Air pollution
Air Quality Review and Assessment Air Quality Review and Assessment
||First Stage: A basic screening stage which will allow those pollutants never likely to to exceed air quality objectives as published in the government's Air Quality Strategy 2001 to be excluded from the next stage.
Second Stage: A further screening of pollutants in areas which the first stage review and assessment has suggested may be at risk of exceeding the air quality objectives.
Third Stage: Detailed review and assessment of current and future air quality to identify those areas at risk of exceeding an objective for a particular pollutant.
The Council's first and second stage review and assessments resolved that there was no need to undertake a third stage review and assessment of benzene, 1,3-butadiene, carbon monoxide or lead on the District. However, it was resolved that a detailed third stage review was required of the following pollutants at the following locations:
- Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) concentrations immediately adjacent to Rolls Royce during fuel burning engine testing
- Particles (PM10) concentrations adjacent to the M1 motorway
- Sulphur dioxide (SO2) concentrations in the vicinity of Kings Mill Hospital's boiler plant
A summary of the Stage One and Two paper, published in May 2000, is provided in Appendix A of the Appendices download below (pages 34-55).
Downloads
The August 2001 Stage Three Air Quality Review and Assessment is available for download in both Microsoft Word and PDF format.
Pages 1 to 33 - The body of the review and assessment
Pages 34 to 55 - Appendices
Pages 56 to 58 - Summary (reproduced below)
Summary
The Environment Act 1995 requires local authorities to manage local air quality. Objective concentrations for the protection of health for 7 air pollutants to be met between 2003 and 2008 have been set by Government. Where they are unlikely to be achieved local authorities must designate these areas as Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs). In these areas local authorities must draw up plans to try and ensure air quality objectives are met. Plans may include action to be taken both within and outside an AQMA and could extend beyond a single District Council's area and involve several Council working together. In addition all local authorities, whether they have any AQMAs on their District or not, are recommended to devise local air quality strategies to properly manage air quality.
The Statutory review and assessment of local air quality is a three stage process with progression to the next stage if there is likely to be a breach of an objective set for an air pollutant. The first and second stage concern the identification of existing and proposed sources of pollutants and making future predictions of pollutant concentrations using current monitoring data or by modelling. The third stage usually involves sophisticated modelling and monitoring techniques to provide an accurate assessment of current and future air quality.
Nottinghamshire Authorities working together contracted consultants to collate data collected by local authorities on emissions of air pollutants to produce emission inventories. Emissions were then modelled to give maps of ground level concentrations of these air pollutants, the results of which have been compared to results of any available monitoring data. The methodology, results and conclusions of this exercise are detailed in a report "Atmospheric Emission Inventory and Dispersion Study for Nottinghamshire". This report was published in July 1999 along with the Council's first and second stage review and assessment of air quality consultation paper.
The Council's final paper was published in May 2000. Together this paper and the above study represented the Council's first and second stage review and assessment of air quality in Ashfield required to be undertaken. It was resolved that there was no need to undertake a third stage review and assessment of benzene, 1,3-butadiene, carbon monoxide and lead. However, a third stage review and assessment of nitrogen dioxide, particles and sulphur dioxide was required at the locations detailed below. It was also resolved to develop a local air quality strategy taking account of the feedback from the consultation on the stage one and two paper where appropriate.
This paper represents the Council's third stage review and assessment of nitrogen dioxide, particles and sulphur dioxide required to be undertaken. A summary of the findings and associated resolutions of this review and assessment are given below.
Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) from Rolls Royce Fuel Burning Engine Testing
Objective: 1 Hour mean, 105 ppb 18 exceedances allowed per year, by 31.12.05
Significant emissions of NO2 are emitted from Rolls Royce during fuel burning engine testing and the Council were not able to predict whether the hourly objective would be achieved by 2005 by properties immediately adjacent to Rolls Royce test beds. The Council purchased sophisticated monitoring equipment to make an assessment in this matter.
Monitoring of engine testing was carried out from mid November 2000 to mid January 2001 when a programme of engine testing had been arranged on one of the test beds. There were no exceedances of the 1 hour objective concentration of 105ppb. The highest 1 hour concentration was 55.4ppb well below this objective concentration.
Monitoring results enabled the Council to confidently predict that the objective for NO2 is and will continue to be met at properties adjacent to Rolls Royce during fuel burning engine testing.
Resolved: There is no need to declare an Air Quality Management Area for NO2.
Particles (PM10) from the M1 Motorway
Objective: 24 Hour mean, 50 5g/m3, 35 exceedances allowed per year, by 31.12.04.
Modelling predicted that this objective was unlikely to be met by properties close to the M1. There was no monitoring information available for the Council to comment on modelling results and predict whether this objective would be achieved or not. The Council purchased sophisticated monitoring equipment to make an assessment in this matter.
Monitoring was carried out at locations in Selston and Pinxton close to the M1 from January to June 2000 and June to November 2000 respectively. There were exceedances of the objective concentration of 50 5g/m3 at both locations. More exceedances were observed at Selston than Pinxton but evidence suggests that this arose as a result of meteorological conditions which resulted in more frequent higher background concentrations of PM10 across the East Midlands in the first half of the year compared to the second half of the year. During the whole monitoring period there were 21 exceedances of the objective concentration against 25.2 exceedances that would be necessary to exceed the objective.
On the balance of probabilities, taking account of monitoring results and predicted general decreases in PM10 concentrations by 2004, despite the predicted 10% increase in traffic on the M1, it seems likely that this objective will be met by properties close to the M1 by the end of 2004.
Resolved: There is no need to declare an Air Quality Management Area for PM10.
Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) from Kings Mill Hospital's Boiler Plant
Objective: 15 Minute mean, 100 ppb, 35 exceedances allowed per year, by 31.12.05.
Modelling predicted that this objective was unlikely to be met in the vicinity of the large coal fired boiler plant at Kings Mill Hospital. Average emissions of sulphur were estimated at 238kg per day. The Council purchased sophisticated monitoring equipment to make an assessment in this matter.
Monitoring was carried out close to the boiler plant from November 1999 to November 2000. The objective concentration of 100ppb was only exceeded 6 times throughout the year, significantly below the 35 exceedances necessary to exceed the objective and that predicted by the modelling. However note that in December 1999 the fuel source for the boiler was switched to a low sulphur coal. Maximum emissions of sulphur were estimated at 90kg per day. Analysis of monitoring results indicates that if a higher sulphur coal was burnt the objective may be compromised. The following 15 minute concentrations of 80ppb, 75ppb and 70ppb were exceeded 30, 36 and 46 times respectively.
The Management at Kings Mill Hospital have confirmed their proposals to install a gas fired CHP plant at King's Mill Hospital in the next few years. If delayed beyond 31st December, 2005 coal with a low sulphur content will be burnt on the boiler plant. In the meantime the fuel source has been switched to a high sulphur coal to support the local coal mining industry.
Resolved: There is no need to declare an Air Quality Management area for SO2.
Further to the above, the Council along with other Councils in Nottinghamshire are considering feedback from the Review and Assessment process in Ashfield and across Nottinghamshire. This information will be used in consideration of what to include and priorities for any local or county-wide air quality strategy for Ashfield and Nottinghamshire. Proposals for any such strategies would be the subject of consultation in due course.
A copy of the Council's "Review and Assessment Stage Three" paper is available for inspection at the Community Services Reception at the Main Council Offices in Kirkby-in-Ashfield.
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