The Minerals Management Service initiated a cooperative effort with Environment Canada to participate in continuing evaluation of innovative oil spill response technology and procedures. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has suspended operation of the Oil and Hazardous Materials Simulated Environmental Test Tank (OHMSETT) facility at Leonardo, New Jersey, and alternative facilities and procedures are necessary to minimize the delay in testing innovative oil spill response technology and procedures. This project will identify all suitable test tanks in Canada. It will provide a detailed engineering assessment of the suitability of each facility to conduct test protocols comparable to those at OHMSETT, and provide engineering cost and time estimates for necessary modification at each facility to achieve comparability to OHMSETT.
Complete. No suitable substitute has been identified where equipment can be tested in repeatable wave fields in an advancing mode. The results of this project supported the necessity for reopening the OHMSETT facility. The MMS entered into a use agreement with the Navy for OHMSETT. OHMSETT is scheduled to be reopened in Fall 1991.