Quake Shakes Up Water Table in Maine

By Associated Press

October 4, 2006, 1:42 PM EDT

BAR HARBOR, Maine -- Monday's earthquake lowered the water level by 3 1/2 feet at one location in a national park, an unusual event, but one that wasn't expected to hurt the water supply, officials said.

By Wednesday, the water level was still falling but beginning to level off, said Gregory Stewart, a hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey. The drop in water level was observed at one of the agency's monitoring wells in Acadia National Park.

Bar Harbor and some municipalities on Mount Desert Island near the epicenter of the quake have public water systems, but most residents in outlying areas rely on wells for drinking water. The Hancock County Emergency Management Agency said it had not received any reports of compromised wells.

The earthquake Monday evening registered a magnitude of 3.9 and followed quakes with magnitudes of 3.5 and 2.5 on Sept. 22 and 26.

The latest earthquake caused rocks to fall onto Acadia National Park's Park Loop Road and burst some water pipes, but no injuries were reported.

The Geological Survey said the drop in water level was more of an oddity than something for residents to worry about.

"We're not trying to create some kind of public scare. It's more of a public interest thing. It's a pretty dramatic change," Stewart said.

Copyright 2006 Newsday Inc.