At 9:12 p.m. on March 23, 1989, the Exxon Valdez departed from Prince William Sound, Alaska. There were several people in charge of the ship. The pilot William Murphy, the captain Joe Hazelwood and the helmsmen Harry Claar all were challenged to steer the 986 ft. ship — carrying 53,094,510 gallons of oil — through the Valdez Narrows. Navigating through the Valdez Narrows is exceptionally challenging because of the Bligh Reef, which makes the narrows just 500 ft. wide. That night the Exxon Valdez came across an iceberg, so Captain Hazelwood ordered the helmsmen to turn the ship out of the shipping lanes and around the iceberg. Later that evening the wheelhouse was turned over to Third Mate Gregory Cousins and Helmsman Robert Kagan. They were given specific instructions to turn the ship back into the shipping lanes at a certain point to avoid the reef. However, due to reasons unknown at this time, the helmsmen did not steer the vessel back to the channel, and at 12:04 a.m. on March 24, the Exxon Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef, spilling10.8 million gallons into Price William Sound.

It is unclear who was at fault. The captain was seen drinking at a local bar and had alcohol in his blood several hours after the accident, but he was asleep when the boat ran aground. Was it his fault? A jury in Alaska ultimately found him not quality of running the ship aground. Hazelwood was however, charged with negligent discharge of oil and fined $50,000 as well as 1000 hours of community service.

Today, Exxon Shipping Company is operating under the new name Sea River Shipping Company. The Exxon Valdez, now the Sea River Mediterranean, was repaired but is prohibited from entering Prince William sound.

Figure 3. An oil-covered sea otter in Prince William Sound. click for copyright

It is estimated that 10.8 million gallons of oil leaked from the Exxon Valdez — enough oil to fill 125 Olympic sized swimming pools. The spill is the largest spill ever in the United States. Oil covered about 1,300 miles of shoreline, with 200 miles heavily covered and 1,100 lightly covered. The impact of an oil spill of this magnitude is tremendous. Exxon has paid $2.1 billion to clean up the spill, but the effects are still being felt today. The ecological impacts are impossible to know because the effects of the spill will still be felt for many years to come. It is estimated, however, that the oil spill killed 250,000 seabirds, 2,800 sea otters, 300 harbor seals, 250 bald eagles 22 killer whales and billions of salmon and herring eggs. Today 10 years later, only two of the 23 species that were injured by the spill have recovered.

Figure 4. Clean-up workers spray oiled rocks with high pressure hoses after the Exxon Valdez oil spill. click for copyright

During clean up of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, environmental engineers worked to develop methods that could prove helpful in such a large disaster. They tried traditional mechanical methods: backhoes to sift through sand covered with oil-soaked soil and high pressure hot and cold water treatments to wash the oil off the shore to be scooped up by skimmers or adsorbed by adsorbent material. Additionally, they used the uncommon method of bioremediation: adding fertilizer to the beaches to promote the growth of bacteria that can degrade the oil. During the Exxon Valdez oil spill clean up, environmental engineers learned a lot and optimized many processes. The use of bioremediation, for example, was not commonly used before Exxon Valdez oil spill, and now it is used for many different applications. Conversely, the use of hot water treatment was very common before the Exxon Valdez oil spill. However, during the Valdez clean up, they found that hot water treatment actually did more damage then good, because it harmed many of the small organisms living in the water.

More information on the oil spill can be found at the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council website: http://www.evostc.state.ak.us/.

Brainstorming: As a class, have the students engage in open discussion. Remind students that in brainstorming, no idea or suggestion is "silly." All ideas should be respectfully heard. Take an uncritical position, encourage wild ideas and discourage criticism of ideas. Have them raise their hands to respond. Write their ideas on the board.

• Ask the students what they think one thing an environmental engineer would do. Have each student write their answer on a piece of paper. After everyone has had a chance to write down their answer, go around the room and ask each student to give their answer to the class. Keep a list of all ideas on the board. If need be, create categories of similar ideas. Some examples may include: clean up oil spills, protect the environment, treat drinking water, design landfills, and treat waste water.

Discussion Question: Solicit, integrate and summarize student responses.

• Tell Students that in March 1989, nearly 11 million gallons of crude oil spilled into Prince William Sound in Alaska. Ask students what the possible effects of a spill like this would be. Lead an informal discussion. Record answers on the board.

Question/Answer: Ask students the following questions to determine their understanding of the Exxon Valdez oil spill.

• Where did the oil spill occur? (Answer: Prince William Sound, Alaska.)
• What were the main environmental effects of the oil spill? (Answer: It killed more than 250,000 seabirds, 2,800 sea otters, 300 harbor seals, 250 bald eagles, up to 22 killer whales, and billions of salmon and herring eggs.)

Problem Solving: Ask students to calculate how many classrooms the Exxon Valdez oil spill would fill up if each classroom is 20' x 20' x 10' (height). (Answer: There were 10.8 million gallons of oil spilled in the Exxon Valdez oil spill. 7.4805 gallons = 1 cubic foot. 10.8 million gallons would equal about 1,443,753 cubic feet or about 361 classrooms that were each 20' x 20' x 10' (height) (4000 cubic feet volume).

Persuasion Papers/Oral Defense: Engineers often have to explain their point of view to companies, communities or conference attendees. Have students defend the position of an environmental engineer with regard to pollution in a one-page persuasive piece. They should be able to explain the jobs environmental engineers perform, the sources of pollution and why pollution is bad for the environment. If time, have them explain their position orally.

Community Debate: Have students write/perform a short play or debate about the lesson topic. The setting is a town meeting about a relevant issue. The people present are: an environmental engineer, an oil company owner, captain of an oil tanker, a local politician, and various citizens. The scenario is a large oil spill (from an oil tanker) in the community marina or local body of water.