Chapter  8—ENVIRONMENTAL  POLLUTION (6) The corrective action taken to stop, con- tain, and prevent recurrence by the reporting ship or activity, if any; (7) The assessment of the help required (con- tainment  equipment  and/or  clean  up  equipment). The OSC must also (1) designate an on-scene commander (OSCDR), (2) notify the personnel concerned with cleaning up the pollutant, and (3) take charge at the scene until the arrival of the OSCDR. On-Scene  Commander The OSCDR reports directly to the OSC and assumes the responsibility for directing the man- power and equipment at the scene of the pollu- tion,   and   utilizes   all   available   resources   to quickly remove the pollutant and to restore the environmental  quality.  Upon  notification  of  a navy spill in local waters, the OSCDR takes im- mediate action to contain or isolate the spill by utilizing  duty  section  personnel  or  personnel assigned  to  a  spill  recovery  team  and  their equipment. The OSCDR’s responsibility is to determine the  source  of  the  spill,  contain  it,  commence cleanup operations, and eliminate it. If the navy spill occurs after working hours the OSCDR executes the recall bill, if necessary. SPILL PHASES When oil is spilled, it triggers a series of ac- tions that are common to all spills and which have been categorized into the following operational phases. 1. Discovery and notification. 2.  Evaluation  and  initiation  of  action. 3.  Containment  and  countermeasures. 4. Recovery, mitigation, and disposal. 5. Cleaning and repositioning equipment. 6. Documentation and cost recovery. Spill phases do not necessarily follow in sequence, but may and generally do, overlap. Figure 8-1 shows this overlap and summarizes some of the actions in each phase of an oil spill. Spill control operations can last anywhere from a few hours to several weeks and individual spills do not re- quire the same degree of implementation for all the operational phases. Phase I—Discovery and Notification Discovery of an oil spill usually results from one or more of the following: (1) casual observa- tion  by  personnel  or  the  public,  (2)  result  of monitoring  and  surveillance  program,  or  (3) report made by the spiller. Whatever the mode of  discovery,  all  Navy  related  spills  must  be reported. Phase  II—Evaluation  And Initiation of Action Upon  notification  and  inspection  of  the  spill, the Navy OSCDR must evaluate the following: (1) magnitude and severity of the spill, (2) poten- tial impacts of the spill including hazard to life or property, (3) available response time, and (4) capability of local resources to handle the spill. Based upon this evaluation, the OSCDR should initiate local containment action and notify the Navy OSC. The OSC may either alert Regional Response Teams (RRT) or request assistance for spills  which  are  beyond  the  local  Navy  response unit capability. The OSC will also evaluate the effectiveness of measures applied to the spill and maintain  a  detailed  log  of  spill  related  activities. Spill samples should be taken as soon as possible after the spill and analyzed in accord with accept- able  procedure.  Data  should  be  recorded  for possible future use. Phase  III—Containment  And Countermeasures Containment   and   countermeasures   are positive  actions  taken  to  limit  the  continued spread and migration of the spill and to stop the flow at the source. These steps are the first cor- rective actions to be taken, and should be initiated as soon as possible after a spill is discovered. COUNTERMEASURES.—Typical    counter- measures  include: 1. The isolation and evacuation of the spill area to protect life or health. 2. The “Shut off” activities at the source of the  spill.  These  may  range  from  simple  valve realinement  to  extensive  salvage  operations.  Rup- tured  tanks,  for  example,  may  be  sealed  with chemicals which foam in place and form reliable seals. 8-3