Development of Bioremediation for Oil Spill Cleanup in Coastal Wetlands, OCS MMS 2003-048

The Minerals Management Service (MMS), Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, announces the availability of a new study report, Development of Bioremediation for Oil Spill Cleanup in Coastal Wetlands.

Although bioremediation of oil spill cleanup has received considerable attention in recent years, its satisfactory use in the cleanup of oil spills in the wetland environment is still questionable and generally untested. This study describes a multi-disciplinary experimental program to evaluate the use of various bioremediation products, including microbial seeding, inorganic fertilizer, and soil oxidant, as a means of enhancing oil biodegradation in coastal salt marshes. The use of inorganic nutrients was found to be the most effective method when applied to marshland covered with the marsh plant Spartina alterniflora. The nutrients increased the growth of the plants, which in turn degraded the oil. Further, the natural microbial populations were enhanced by the addition of nutrients. Overall, all of the bioremediation agents tested were safe to use in marsh communities. The nutrients were also most effective under drained conditions rather than flood conditions.

This report is available only in compact disc format. The discs are available from the Minerals Management Service, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, at a charge of $15.00 by referencing OCS Study MMS 2002-048. You will be able to obtain this report also from the National Technical Information Service in the near future. Here are the addresses. You may also inspect copies at selected Federal Depository Libraries.

Minerals Management Service
Gulf of Mexico OCS Region
Public Information Office (MS 5034)
1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard
New Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394
Telephone requests may be placed at
(504) 736-2519, 1-800-200-GULF, or
FAX: (504) 736-2620

U.S. Department of Commerce
National Technical Information Service
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield, Virginia 22161
(703) 487-4650 or FAX: (703) 321-8547
Rush Orders: 1-800-336-4700

MMS is the Federal agency in the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages the nation's oil, natural gas, and other mineral resources on the Outer Continental Shelf in Federal offshore waters. The agency also collects, accounts for, and disburses mineral revenues from Federal and American Indian leases. These revenues totaled over $6 billion in 2002 and nearly $127 billion since the agency was created in 1982. Annually, nearly $1 billion from those revenues go into the Land and Water Conservation Fund for the acquisition and development of state and Federal park and recreation lands.