Peat mining occurs in the eastern coastal areas of Maine (regions 5 and 6). 

 Potential peat reserves that have been inventoried in coastal Maine are shown 

 in atlas map 3. Peat reserves in some basins can be exhausted relatively 

 quickly and recovery of the bog may require 5000 to 10,000 years. Peat mining 

 may alter the quality of the water in bogs. Increased siltation and lowered 

 pH caused by bog runoff can affect the ecology of downstream waters. Fish 

 reproduction can be adversely affected by lowered pH, and siltation can 

 smother stream invertebrates, destroy spawning sites, and alter the aquatic 

 insect community on which fish and waterfowl feed. Smaller, poorly flushed 

 estuaries can be affected by siltation problems, as many harvestable peat bogs 

 are within 1 mile (1.6 km) of the coast. Snare Creek (Jonesport, region 6) 

 drains a large bog that is currently being mined . The exploitation of raised 

 bogs represents the loss of a unique coastal ecosystem. In the United States, 

 raised plateau bogs are found only in northeastern coastal Maine (regions 4, 

 5, and 6). These bogs have a unique morphology (plateau-shaped; Damman 1977) 

 and support a unique community of bog plants. In addition, several 

 associations of rare plant species are found in these bogs. (See chapter 20, 

 "Endangered, Threatened, and Rare Plants"). 



Hard-rock mining for limestone, granite, and mineral ores usually produces 

 large amounts of waste water and waste rock (tailings). Ponds are constructed 

 in mining areas to receive water pumped from the mine. These ponds usually 

 are of limited value as wildlife habitat because of their harmful water 

 chemistry, the presence in them of large amounts of sediments, and the high 

 level of disturbance in their vicinities. Some may provide useful habitat 

 when mining operations cease and succession has advanced to a point where 

 suitable vegetation exists for food and cover. Water pumped from large mines 

 can cause local increases in the level of the water table and can transform 

 upland forest to palustrine wetland. Waste waters from mineral-ore mining 

 also may acidify aquatic systems receiving them, as well as contaminate 

 aquatic food webs with heavy metals (copper, zinc, and iron). These minerals 

 have been actively mined in the Penobscot and Blue Hill Bay area (region 4) . 

 The Department of Marine Resources is concluding a study now in which 

 concentrations of eight metals were monitored in two macroalgae, two 

 polychaete, and three mollusc species. Experimental sites were established 

 near mines, with controls in mineralized unmined intertidal areas. 

 Preliminary results indicate that levels of three elements, Zinc (Zn) , Iron 

 (Fe), and Copper (Cu) , are elevated at the mined sites. The brown algae Fucus 

 vesiculosus exhibited mean Zn levels of up to 1288 ppm and the blue mussel 

 contained mean values of 200 to 300 ppm Zn and 400 to 900 ppm Fe at the 

 experimental sites, compared with control means of 79 to 80 and 500 ppm 

 respectively. Final results of this study will be available in the near 

 future. (See "Population and Industry" below.) 



Open-pit mining of limestone (e.g., at Thomaston) produces dust that drifts to 

 adjacent areas, sometimes increasing the alkalinity of soils and waters. 



PORTS AND NAVIGATION 



The major impacts of port operations and navigation projects in coastal Maine 

 are associated with wharves, piers, dredging, and dredge spoil disposal 

 operations . 



3-14 



