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Damage Assessment, Remediation and Restoration Program

NOAA’s Damage Assessment, Remediation and Restoration Program (DARRP) restores natural resources at hazardous waste sites and after oil spills and other physical impacts, such as ship groundings on coral reefs. The program was formally created after the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989. Through the program, injuries are repaired when possible and the lost natural resources are replaced through restoration projects that focus on revitalizing and improving coastal and marine habitats.

Damage Assessment, Remediation and Restoration Program at a Glance

• Assesses and quantifies injuries to natural resources.
• Seeks damages for those injuries from the responsible parties.
• Implements restoration.
• Monitors progress to ensure restoration goals are met.

About the Program

DARRP’s unique, interdisciplinary approach to natural resource damage assessment and restoration was shaped by more than a decade of assessing injuries to coastal and marine resources that reached a peak following the Exxon Valdez oil spill. NOAA works with remedial agencies, responsible parties, and teams of state, tribal, and federal co-trustees to implement remedial actions that protect natural resources. These trustees have recovered more than $600 million from responsible parties for the protection and restoration of coastal resources, including migratory fish, marine mammals, wetlands, reefs, and other coastal habitats.

The program works to achieve efficient damage assessment followed by effective restoration of coastal resources. NOAA cooperates with the public to identify restoration projects that benefit a wide variety of habitats and biological resources.