Marine Wildlife Plan Preparation & Onboard Monitoring

Project Name: Power Cable Repair and Replacement, Santa Barbara Channel, California Services: Environmental Permitting and Monitoring Services Client: Pacific Offshore Operators, Inc.

Following the discovery of damage to an existing submarine power cable, Pacific Offshore Operators retained Padre to obtain emergency permits to authorize the repair and replacement of approximately 2,400 ft of cable within Santa Barbara Channel. Padre’s environmental specialists also worked directly with the regulatory and resource agencies to develop a monitoring plan, including the observation and reporting protocols that focused on the documentation of marine operations, oil spill prevention, and marine mammal and bird mitigation compliance. Throughout the 23-day construction period, Padre provided onboard observers who recorded observations and interacted with the construction contractor’s manager on barge anchoring and cable recovery methods. Following the completion of the repairs, Padre prepared and submitted a mitigation report that summarized observations and assessed the efficacy of mitigations.