Several Agencies Train for Chemical Spill in Kanatakon

Fears of oil spills and other contaminants are at a national level and the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe held another preparedness exercise in case a big accident happens locally.

The scenario was a chemical spill into the St. Lawrence River and it was held last week in Kanatakon. The United States Coast Guard supervised the drill, which was a contaminant spill near the intake for the St. Regis Pumphouse.

Two booms were placed in the water. One was to block the spill away from the intake pipe to redirect the flow, and the other placed several hundred feet downriver to prevent the contaminant from spilling back toward land.

Various departments from the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe and the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne participated in the drill serving as crowd control and safety.

When the river exercise was done, a debriefing was held at the St. Regis Recreation Center, which served as the Command Center. What went right and what areas needed improvement were discussed, and the feedback was important for if a real accident ever happens.

Mike Howard of the St. Lawrence Seaway said it was a successful drill and praised how the Akwesasne workers performed.

"It went well, good coordination, we do it once a year and it was well worth the effort," said Howard.

Les Benedict, Assistant Director of St. Regis Tribe's Environment Division, said drills like this and working with outside agencies is important in the final goal.

"We learned a few things, we'd like to thank MCA, St. Lawrence Seaway and the United States Coast Guard Buffalo office. [The drill] is an excellent way to know who the players are, to learn how you operate, to give us feedback and let us know how to improve," said Benedict.

Other agencies who participated were the Massena Rescue and the Hogansburg/Akwesasne Volunteer Fire Department.

The day before the actual river deployment, a table top exercise was held at the Recreation center and Benedict said that also went well with cooperation between agencies.

The 2015 exercise was held on the Raquette River.