GRP: San Juan Islands and North Puget Sound
Strategy Area: Point Whitehorn (inside Birch Bay) WHA0146
Strategy Number: NPS-11
Checked By: Lummi Nation and MSRC
Date: 7/27/2009
Type: Field Visit
Latitude: 48.784167
Longitude: -122.701944
Location: At the North Cape of the entrance channel to the Sandy Point Marina on the west coast of the Sandy Point Peninsula of the Lummi Indian Reservation in Whatcom County WA. The deployment is into Georgia Strait.
Response Strategy: NPS-11 as written is the deployment of 1000' of boom from the north shore of the entrance channel in a straight line to the south. The GRPs describe this as a collection strategy. The purpose of the strategy is to protect oil from entering Lummi Bay whi
Feet/Type of Boom: 1000 feet of Elastec/American Marine Special Simplex Boom with 8” float diameter, 12” skirt, 22 oz/ sq.yd PVC fabric, and universal connectors.
Strategy Implementation: The Lummi Nation's boom trailer was backed up to a beach access point at the north end of the Sandy Point peninsula at the end of Beach Way. Two Lummi Nation vessels were launched at Gooseberry Point and MSRC's response vessel Grebe came to the site from
Staging Area: Trailered boats were launched at Gooseberry Point and the boom was deployed from the trailer at the end of Beach Way on the Sandy Point Peninsula.
Site Access: The shore anchor site was accessed across private land at 4301 Sucia Drive. Request of the landowner was sought and received prior to the drill. Access to tidelands of the Reservation is through permission of the Lummi Nation.
Resources Requiring Protection: Shellfish beds and aquaculture facility in Lummi Bay.
Comments: Tides for 7/27/2009 for Cherry Point were: Low of 2.03 ft at 4:34 am High of 6.6 ft at 10:26 am Low of 3.17 ft at 3:40 pm High of 9.44 ft at 10:17 pm The day was clear and sunny and conditions were calm. Vac truck access at the tested site in front of 4301 Sucia Drive would be difficult. Vac truck access may be easier further to the south.