Marine Engine Emissions in Recreational Lakes (original) (raw)

Abstract

Release of gasoline and other contaminants, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, from marine engines into fresh water lakes has become a concern both due to potential impacts on drinking water sources, but also due to potential ecological impacts. Lake Tahoe, an ultraoligotrophic lake shared by Nevada and California, receives extensive recreational watercraft use, and analysis of water samples in 1997 and 1998 revealed widespread occurrence of MTBE, benzene, toluene, xylenes and ethyl benzene. Because carbureted two-cycle engines are known to release approximately 25% of gasoline unburned, these marine engines were suspected as a primary source of these volatile constituents. Further tests on a variety of engines confirmed that the carbureted two-cycle engines released greater amounts of gasoline components into water than either the newer direct injected two-stroke engines (Ficht technology) or four stroke engines. Using toluene as a surrogate for gasoline, and comparing oth...

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