Section 319
NONPOINT SOURCE PROG
M SUCCESS STORY
i Q'
1 :
Upgrading Boat Motors Reduces Hydrocarbon Pollution
\ a / i 2 i i |	i Water samples collected on the lower Kenai River showed con-
ci * J ' P U ^ centrations of total aromatic hydrocarbons (TAH) that exceeded
state water quality standards for freshwater fish and other aquatic life during the peak fishing
period in July. As a result, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) placed
a 19-mile segment of the lower Kenai River on the state's 2006 Clean Water Act (CWA) section
303(d) list of impaired waters for petroleum hydrocarbons, oils and grease. DEC believes the
primary source of the hydrocarbons is unburned gasoline released from older, two-stroke boat
motors used to access the sport and personal use fisheries. Watershed stakeholders joined
forces to target the source through public outreach, a motor buy-back program and new regula-
tions. TAH levels dropped significantly and now meet water quality standards, prompting DEC
to remove the lower Kenai River from the CWA section 303(d) list of impaired waters in 2010.
Problem
The Kenai River provides worid-class salmon fish-
ing and wilderness recreation (Figure 1). This river
supports 34 fish species including rainbow trout,
Dolly Varden char, and chinook, coho, sockeye and
pink salmon. The 2,200-square-mlle Kenai River
watershed is a popular site for a variety of multiuse
recreational activities including rafting, kayaking,
motor boating, guided and non-guided sport fishing,
hunting, snowmobiling, hiking and camping. Within
a two-hour drive from Anchorage, the watershed
is accessible to more than 70 percent of the state's
population and supports 19 percent of the state's
sport fishing.
Stakeholders raised concerns of TAH pollution
from in-river motorized boats based on the Kenai
Watershed Forum (KWF)'s data collection from
2000 through 2003. In response, DEC conducted an
assessment in 2003 that confirmed the presence of
TAH. which are composed of benzene, toluene, eth-
ylbenzene and xylene—all compounds in gasoline.
Both KWF and DEC monitoring data show that dur-
ing July of every year in areas of heavy boat use, the
TAH levels exceed 10 micrograms per liter (/jg/L),
Alaska's water quality standard established for
freshwater fish and aquatic life (see Figure 2). As a
result, DEC added a 19-miie segment of the lower
Kenai River to the state's 2006 CWA section 303(d)
list of impaired waters for petroleum hydrocarbons,
oils and grease. DEC believes the primary source
Figure 1. I he scenic Lower Kenai River offers excellent
fishing and recreation opportunities.
of the hydrocarbons is unburned gasoline released
from older, two-stroke boat motors, which are heav-
ily used by private boat owners during July's peak
sport fishery.
Project Highlights
Project highlights include extensive water quality
monitoring, community education and outreach
for protection of the Kenai River, and a two-stroke
boat motor buy-back program to reduce the

-------
hydrocarbons entering the river. The Two-Stroke
Boat Motor Buyback Incentive Program aimed to
reduce the effects of hydrocarbon emissions from
two-stroke boat motors by encouraging private
consumers to trade in their two-stroke motor for
a cash voucher of $500 toward the purchase of a
new EPA emission-compliant motor manufactured
in 2006 or later.
The Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
led the state's effort to reduce petroleum hydro-
carbons in the Kenai River. In 2007 DNR revised
their existing motor use regulation to prohibit the
use of older, two-stroke motors in the Kenai River
Special Management Area, including 15 miles of the
impaired segment from river mile (RM) 19 to RM 4.0.
The new regulation, which took effect on March 1,
2008, requires power boaters to use cleaner-burning,
four-stroke or direct fuel injected two-stroke motors
during July. DNR recently strengthened restric-
tions—beginning in January 2013, all motors used
in the Kenai River Special Management Area will
need to be cleaner-burning motors, regardless of the
time of year. After passage of the DNR regulation,
the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G)
revised their Kenai River personal use fishery regula-
tions to prohibit the use of older, two-stroke motors
in the popular fishery that takes place in July in the
lower 5 miles of the impaired segment of the river
(RM 5.0 to RM 0.0).
Many watershed partners helped to spread the word
about the importance of the new regulations and the
availability of the buy-back program, including the
Kenaitze Indian Tribe, KWF, DNR and ADF&G.
Results
Data collected from July 2008 and 2009—after
DNR and ADF&G implemented regulation chang-
es—show that petroleum hydrocarbon levels had
declined significantly (Figure 2). Because the lower
Kenai River has met water quality standards for TAH
year-round at all monitoring locations since 2008,
DEC removed the 19-mile segment from Alaska's
CWA section 303(d) list in 2010 for petroleum hydro-
carbons, oils and grease.
Partners and Funding
Key partners contributing to the success of the
project include the Kenaitze Indian Tribe (KIT), KWF,
DNR and ADF&G. In 2005 the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) awarded a multiyear
$750,000 Targeted Watershed grant to the KIT
to support Kenai River protection efforts by the
tribe, KWF and DNR. Efforts included water quality
monitoring, a riverbank erosion study, community
education and outreach for protection of the Kenai
River, and the two-stroke boat motor buy-back
program. DEC supported monitoring efforts by pro-
viding more than $350,000 from the Alaska Clean
Water Actions (ACWA) program for the past 7 years.
ACWA includes funds from several federal grant
programs, including the Coastal Nonpoint Source
Pollution Program (Coastal Zone Management
Act section 6217), Enhancement Grants (Coastal
Zone Management Act section 309), Southeast
Sustainable Salmon Fund/Pacific Coastal Salmon
Recovery Program, and EPA Nonpoint Source
Pollution Grants (CWA section 319).
RM 10.1
Mean
Median
2003 2007 2008
RM 1.5
25
20
15
10
5
0
I

2003
2007
2008 2009
¦	Max
Min
Mean
¦	Median
io M-g/L
Figure 2. Data collected from the Kenai River at RM 10.1 and RM 1.5 show that the river now meets the TAH
water quality standard.
£
<
3J
\
T>
z
^EDSrX
o
sz**
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA 841 -F-11 -001B
February 2011
For additional information contact:
Timothy Stevens
Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation
907-269-7515
tim.stevens@alaska.gov

-------