Ozone in the Four Corners

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Ozone in the Four Corners
The New Mexico Environment Dept. Air Quality
Bureau
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National Ambient Air Quality Standards

• Determined by USEPA
• Health-based
• Periodically reviewed and compared to most recent
  health research data

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Ground-level Ozone in San Juan Co.

• Elevated 1-hour ozone monitored at various sites
  around the county in the 1990s
• NMED monitoring for ozone began in late 1990s at
  2 sites
• 8-hour concentrations approach NAAQS

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Questions to be answered

• 1.) What causes elevated ozone concentrations
• in San Juan County?
• 2.) What will ozone concentrations be in
• the future (2007 and/or 2012)?
• 3.) What sources can be controlled
• to reduce ozone? How much control of air
• pollution is necessary to continue to meet
• the national standards?

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Formation of 4 Corners Ozone Task Force

• NMED public meetings-spring 2002
• Stakeholder meeting to form task forceOctober
  2002
• Task Force recommends EACNovember 2002

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Early Action Compact for Ozone

• USEPA program for cities and counties that may
  exceed federal ozone standard
• Avoid mandatory federal measures until 2007
• Must make immediate progress towards attaining
  standard

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EAC Timeline

• Dec. 2002Compact signed
• June 2003Submittal of potential measures to
  reduce ozone
• June 2003-February 2004Technical analysis of
  ozone formation in San Juan County

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EAC Timeline (cont.)

• March-December 2004Develop any necessary state
  regulations
• January 2005Regulations must be in effect
• January 2005-December 2007Monitored ozone must
  meet National Ambient Air Quality Standard

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San Juan County Ozone Initiatives

• Emissions Inventory Improvement
• Photochemical Modeling
• Enhanced Monitoring
• Public Information and Outreach

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Emissions Inventory Improvement

• NMED inventory
• NMOGA information
• Mobile sources
• Biogenic sources
• Wildfires

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Photochemical Modeling

• Demonstrates compliance for 2007 and 2012
• Ozone concentrations slightly decrease
• Tool to determine what causes ozone

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Conclusions of Modeling Study

• Background ozone in the west is largest
  contributor to elevated ozone
• Biogenic emissions contribute more to ozone
  formation than man-made emissions
• Mobile, area, oil and gas and utilities all
  contribute a similar proportion

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Passive Ozone Monitoring

• Summer of 2003
• USEPA, NMED, Stakeholder Collaboration
• Nine sites total (2 co-located with existing
  monitors)
• Significantly high ozone concentrations in
  western and northeastern parts of San Juan County

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Outreach and Information

• Partnering with NM Dept. of Health
• Collaboration with local government to provide
  public service announcements
• USEPA Education Grant

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Current Project Status and Next Steps

• Develop CAAP by March 31
• Passive VOC monitoring summer 2004
• Task Force meetings/workshops
• Continued outreach
• Regulation Development (if necessary) March
  2004-December 2004

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Other Important Air Quality Issues in the Four
Corners

• Prevention of Significant Deterioration
• Air Quality Related Values
• Visibility
• Mercury

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Prevention of Significant Deterioration

• Congress established increments of
  deterioration that can occur in clean areas
• Stringent increments apply to national parks and
  wildernesses
• Increments are of concern in Four Corners region

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Air Quality Related Values

• Apply to National Parks and Wildernesses
• Establish important characteristics/features that
  could be affected by air pollution
• Air quality permit limits protect these values

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Visibility

• Federal rules require states to adopt programs to
  improve visibility impairment
• NMED has already taken the first steps with 4
  other states (AZ, OR, UT and WY)

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Mercury

• Sources include coal-fired power plants
• Deposits in lakes and streams, fish uptake
• Hazards to those eating fish
• 26 stream and lake advisories in New Mexico
• Proposed federal rule hearing in Denver 3/31

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For More Information on the San Juan County EAC

• Mary Uhl- Project Manager
• [phone]
• Andy Berger Environmental Analyst
• [phone]
• Gail Cooke Environmental Analyst
• [phone]
• Visit Our Web Site At www.nmenv.state.nm.us/aqb/i
  ndex.html and click on Ambient Ozone Measurements
  in San Juan
• County.