPONSE PRIORITY ZONES 4. SITE CONTROL The GRP provides full details of the location and set-up of staging areas and the emergency response logistics strategy that addresses the local sites geographic constrains and site specific sensitivities. A. LEVEL I: TACTICAL SITE and STAGING AREAS For illustration purposes, these GRP proposes that the level I tactical site and staging area 1 be located 250 feet away from the incident site, outside of the cold zone of the spill (see Figure 5). Geographic Response Plan Page 5
  • 8. FIGURE 5: HYPOTHETICAL INCIDENT SITE Note: Level I response staging areas should be in close proximity to the TCP; 3 to 5 minutes from the incident site. The deployment of the spill containment equipment is planned taking into account the location of the site with respect to topography. Topography is used to attenuate the effects of the spill. On this sample GRP, the incident site is 9-10 meters above sea level. Due to its proximity to the Gulf of Mexico, It slopes downwards, towards the ocean. The proposed locations for the absorbent boon barricades were selected based on the locations where the booms would have maximum impact, when accounting for local topography. The lengths of the boom barricades are given in Figure 6. The boom barricades proposed are laid out in order of priority with barricade 1 being the first barricade to be set-up. Note: Several absorbent boom equipment types are available. An on-site investigation and further study is required prior to finalizing the boom placement and boom types). During an on-site visit and based on further study, some other precautionary may be identified and provided. As an example, if the site is identified as being extremely high risk, an actual earth berm, absorbent boom(s), and or sand bags may need to be placed by the operator within the proximity of the site permanently in order to optimize response time. Geographic Response Plan Page 6
  • 9. FIGURE 6: BOOM CONTAINMENT STRATEGY All tactical response resources, defined for Staging Area 1, are to be stored in close proximity of the TCP and the On-Scene Commander is to be notified of their location. Within an actual GRP, the location of the resource would be identified. B. LEVEL II: STAGING AREAS Should the spill enter the Nueces Bay, two additional nearby existing staging areas may be used to contain the spill, if available. One houses a Vessel of Opportunity Skimming System (VOSS) and the second houses 3000 feet of hard boom. The staging areas are show in Figure 7. Note: An on-site reconnaissance would verify the location of the boom and VOSS equipment, their availability, current point of contact and condition. Geographic Response Plan Page 7
  • 10. FIGURE 7: LEVEL 2 STAGING AREAS The VOSS would be used to collect the oil and to remove the oil away from the site. In-situ burning is not allowed within 3 miles of the coastline. C. TACTICAL ROUTE RESOURCES The two main access routes to be used to move equipment and personnel are Interstate Highway 37 and US Highway 77 as applicable (See Figure 8). Geographic Response Plan Page 8
  • 11. FIGURE 8: TACTICAL ROUTES D. EQUIPMENT AND DEPLOYMENT SCHEDULE The Staging Area 1 coordination strategy for equipment, base location of equipment, staff and deployment schedule are provided in Table 1. Equipment Base Location Function Count #Staff/ Shift Mob Time Deploy Time Vacuum Truck Corpus Christi Waste Water Removal 1 2 2 hrs. 0.5 hrs. Decon Pit Houston Decontamination 2 4 1 hr. 2 hrs. Absorbent boom and pads Staging Area 1 Oil Spill Containment 5 TBD TBD TBD Grass Mower Houston Oil Spill Clean-up 2 2 2 hrs. 0.5 hrs Table 1: EQUIPMENT AND PERSONNEL NEEDS Equipment and deployment schedule for Staging Areas 2 and 3 would be developed after site visit based on availability. Geographic Response Plan Page 9
  • 12. E. INCIDENT COMMAND STRUCTURE AND RESPONSIBILITIES In general, each Staging Area must have a manager, who reports to the On-Scene Commander (Deputy Operations Section Chief) or Branch Director. There is also a site safety officer for each staging area. The point of contact for Staging Areas 2 and 3 must be identified during the on-site reconnaissance and incorporated in the flow chart below. The Incident Commanders responsibilities are: The Staging Area Commander responsibilities are: Prepare ICS 201 Incident Briefing document Designate Aide(s) File Field Reports Instituted personnel accountability procedures Set up decontamination station and procedures Manage personnel as required Geographic Response Plan Page 10
  • 13. Site Safety Officer Responsibilities Conducted tailgate safety briefings Coordinate medical screening Determined need to evacuate non-responders from Isolation Zone Identify and manage wastewater removal site Identify PPE requirements F. LOCAL SITE LOGISTICS Helipad and near airfield displayed in Figure 9 could be used to evacuate personnel. An on-site reconnaissance to identify availability and condition of resources is required. There are no major hospitals in the area. FIGURE 9: LOCAL SITE LOGISTICS Geographic Response Plan Page 11
  • 14. 5. APPENDIX A: POTENTIAL IMPACTS Convenient Innovations Inc. offers the patent pending Potential Impact Measurement System (PIMS). PIMS is a single spatial database affecting the value of anyone place. The PIMS system was used to identify high risk zones for this GRP. The detailed results of the affected resources identified through PIMS, with respect to environmental, economic and social are provided below. A. ENVIRONMENTAL There are several sensitive habitats near and within the Nueces Bay. Figure 10 subdivides the sites into zones. Table 2 describes each of the zones. FIGURE 10: ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS Geographic Response Plan Page 12
  • 15. Zone Location Description Bird Description Fish Description Wetland Description Shorebirds, wading birds, sandhill cranes, waterfowl, marsh birds, gulf saltmarsh snake Good shrimp, fish nursery 1 Deltaic marsh (Salicornia, Borrichia, Batis, Scirpus) with fringe of Spartina alterniflora on bay margin; high marsh (Spartina spartinae, other species) in interior 1 Nueces delta marsh and flats 2 South of Rincon Bayou Nursery for shrimp, fish 3 Lake, marsh north of Nueces River Nursery 4 Lake west of Nueces delta Nursery 5 Nueces delta marsh and flats 6 High marsh in Nueces River delta 7 Nueces River delta marsh 8 Mitigation area in Wading birds, Nursery habitat Nueces delta ducks, shorebirds for shrimp, crabs Open water with some Ruppia 9 Area north of landfill and MoPac Railroad line, south of Nueces River High delta marsh (Monanthochloe, Salicornia, Borrichia) 10 Flats, deltaic marsh north of Nueces River Shorebirds, wading birds, sandhill cranes, waterfowl, marsh birds, gulf saltmarsh snake Important nursery Deltaic marsh (Salicornia, Borrichia, Batis, Scirpus) with fringe of Spartina alterniflora on bay margin; high marsh (Spartina spartinae, other species) in interior Marsh birds, some waterfowl Nursery Brackish marsh, Spartina alterniflora on bay margin Geographic Response Plan Page 13
  • 16. 11 Upper Nueces Bay Waterfowl (scaup, Important fish, redhead, pintail), shrimp nursery ospreys, pelicans; diamondback terrapin 12 Upper Nueces Bay Waterfowl (scaup, Important fish, redhead, pintail), shrimp nursery ospreys, pelicans; diamondback terrapin 13 Upper Nueces Bay Waterfowl (scaup, Important fish, redhead, pintail), shrimp nursery ospreys, pelicans; diamondback terrapin 14 Islands in northwest Nueces Bay Rookery (614Fish, shrimp, 140) for most scattered oysters species of wading birds, terns; waterfowl (scaup, redhead, pintail), ospreys, pelicans; diamondback terrapins 15 North Nueces Bay shoreline south of Whites Point oilfield 16 Flats at Nueces River mouth 17 18 Nursery, sport fishing Halodule, patchy Spartina alterniflora along shoreline Shorebirds, wading birds on shoreline flats Nursery, recreational fishing Spartina alterniflora marsh Marsh south of Whites Point oilfield Shorebirds, nesting Wilsons and snowy plovers, least terns, waterfowl Nursery Spartina alterniflora zone; salt marsh and high marsh East White Point marsh Piping plover use, Nursery nesting snowy plover and least tern, shorebirds, wading birds Spartina alterniflora zone; salt marsh and high marsh TABLE 2: ENVIRONMENTAL SENSITIVITY ZONES DESCRIPTION Geographic Response Plan Page 14
  • 17. B. ECONOMIC The Nueces Bay contains many important fish and shrimp nurseries, documented in Table 2, under Zones 1-5, 7-8 and 11-18. In addition to the many important fish and shrimp nurseries in the area, the nearby Corpus Christi Port is the fifth largest port in the US is used as a Commercially Navigable Waterway and contains an oil refinery subzone. FIGURE 11: ECONOMIC FACTORS Geographic Response Plan Page 15
  • 18. Port. C. SOCIAL As illustrated in Figure 12, Corpus Christi population densities are highly concentrated near the Nueces Bay and the Corpus Christi FIGURE 12: SOCIAL IMPACT Geographic Response Plan Page 16