Acid rain damages discussed
f
HARRISBURG - About 50
interested people turned out
for the Thursday evening
meeting on acid rain, mostly
government officials and
planning commission
members.
But two farmer
representatives sat through
the meeting at the Swatara
Township Municipal
Building.
Guy Donaldson and Arthur
Mussleman, both Adams
County fruitgrowers,
listened to James Lynch of
Penn State discuss the ef
fects of acid precipitation on
water quality, forests, and
agricultural land.
Lynch told the group that
there is a growing concern
about acid rain across the
state. He admitted there was
a lot the researchers don’t
know about the impact acid
ram has on the environment,
bbut he noted it is definitely a
problem.
Lynch has been studying
the problem since 1973. He
said, however, it is difficult
to get viable data because of
the sensitivity of the
monitoring equipment.
“The sampler is so sen
sitive to pollution that if you
just put your hand in the
container for an instant,
you’ll nun the sample.’’
Lynch’s data points out
that the acid ram pollution
problem is intensifying m
the East, and is starting to
spread towards the South
and West.
He said that m Penn
sylvania over the past 6
years, the average pH fdr
the rainfall was 4.04. Con
sidering neutral is 7.0, this
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means the rainfall was
acidic.
The lowest pH recorded
was 3.23, and as Lynch ex
plained, was recorded when
the winds were coming from
the West. These winds carry
the pollution from the states
along the Ohio River and
Great Lakes Region across
Pennsylvania.
The highest pH Lynch
recorded at his sampling
stations m Huntingdon Co.
was 5.1. This measurement
was taken last year, he said,
when Hurricane David came
up the East coast.
Lynch told the group the
lowest pH’s are recorded
during the growing season,
with an average of 3.94. The
lowest level recorded, he
said, was 3.75 back m 1975.
During the dormant
period, October through
April, Lynch pointed out, the
pH levels raise slightly to
4.14.
What causes this fluc
tuation m pH levels? Lynch
said he believes it might be
related to the sulfate levels
in the air, with the lowest pH
levels being recorded when
the sulfate levels are
highest.
Another theory, pointed
out by James Salvaggio of
the Pa. Department of
Environmental Resources,
Bureau of Air Quality, is that
snow is less efficient m
removing sulfur dioxide
from the air, therefore there
is a higher pH, or less acid
precipitation, during the
winter months.
“We are in the eye of the
hurricane,” remarked
Lynch. He said the areas
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surrounding Pennsylvania
generally have less acidic
ram than what falls on the
Commonwealth.
There is a lack of in
formation on the impact of
this rainfall, he said, but
there are reports that it
causes crop damage, kills
fish, causes apple spotting,
and reduces the water
quality.
Lynch added there is in
formation that documents
there is direct injury to
forest land from the acid
rain.
‘‘The rain actually
dissolves the waxy surface
on the leaf, and destroys the
guard cells that control
moisture loss m the tree. As
a result the guard cells are
prevented from closing, and
the vapor is allowed to
escape.”
He hypothesized that in a
period of drought, when the
tree is under stress, the acid
rain could possibly kill the
tree
Studies show that acid ram
increases the leaching of
minerals and nutrients from
the soil. Lynch noted,
lowering its fertility. But, he
added, it also increases the
rate of weathering of
bedrock, creating new soil,
and may actually be in
creasing the nutrient level
somewhat.
The acid ram has been
demonstrated to kill off
hardwood and pine
seedlings, also, he noted.
However, he said, some of
the studies were done under
simulated green house
conditions.
“The green house studies
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do show cause and effect, but
under much different con
ditions than those which
would occur in nature.”
Even if the acid rain cut
the annual growth rate by %,
Lynch said it would not have
much impact on the
economy of the forest
product industry.
What does have an effect
on industry is the rapid
change in pH in the streams
as the result of acid rainfall,
Lynch stressed. He said
there are serious fish kills
because of sudden changes,
like one stream that
measured a pH change in
one hour dropping from 7.0
to 5.5.
“Such a drastic change
does not give plants and fish
a chance to get ac
clamated,” he said.
The acid rain ac
cumulation in snow may
change the fish specialists
theory on Spring kills, he
noted
“When the snow melts and
releases the acid and heavy
metals into the streams at a
fast rate, this may be what’s
killing the fish rather than
the build up of organic
acids—what it was formerly
attributed to,’’said Lynch.
As far as the acid rams
long range effect on the pH
of soil, Lynch noted it will
depend on the buffering
capacity of each individual
sod type. He pointed out an
EPA study showed the acid
ram actually stimulated the
growth of certain plants—it
injures the foliage but
doesn’t hurt the produc
tivity.
What’s being done about
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acid rainfall? According to
Lynch, not much. “We
recognize it’s a problem, but
we don’t know its extent. We
need to worry about that
before we worry about a
control.” ■■
The DER official said the
state is monitoring air
quality from Pennsylvania
and adjoining states,
measuring the pollution
level of industrial areas.
Salvaggio told the group
cleaning coal before it is
used in power generation has
helped to eliminate some of
the air quality problems, but
there are no easy, cheap
solutions to cleaning up the
acid ram.
Guy Donaldson, the
Two new farm bills
begin 1981 debate
WASHINGTON, D.C. -
Senator Max Baucus of
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and Senator Carl Levin of
Michigan have introduced
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The first is the Famdy
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1980. This comprehensive
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derived from farming plus
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Adams Co. fruitgrower, said
he was leaving the meeting
with more questions about
acid rain than were an
swered.
“I know that I have to keep
my soil between a pH of 6
and 7 for good production, so
if this acid rain lowers the
soil pH it will have an effect.
Other than that, we just
don’t know what these rams
are doing to agricultural
products, or how to deal with
them.”
Until more research and
funding comes through to
answer some of these
questions, farmers will not
be sure whether to be happy
or upset when it rams.—SM
adjusted income less than
$17,500 could continue to
subtract all allowable farm
losses; farmers whose gross
income from farming ex
ceeded $lOO,OOO would be
required to use accrual (as
opposed to cash) accounting
methods to determine
taxable income; and foreign
investors would be required
to pay capital gams on
profits from sales of farm or
other rural land.
Senator Baucus said,
“There is extensive evidence
that family farms are ef
ficient economically and
productively. The reasons
why many family farmers
are having trouble staying
on the land and newcomers
are having trouble beginning
farming are structural ones
reasons that have more to
do with tax laws, research
policies, marketing systems
and farm price support
policies than they do with
economic efficiency.”
The incredible edible egg
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