NORTHEAST COASTAL AND BARRIER NETWORK ASSESSMENT OF CONTAMINANT THREATS--GATEWAY NATIONAL RECREATION AREA
Natural Resource Technical Report
NPS/NCBN/NRTR—2010/339

Keith R. Cooper
Rutgers University
Cook - Biochemistry & Microbiology
76 Lipman Drive
New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901

Marija Borjan
Rutgers University
Cook - Entomology
93 Lipman Drive
New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901

June 2010

U.S. Department of the Interior
National Park Service
Natural Resource Program Center
Fort Collins, Colorado
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Introduction

This report deals with the chemicals of concern (COCs) for Gateway National Recreational Area and its surrounding waters and makes specific recommendations for monitoring plans. These recommendations are based on the ecosystems within the park and the specific chemical baseline inventory. Contaminant data has been reviewed from state, county, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), National Park Service (NPS), and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to prepare the data synthesis for this park. In Appendix 3 are the NOAA raw data tables along with USEPA Regional Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (REMAP) data that have been formatted to simplify examining the chemicals analyzed and their corresponding concentrations. Telephone and survey interviews, along with site visits, were conducted with NPS staff, and where appropriate, with county and regional U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) officials. Based on the recommended monitoring plans, the NPS staff will be able to assess threats to natural resources and whether the “vital signs” are improving or declining within the park boundaries over time as relates to COCs.

It should be noted that due to the large amount of data for this park, this report only summarizes significant data from the major databases. Therefore, all USEPA REMAP data have been saved as an excel file and will be presented along with this report on a separate CD.

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