Spatial Analysis of Contaminant Concentrations in the Hylebos Waterway
Highlights
- NOAA needed advice on the technical aspects of a Habitat Equivalency Analysis
- Abt advised on toxicology and hazardous substances.
- We developed a GIS database describing the area, and provided modeling of contaminant footprints.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) contracted with Abt Associates for advice on the technical aspects of a Habitat Equivalency Analysis (HEA) developed for a natural resource damage assessment of the Hylebos Waterway in Commencement Bay, Wash. HEA is a model that equates damage to the environment over space and time to benefits that can be generated by natural resource restoration.
Abt staff provided a critical review of toxicology literature relevant to the effects of various hazardous substances on estuarine organisms and advised NOAA about methods to incorporate toxicology information into a robust and defensible HEA. We also assisted NOAA in a critical review of site specific data about hazardous substances in waterway sediments.
In addition to our technical assistance and analysis, we developed a geographic information system (GIS) database describing the area, and provided geostatistical modeling of the magnitude and extent of contaminant footprints.