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NOTE 5: Up to 11 million barrels of crude oil was spilled/pumped into the
 Arabian Gulf from two sources. The primary source included two
 oil refineries at A1 Ahmadi, Kuwait. Crude oil was being pumped
 out of an oil buoy and sea island terminal approximately 8 miles
 off shore. The oil was being pumped from storage tanks at the
 refineries through two manifold stations approximately 5 miles on
 shore. After each manifold was hit with video guided bombs, the
 oil flow subsided. The secondary source included 5 tankers with
 up to 4 million barrels of oil. It is believed, although not
 confirmed, that the oil in all 5 tankers was also discharged into
 the Arabian Gulf. Initial estimates indicated that the resulting
 oil slick was 35 miles long and 10 miles wide containing 8-11
 million barrels of crude oil. The slick is now almost stagnant
 along the east coast of Saudi Arabia. It is beginning to emulsify
 with the water and is currently approximately 10 miles north of A1
 Jubayl. If left unchecked, the environmental impact could be 
 severe in some areas. It could take years for the shrimping and
 fishing industries to recover to current status. Balls of oil
 will eventually form and settle in areas on the bottom which will
 reduce creatures that inhabit the seabed such as crustaceans,
 schools of small fish, and aquatic invertebrates. Lack of
 adequate littoral vegetation (aquatic-rooted plants) will cause
 some of these creatures to die which, in turn, will reduce food
 sources for higher orders of fish, shrimp, and other sea
 creatures. The floating oil will also coat the feathers of sea
 birds (terns, cormorants, and gulls) causing severe reductions in
 their populations. Clean up operations are currently underway,
 but hampered by the Gulf War. A multinational effort lead by
 Saudi Arabia has already installed absorbent booms and is
 preparing to spray the oil slick with a special absorbent agent.
 The Department of Defense headed the U.S. team with members from
 the Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency,
 Environmental Protection Agency, and Army Corps of Engineers.

 2. Documentation (DD Form 1391) for a Desert Storm hazardous waste removal
 project is currently being staffed. After completion of the DD Form 1391
 and funding by the Government of Japan, the 416th Engineer Command plans to
 award the project to Bechtel Corporation. The contract will provide for
 proper disposal of industrial and medical hazardous wastes at all sites in
 the AOR. A list of hazardous wastes and disposal/storage systems for each
 site is currently being compiled.

 3. The 416th Engineer Command is also preparing a project for Bechtel
 Corporation to accomplish an environmental assessment for the entire Desert
 Storm AOR.

	AS OF: 2 Mar 91
 . [(b)(2)]

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