These limited data suggest that much of the effect of acid precipitation in 

 coastal areas is neutralized by marine and estuarine sea water and by marine 

 aerosols generated in the coastal atmosphere by sea spray and onshore winds. 



Oil Pollution . Maine is dependent on imported petroleum. Presently, no 

 refineries exist in Maine, although during the past decade numerous proposals 

 have been made to site a major refinery in coastal Maine because of its deep- 

 water port facilities [e.g., Sanford (Portland), Machiasport, Eastport, and 

 Searsport ]. The Maine coast can be affected at present by any major spill 

 occurring on Georges Bank as a result of oil and gas development there. At 

 present, Portland Harbor (region 1) handles more commercial shipping (in 

 tonnage) than any other New England port whose major cargo is crude petroleum 

 and petroleum products. Tank farms with a capacity of 3.7 x 10 barrels (1.55 

 x 10 gal; 5.87 x 10 1) border the harbor, and their pipelines carry oil to 

 Canada. A proposal is active that would expand these facilities. Other 

 coastal areas with traffic in petroleum include Harpswell (region 1), Upper 

 Penobscot Bay (region 4), and Machias Bay (region 6). 



Shenton (1973) and Hyland (1977) reviewed the incidence of oil spills along 

 the Maine coast from 1953 to 1976. Since 1976, the Maine DEP has documented 

 the occurrence of reported oil spills. Detailed statistical reports on the 

 occurrence, location, and magnitude of reported oil spills in Maine for each 

 year are available from the Maine DEP. 



From 1976 to 1978, the Maine DEP reported 950 spills of 175,465 gal (665,012 

 1) of petroleum products in Maine, most of which were in the Portland (region 

 1) and Penobscot Bay (region 4) areas. Records of oil spills before this time 

 are not directly comparable. Oily wastes from developed areas are another 

 source of oil pollution entering aquatic systems through runoff into storm 

 sewers in many coastal towns and cities. 



Three notable oil spills have occurred in coastal Maine (Hyland 1977): (1) 

 the Northern Gulf spill in Muscongus Bay (region 3) in 1963 [5510 tons (5000 

 t) of crude oil], (2)leakage in 1971 from a fuel storage facility at Long Cove 

 in Penobscot Bay [region 4; a minimum of 15 tons (14 t) of No. 2 fuel oil and 

 jet fuel]; and (3) the 1972 Tamano spill in Casco Bay [358 tons (325 t) of No. 

 6 fuel oil]. 



None of these spills has been assessed thoroughly from an ecological 

 standpoint. In the first two incidents, only effects on commercially 

 important shellfish were investigated. The Northern Gulf spill caused an 

 estimated loss of 66 to 230 tons (60 to 209 t) of soft clams and 17 tons (15.2 

 t) of impounded lobsters (Hyland 1977). Mayo and coworkers (1974) reported 

 crude oil concentrations of over 4000 ppm in Muscongus Bay 11 years after the 

 spill . 



In 1973, clam transplantation studies were conducted at Muscongus Bay to 

 evaluate any continuing impact of the weathered oil (Dow 1975). Survival was 

 only 12.8%, compared to 78.1% survival in a control area. A decline of 65% 

 in the annual growth rate was noted. 



The Long Cove spill was especially toxic. Within 2 weeks of the 6 March 1971 

 incident, an estimated 4.5 million commercial-sized clams died (Dow 1975). Of 

 the 165 tons (150t) believed to exist in the area at the time of the spill, 



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10-80 



