Paul J. Godfrey, director of the Water Resources Research Center (WRRC) at the University of Massachusetts, sees no appreciable change in damage from acid rain in the last decade to those lakes, ponds and reservoirs, according to data collected in the statewide survey.

"Preliminary results suggest that we have not gained any ground on the acid rain problem but, at least, we haven't lost any, either," said Godfrey.

"For nearly a decade, many assumed the acid-rain problem was solved. It now appears that it was only put on hold."

On Earth Day, more than 70 volunteers sampled 192 bodies of water, mostly lakes, in Massachusetts as part of the Acid Rain Monitoring (ARM) project, an initiative funded by contract with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

Volunteers brought their water samples to 15 nearby volunteer labs for the first part of the water quality analysis. More detailed analyses are being conducted at UMass. These samples were the first collected by the ARM project since 1993, when the project released its 10-year database of lake and stream acid sensitivity found through surveys taken between 1983-1993.

Godfrey explained: "Since the early 1990s, both the state and federal versions of the revised Clean Air Act have been implemented. Still, the scientific community has been concerned that impact from acid rain was not lessening, but might even be worsening, primarily because of increased nitrogen oxide emissions from automobiles and trucks. Our survey indicates that recent state actions to continue emission reductions and reduce acid rain seem completely justified. In fact, more will be needed nationally if we hope to make actual progress."

The ARM project, based at UMass, was founded by Godfrey and a corps of 1,000 volunteers in 1983. ARM conducted annual water surveys at randomly selected lakes and streams throughout the state until 1993, when funding was curtailed.

The project was reactivated this year by the WRRC with many dedicated volunteers and with support from legislators and the Swift administration, through the contract with DEP.

In earlier phases of the monitoring project, six categories of sensitivity to acid deposition were established, similar to categories used by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and by state agencies. Basically, these categories apply names to specific ranges of pH and acid neutralizing capacity, or alkalinity.

In its comprehensive survey of nearly all named lakes and streams in Massachusetts, the ARM project found the following: 5.5 percent were acidified; 16.7 percent exhibited critical acid levels; 19.5 percent were actually endangered by acid levels; 21.2 percent showed highly sensitive levels of acidity; 20.4 percent were sensitive, and 16.7 percent showed no sensitivity to acidity.

Godfrey said, "Overall, there is relatively little change from 1983-85 data to present except that conditions appeared to have worsened by 1992-93, and have been 'turned around' somewhat since that time. These data do not suggest that conditions have improved much since the early 1980s, but that we may have avoided worsening conditions."

Godfrey says the group will have a better sense of the degree of change over the past 18 years after they conduct their July and October 2001 and April 2002 surveys, then correct for unusual weather conditions, such as the amount of winter snow pack.

Results for each body of water tested in April are posted on the center's website.

Additional information and specifics on the entire record for individual lakes are available from Paul J. Godfrey.

[Contact: Paula Hartman Cohen]

07-Jun-2001