Participants gather for a boom exercise in waters along Akwesasne to simulate the diversion of a spill away from a marsh area and fish habitat.

AKWESASNE -- The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe’s Environmental Response Team (ERT), the U.S. Coast Guard, the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC) and other local agencies recently participated in a spill boom deployment exercise.

The annual exercise provides local responders with practical training in boom deployment, handling, and water craft maneuvering and testing of local response capability in advance of a potential spill in tribal waterways.

The exercise provides the opportunity for the tribe and cooperating response agencies to network and learn from one another about their response capability, tactics and practical skills, according to the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation.

The event began with a roundtable discussion of resources in the area between the reservation, U.S. Coast Guard, and the SLSDC. Also discussed were first responder actions, cleanup, and diversion of spills. After the roundtable discussion, the mock drill of a spill on the river was conducted.

The exercise was a complete success and provided the opportunity to assess local response plans, identify resource needs, and discuss ways to improve response capabilities, the SLSDC said.