Kerramerican Mine Remediation Assessment
AMEC Earth and Environmental Limited
Carelton Stream, ME
The Carleton Stream watershed is a small coastal stream basin, located in eastern Maine, that is characterized by four lakes
ranging in size from 50 to 206 acres interconnected by stream channels. Kleinschmidt was contracted to assess the effect
of mine tailings from an abandoned copper mine on the aquatic resources of the watershed. The survey provided current
biological data from the waters of the watershed adjacent to the Kerramerican Mine Site in response to suggestions
provided by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
The sampling effort provided a semi-quantitative assessment of the fish community of First, Second, and Third ponds, as well as of the fish community of the interconnecting portions of Carleton Stream. The investigation also collected fish for the purpose of tissue analysis of metals.
Fish sampling was conducted using boat electrofishing, beach seining, and experimental angling. The exact gear applied in each sampling location situation was dictated by sampling condition limitations. Physical, water quality and biological data were collected at each sampling station, including discharge at fluvial sites. Fish were collected from First, Second and Third Pond for the purpose of analyzing flesh metals according to DEP guidelines. Kleinschmidt also collected and shipped sediment samples from each lake for contaminant analysis at a laboratory, and supervised the collection and analysis of macroinvertebrate community data to define the structure and function of the aquatic community according to DEP analytical protocols.