NOAA's Office of Response & Restoration plays a central role in responding to oil and chemical spills, chronic releases from Superfund sites, and damage to resources in our nation's marine protected areas, estuarine reserves, and sanctuaries.
For example, restoration work is now nearing completion in Chalk Point, Md., where 140,000 gallons of fuel oil was spilled from a pipeline in 2000. The spill resulted in lost recreational use, damage to wetlands and beach shorelines, and injuries to muskrats, birds and waterfowl, fish and shellfish, diamondback terrapins, and benthic (bottom-dwelling) plants and animals.
While there is still work to be done, NOAA and partners have completed a wide range of projects that have not only helped to restore the ecological health of the area, but have opened up new venues for recreational use such as canoeing and kayaking.