The Impact of Vehicle Traffic on Water Quality in Acadia National Park.

Abstract:
Acadia National Park receives over 3 million visitors per year. The impact of these vehicles on water quality is neither known nor are there any baseline environmental quality data that focus on specific emissions. Vehicles release a variety of organic compounds (MTBE, PAHs, gasoline) and metals from exhaust and tire wear that can end up in surface waters through atmospheric deposition and stormwater runoff. If vehicles are an important source of emissions then there should be a concentration gradient away from, and upslope from, major roadways. This investigation will assess the gradient between high-traffic areas and remote locations, using in part the gauged PRIMENet watershed streams. The use of these watersheds will provide cost effective supplemental data to assist in interpreting the results of this research. Samples will be collected from springs (background values least affected by atmospheric deposition), streams parallel and downhill from the Park Loop Road (highly vulnerable), and more remote streams. Streams near roads will be sampled above and below the roads. The management goal of this project is to determine if water quality issues should be included in the vehicle management plan for the Park. The results will be relevant to the future planning for the Island Explorer public transportation system.