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Latin American and Carribean Projects Selected Summaries (Many conducted directly in Spanish / Portuguese) 1974 - 2001
	Evaluation / Testing Oil Spill Contingency Plan, Manaus, Brasil Petrobras - Arthur D. Little Inc.
	Following a training session, the regional contingency plan for Amazonas was tested and evaluated in Manaus. A full range of skimmer and boom equipment was deployed from both small and large vessels. Equipment was in the water and ready to collect pseudo-oil (oranges) within 1 hour. Shoreline cleanup was underway within two hours. A report of activities and improvements was prepared.
	Review of Emergency Response Procedures, Offshore Brasil PetroBras, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, Arthur D. Little, MA
	An on-site examination of 27 offshore installations (FPSO vessels, floating platforms, attached platforms) was conducted to review written procedures, training, and the ability of operators to detect and respond to low-level anomalies in order to prevent the small emergency to degenerate into a major emergency or spill-related catastrophe. The onshore installations and pipeline associated with the Campos Basin were also included in the review. Contingency Plans were reviewed and tested in detail with on-site operating personnel.
	Assessment and Remediation of Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), Caracas and Maracaibo, Venezuela
	Lake Maracaibo is one of the great oil producing regions of the world and is the center of regional controversy because of perceived detrimental effects from more than 75 years of oil operations. Several negative effects are clearly visible: a green slime caused by the overproduction of algae (eutrophication) is common in many areas, the bottom waters of the Lake are anoxic, and discharges from industrial and municipal sources notably cause local pollution. The oil industry is the primary recipient of criticism concerning the current degradation of the Lake, and is specifically blamed for the discharge of pollutants and oil spills as well as for the navigation channel that enables tanker transport in the Lake, which is assumed to be the principal cause of the anoxia. At the same time, there is widespread public and high-level political support for the construction of a regional omni-port at the entrance to the Lake that would conceivably solve the environmental problems of the Lake by eliminating the channel and removing oil transport in the Lake. At its fullest design, the omni-port would handle petroleum, petrochemicals, coal, general cargo, and duty free trans-shipments, and would cause the relocation of all oil export and import facilities from the Lake at an enormous cost. This 3-year study focused on sources of Lake contamination, the potential environmental benefits to the Lake's water quality that would be derived by closing the dredged channel and by reducing nutrient inputs, and the economic costs of channel closing. The study team was lead by Bechtel International and included a broad range of scientists and engineers from Venezuela, the United States, Denmark and Australia. The overall purpose of the study was to develop a realistic and scientifically based strategy to improve the water quality of the Lake. Publications: Gundlach, E., A. Findikakis, L. Delgado and A. Harding. 2001. Remediation and transportation planning, Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela. 2001 International Oil Spill Conference.
	Gas Pipeline Impact Analysis, Contingency Plan and Risk Analysis, Bolivia PetroBras contract to EcoNat Ltd., Santa Cruz, Bolivia
	The group Andino (comprised of Repsol-YPF, PetroBras and TotalFinaElf) desires to construct a 30-inch, 420 km pipeline from the San Pablo gas field in southern Bolivia to link in Santa Cruz with the major gas pipeline to Brasil. The planned capacity of the line is 24 million cubic feet per day, coming online in 2004 at a cost of $300 million. This project, lead by EcoNat, this project provided Environmental Impact Analysis submission for approval to the Bolivian Ministries. In addition to providing technical advice on the submission, the Contingency Plan and Risk Analysis were prepared especially for the project. Both components were developed to reflect the three life stages of the project after design: construction, operation, and de-commissioning.
	National Contingency Plan (Including Evaluating Equipment and Response), Venezuela Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), Caracas, Venezuela
	As part of the national effort to improve oil spill response performance in Venezuela, the National Contingency Plan was reviewed in depth to reflect the increased awareness of oil pollution costs. Venezuela presently exports 3 million barrels per day, which is expected to rise at least 20 percent over the next 8 years. The work involved site visits to all major export facilities to determine the actual capabilities of their Local and Regional Contingency Plans and review of spill equipment on site as well as that scheduled for purchase. Specific recommendations were also made for the out-sourcing of equipment purchases, maintenance, training, and all response activities during spill-related events. Escorted tours were also arranged for visiting major spill response organizations in the United States. Reports: Gundlach, E. Task 1. Benchmarking evaluation of National Oil Spill Contingency Plans, prepared for PDVSA, Venezuela, 30 pp.
	Remediation of Oil Waste Lagoons, Venezuela PDVSA, Caracas, and U.S. Trade and Development Agency, Washington DC. , contract to CDM
	This multi-stage project was undertaken to assist PDVSA in finding solutions to the disposal of oily waste developed in the fields in and around Lake Maracaibo, including the elimination of several large oil waste lagoons in the area. Led by CDM, the assessment first included chemical and topographic analyses of the waste lagoons, followed by the technical and economic evaluation of the best methods for disposal. Based on oil spill treatment experience, specific advice was provided as to potential disposal techniques.
	Environmental Assessment / Audit of an Integrated Mining and Minerals Transport Company, Chile Compañia Minería del Pacifico (CMP)
	An intensive environmental due diligence assessment of all facilities associated with major mining and mineral processing operations was undertaken in Chile. Issues evaluated included facility environmental compliance, impacts, and risks with respect to facility air emissions, ground and surface water contamination, facility impacts to agricultural and ecological resources, solid and hazardous waste management, air and water pollution control systems, railway and port operations, on-site health and safety, and environmental monitoring. Both Chilean and international standards for protection of human health and the environment, as well as accepted best-management practices with regard to air and water quality and ecological resources, were utilized to provide a series of detailed findings and to environmental management recommendations. In addition to solely technical issues, the team also reviewed and recommended specific actions to develop both corporate and facility environmental management programs. This review included five major open pit mines, dry and wet processing and concentration facilities, almost 200 km of rail system, numerous workshops and maintenance areas, solid and organic waste disposal areas, storage and stockpile areas, three major port facilities involving export/import of bulk cargo as well as petroleum fuel products, and numerous tank storage areas.
	Environmental Assessment / Audit of a Iron / Steel Facility, Chile Compañia Minería del Pacifico (CMP)
	This project involved the comprehensive identification and evaluation study of the plants air, water, waste, spill control, material handling, ecological, and regulatory risks. The study results identified the plant's main problem areas with respect to past and present environmental impacts, provided a prioritization scheme for addressing the problems, recommended program level solutions, and designed an environmental management system for the plant.
	Environmental Impact Analysis and Oil Field Monitoring, Argentina YPF, Buenos Aires, contract to Arthur D. Little and AICC, Buenos Aires
	Assessments of over 15 oil development areas were conducted in Argentina, including environmental impacts, cleanup and remediation needs, and follow-up monitoring. These projects were conducted in several phases. Work included reviewing over 250 waste pits associated with drilling and production operations, over 75 major oil and oil/process water lagoons, and 15 solid waste disposal areas. Key tasks included determining immediate impacts, recommending treatment / remediation, and monitoring progress in the implementation of the cleanup and remediation program.In 1995, monitoring the YPF facilities in the Neuguen basin in central Argentina found that over 80% of the waste pits and 60% of the large oil and brine lagoons had been treated and closed or lined. Treatment methods for the lagoons and waste pits were practical and able to be implemented, primarily focusing on: Collecting all liquid product to a central lined receiving pit lined with controlled access Separating by surface crude oil by weirs (e.g., API-style separators) or direct surface skimming Placing separated in crude into the transport pipeline for refining Processing sludge material by mixing primarily with available soil and land-farming, or by placing and compacting as road bed (in semi-arid climate) Waste pits and lagoons were closed by first mixing any remaining material with soil and then by in-filling and compacting the excavation with soil Publication: Gundlach, E.R., H. Rizzato, E. Nastri, and A. Murut. New oil spill environmental protection and contingency plan requirements - Argentina. 1995 EPA/USCG/API Oil Spill Conference, American Petroleum Institute.
	Environmental Assessment of an Iron Pelletizing Plant, Chile Compañia Acero del Pacífico
	An assessment was conducted of a large iron pelletizing plant in Huasco, Chile, particularly related to air and water discharges. Completed by other members of the team, the air work focused on impact (loss of productivity) to the adjacent olive groves. The water discharge evaluation comprised an analysis of water quantity and quality, location, and effects on the bottom. Data for water chemistry, suspended sediment, bottom profile and biological characterizations were available and evaluated. Specific measures to enhance the environmental performance of the facility were recommended.
	Environmental Review, Neuquen Basin Oil Field, Argentina Alberta Energy de Argentina, S.A.
	A field assessment was undertaken prior to purchase of this oil field. Several environmental concerns were noted, including ineffective disposal of produced water, open oil waste pits, pipe leakage, and overall waste disposal practices. The condition of the Field compared favorably to over 30 other fields that had been previously reviewed.

	Computerized Waste Tracking System, Venezuela PDVSA, Caracas, and U.S. Trade and Development Agency, Washington DC.
	For this Project, a computer-based (Access) system was developed to track oil and hazardous wastes generated in the western oil fields of Venezuela. Separate forms were developed (in Spanish) for the sender and the receiver of the waste product. It also included access to advisory information for the safe handling and transport of oil-based wastes. The project included extensive field work and information gathering in the Lake Maracaibo area.
	Impact / Risk Analysis and Contingency Plan, Gas Pipeline Transport and Distribution System, Chile TransGas de Chile, British Gas, Tenneco, and Empresa Nacional de Petróleo (ENAP), Santiago

	This Project involved the preparation of an 600-page Environmental Impact Analysis for the Distribution System of near $1 billion, 800-km Argentina to Chile gas pipeline for British Gas/Tenneco/ENAP. Components developed, in addition to environmental, technical, and legal descriptions of the project, include a Risk Analysis and detailed Contingency Plan for all Phases of the Project. The Plan included operations to be performed under a set of defined emergencies, and the roles and responsibilities of TransGas personnel in each case. The project was conducted in Spanish and English, with over 30 investigators preparing various components on the EIA. All final reports were prepared in Spanish and submitted to Chilean Government for approval. A GIS mapping system was used to rapidly assemble base maps, the pipeline route, and environmental overlays.
	Environmental Training in Gas Transport and Distribution, Argentina Empresa Nacional Argentina de Gas (ENARGAS), Buenos Aires
	This two-week program conducted in Spanish in Buenos Aires was designed to provide the national gas regulatory agency, ENARGAS, with a working knowledge of primary environmental and contingency planning efforts associated with the petroleum and gas industries. The program included an extensive series of presentations, handouts, lecture notes, and workshops.
	Environmental Impact of Astra Oil Operations, Argentina Astra C.A.P.S.A., Buenos Aires
	An environmental assessment of all Astra operations in Argentina was conducted, including well sites, pipelines, gathering and pumping stations, separation units, land fills, tank farms, etc. The plan denoted and ranked environmental concerns, and then developed both mitigation measures and a plan to monitor improvement for each environmental issue. The assessment recognized both the environmental problems associated with Astra operations and the improvements being made. The Environmental Assessment was submitted and approved by the Argentine government in conformance with Resolution 103/92. Publications and Reports: Gundlach, E.R. y H. Rizzato. 1994. Estudio de evaluación ambiental del yacimiento Dadin (Res. 105/92 SE). Informe para Astra C.A.P.S.A., 115 pp. Gundlach, E.R. y H. Rizzato. 1994. Estudio de evaluación ambiental del yacimiento Vizcacheras (Res. 105/92 SE). Informe para Astra C.A.P.S.A., 125 pp.
	Panama Canal Oil and Hazardous Materials Contingency Plan and Risk Analysis, Panama Panama Canal Commission, Panama
	The Panama Canal forms one of the world's strategic shipping routes handling hundreds of oil and hazardous cargoes annually. Additionally, the surrounding area contains several large oil storage and transport facilities as well. This project reviewed oil, hazardous materials, and other risks in terms of potential Canal closure based on probability of occurrence and potential severity. Mitigation measures were recommended in all cases identified. A coordinated land- and aquatic-based contingency response plan was developed indicating roles and responsibilities, training level, call-out plans, response groups (local, national, Caribbean region, and international), as well as estimating expenses for undertaking the recommended strategy for compliance. Publications and Reports: Gundlach, E.R. and others. 1992. Oil and hazardous materials spill contingency plan, Panama Canal Commission. approx. 150 pp. Isenberg, D. and E.R. Gundlach. 1992. Evaluation of training and equipment needs, Panama Canal Commission. 97 pp. + appendices.

	Contingency Plan for YPF Oil Fields, Argentina YPF, Buenos Aires, Argentina

	Contingency plans were developed for several YPF oil fields in the Neuquen Basin. Each plan fully defined the organizational structure, spill management roles and responsibilities, equipment needs and deployment strategies, notification procedures, and specific actions to be taken. Plans were submitted and approved by the Argentine regulatory authority.
	Oil Spill Contingency Plan and Sensitivity Mapping, Pipeline and Marine Terminals, Western Panama Panamanian Government and PetroTerminales de Panama, Panama City, Panama
	This project involved the development of an effective oil-spill response plan for PetroTerminal de Panama (PTP) facilities in western Panama. The installation under the direction of PTP consists of an offloading terminal and oil storage depot along the Pacific Coast, a 132-km pipeline over the Cordillera Central of Panama, and an Atlantic Ocean terminal consisting of a tank farm and two monobuoys (SPMs). Due to concern over the environmental impacts of possible oil spills from the terminal or pipeline. The work included analysis and recommendations to purchase specific equipment, to develop a spill-response organizational structure, and to test both equipment and spill-response personnel in an organized spill-drill situation. After site surveys, it was recommended that spill-response equipment be stored at each terminal and at a centralized pump station in order to response effectively to a spill anywhere along the line. The developed contingency plan was tested and found effective in July 1984. Representatives from Panamanian government and industry participated in the review of the spill-response operation. Over the two years following the report, over $1.0 million of response-related equipment was purchased. Publications and Reports: Gundlach, E.R., I.F. de Vincenti, G. Moss, and J. Janssen. 1985. Resource mapping and contingency planning, PTP pipeline facilities, Panama. in Proc. 1985 Oil Spill Conf., Amer. Petrol. Inst., Wash. D.C. Janssen, J. and E.R. Gundlach. 1984. The oil spill contingency plan for PTP facilities, Panama. 95 pp. and 5 maps.
	Metula Oil Spill, Strait of Magellan, Chile National Science Foundation, Exxon Corporation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
	The study was a result of a grounding and rupture of the 120,000-supertanker Metula which released over 50,000 tons of crude oil within the eastern Strait of Magellan in August 1974. Carried by strong wind-generated and tidal currents, the Saudi Arabian crude spread over more than 100 km of shoreline. Because of the chance to observe spill effects and influencing coastal processes first-hand, the spill attracted the attention of the international scientific community. The first study in August 1975 determined the great similarities exist between Patagonian coastal environment and areas that were glacially included in the United States, particularly New England, Alaska, and Washington State. Further studies were undertaken in January 1976, August 1976, and February 1981, and in December 1995. Key findings were that (a) sheltered tidal flats and marshes showed long-term damage from the spill; (b) active beaches retained oil only across the spring-tide swash line and along the toe of the beach; (c) oil did not remain on the surface of exposed tidal flats; and (d) long-term biological damage was limited to sheltered tidal flat and marsh areas. Publications: Gundlach, E.R., Comparative photographs of the Metula spill site, 21 years later. 1997 International Oil Spill Conference, American Petroleum Inst. Wash. DC, p. 1042-1044.Gundlach, E.R., M.O. Hayes, C.H. Ruby, L.G. Ward, A.E. Blount, I.A. Fischer and R.J. Stein, 1978. Some guidelines for oil spill control in coastal environments, based on field studies of four oil spills. In Proc. of Symposium on Chemical Dispersants for the Control of Oil Spills, ASTM STP 659, American Society for Testing and Materials, p. 98-118.
	Teaching / Research Universidad Católica de Valparaíso / Instituto Hidgrográfico de la Armada Catholic University of Valparaiso and the Naval Hydrographic Institute
	Teaching topics at the University level included coastal geology and oceanography. Research topics included changes in shoreline in the Bay of Valparaiso and the topographic features of the San Antonio Canyon. Related publication: Las Zonas de Barrido en las Playas del Litoral de Valparaíso a Con-Con: Un Estudio Preliminar (Raul Serano), in Revista de Valparaíso, p. 63-85.