1

Air Quality Monitoring Results 2012 & 2013

New BrunswickDepartment of Environment

and Local Government

HIGHLIGHTS• Province-wideachievement

ofCanadianAmbientAirQualityStandards

• NewProvincialAirZones

• ContinuedImprovementonAcidRain

• Anoverviewofpastspecialairqualitystudies

1

Contents

AirQualityMonitoringinNewBrunswick 2 WhatWeMeasure 2

UnderstandingAirPollution 3 Table:OverviewofKeyPollutants-SourcesandEffects 3

ProvincialAirQualityMonitoringNetworks 4 ProvinciallyOperatedAirQualityMonitoringStations 4 Industry-OperatedAirQualityMonitoringStations 4 Map:TheProvincialAirQualityMonitoringNetwork-DELGStations 5 Map:TheProvincialAirQualityMonitoringNetwork-IndustryOperatedStations 6

ProvincialAirQualityObjectives 7 AbouttheObjectives 7 Table:NewBrunswickAirQualityObjectives 7

AccomplishingOurAirQualityObjectives 8 Table:AirQualityObjectiveStatisticsfor2012 8 Table:AirQualityObjectiveStatisticsfor2013 9

CanadianAmbientAirQualityStandards 10 Chart:FineParticulateMatterDailyMetric 10 Chart:FineParticulateMatterAnnualMetric 10 Chart:GroundLevelOzoneAnnualMetric 10

AirZoneManagement 11 Map:NewBrunswick’sProvincialAirZones 11 Table:AirZoneManagementLevels 11

2013AirZoneManagementLevels 12 UnderstandingtheLevels 12 Map:FineParticulateMatter-Daily 12 Map:FineParticulateMatter-Annual 12 Map:GroundLevelOzone 12

VolatileOrganicCompoundsintheSaintJohnRegion 13 Chart:BenzeneLevelsintheSaintJohnRegion 13

LocalAirQualityInformation-WhenYouNeedIt 14 Map:2013IQUAandAQHICoverage 14

AcidRainMonitoring 15 Map:2013AcidPrecipitationNetworkMap 15 Chart:10YearAcidRainTrend(2004-2013) 15

SpecialAirQualityStudies 16 Map:SpecialAirQualityStudySites(2001-2013) 16

Conclusion 17

LearnMoreAboutAirQuality 17

Feedback 17

2

Air Quality Monitoring inNew Brunswick

Thisreportprovidesanoverviewofairqualityintheprovince of New Brunswick. General information

aboutairqualityscienceandtheprovince’smonitoringnetworksisalsoprovided.

Air quality monitoring in New Brunswick is apartnership between the Federal Government(EnvironmentCanada)andtheProvincialDepartmentof Environment and Local Government (DELG). Thispartnershiphasbeenformalizedunderalong-standingNationalAirPollutionSurveillance(NAPS)Agreement.

Through the NAPS agreement, Environment Canadaprovidesmostofthenecessarymonitoringequipmentandacentralizednationaldatabasefortheairqualityinformationcollected.ItistheProvince’sresponsibilityto deploy andmaintain the equipment, operate thestations,performnecessarycalibrations,andotherwiseensurethatthedataisaccurate.

Theprovincialnetwork iscomprisedof16airqualitymonitoringstations.Thereareatotalof46instruments(monitoring74parameters)operatingatthesestationsatalltimes.

Thestationsandmonitorshavebeenestablishedforanumberofpurposes:

• todetectandquantifyimpactsfromregulatedpollutionsources;

• toassessandtrackambientbackgroundlevelsofvariouspollutants;

• to monitor transboundary migration ofpollutionintoNewBrunswick;and,

• to provide real-time data to public healthreporting systems such as the Air QualityHealthIndex.

The Province also requires the operators of largeindustrial facilities to participate in air qualitymonitoring.Duringthe2013reportingyeartherewere30 industry-operated stations, with 48 instruments(monitoring51parameters),dedicatedtocontinuouslymonitoring the ambient concentrations of industry-specificcontaminantsinnearbycommunities.

Airqualitymonitoringequipment.AVolatileOrganicCom-pound(VOC)sampler(left/near-field),andaParticulateMat-termonitor(PM2.5)(right/far-field).

Atypicalairqualitymonitoringstation(Moncton).

Eachairqualitymonitoringstation isdifferent,withmonitorssetuptosuit thepollutionsourcesinthatparticulararea.Themostcommonparametersmonitoredare:

GroundLevelOzone CarbonMonoxide SulphurDioxideNitrogenDioxide ParticulateMatter TotalReducedSulphurVolatileOrganicCompounds WindSpeed WindDirection

Sitemapsandmonitorinventoriesareprovidedonpages5and6.

WhatWeMeasure

3

Understanding Air Pollution

Air quality is constantly changing from season toseason,andisaffectedbyawidevarietyoffactors,

including theweather, long rangemovements of airfromotherpartsoftheworld,naturalevents,industrycycles,andotherhumanactivities.

Below, we look at some of the more common airpollutants:whattheyare,wheretheycomefrom,andhowtheycanaffectourenvironmentandourhealth.

Overview of Key Air Pollutants - Sources and Effects Air Pollutant What is it? What does it do?

SulphurDioxide(SO2)

Acolourlessgaswithasharpodour,likethatofastruckmatch.Itisproducedbythe burning of sulphur-bearing fuelssuchasoilandcoal.

High concentrations can damageplants,andcorrodemetals.Itcanirritatethe eyes, throat, and lungs. It alsocontributes toacidrain,which impactssensitivelakesandrivers.

TotalReducedSulphur(TRS)andHydrogenSulphide(H2S)

A variety of gaseswith a characteristic“rotten egg” odour. It is produced bynaturaldecomposition(e.g.,inmarshesand tidal flats), and certain industrialprocesses (e.g., kraftpulpmills, andoilrefineries).

Causes nuisance odours. At very highconcentrations it can cause respiratoryirritationandrelatedhealthconcerns.Italsocontributestoacidrain.

NitrogenDioxide(NO2)

Areddish-browngaswithasharpodour.It is generated through combustion,especially motor vehicle exhaust andfossil fuel burning electrical powergeneration.

SimilareffectsaslistedforSO2.NO2alsoreactswithotherpollutantstocausetheformationofgroundlevelozone.

Fine Particulate Matter, 2.5 microns indiameterorless(PM2.5)

Tiny (invisible) airborne specksof solidor liquidmaterial (e.g., dust & soot). Itis generated by natural sources (e.g.wind-blown dust and forest fires), andthrough fuel burning (especially fossilfuelsandwood).

Causes and aggravates a variety ofhuman cardiovascular ailments. It alsocontributestohaze.

GroundLevelOzone(O3)

An invisible and odourless gas. Ozoneis formed through chemical reactionsbetweenavarietyof“ozoneprecursor”pollutants, which are released byindustrial facilities andmotor vehicles.Most of New Brunswick’s ozone iscarriedherebyairmassesoriginatingintheUnitedStatesandcentralCanada.

Irritatesthelungsandmakesbreathingdifficult.Alsodamagesplants,weakensrubber,andattacksmetalsandpaintedsurfaces.

VolatileOrganicCompounds(VOCs)

Agroupofcarbon-containingchemicals.They are produced by evaporation ofsolvents (e.g., paint and gasoline), bya variety of industrial processes, andthrough combustion. Some VOCs aregenerated naturally by plants andanimals.

Many act as “ozone precursors”, andcontribute to smog. Some VOCs canimpact human health. Others are ofinterestinclimateresearch.

Inadditiontothekeypollutantsdescribedabove,thereareavarietyofotheraircontaminantsthataremonitoredonacase-by-casebasis,dependingonlocalemissionsources.

4

NewBrunswick’s16provinciallyoperatedairqualitymonitoring stations collect data continuously,

year-round. Most monitors record a measurementevery five minutes. Collectively, this generates overfive million data points each year. The majority ofthisdatais immediatelytransmittedtoacentraldatamanagementsystem.Operationandoversightofthenetwork and datamanagement system requires theconstantattentionofa teamofdedicatedairqualitytechnicians.

ThestationsarealsoauditedbyEnvironmentCanadatoensurethatmonitorsareappropriatelymaintainedanddata isaccurate.Sincethebeginningof theprogramin the early 1970s these audits have consistentlyconfirmedthehighqualityoftheProvince’sreporteddata.

Industry-Operated Air Quality Monitoring Stations

Provincially Operated Air Quality Monitoring Stations

As with provincial stations, New Brunswick’sindustry-operated stations are also operated

continuously, year-round. This data is submittedannuallytoDELG.

DELG audits the industry-operated sites to ensureaccuracyofthereporteddata.

Provincial Air Quality Monitoring Networks

5

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7

Provincial Air Quality ObjectivesOneofthemaingoalsofthisreportistodescribetheProvince’ssuccessinachievingtheprovincialairquality

objectives(listedbelow),whichwereestablishedundertheClean Air Actin1997.

*Thestandardforsulphurdioxideis50%lowerinSaintJohn,Charlotte,andKingscounties.

New Brunswick Air Quality Objectives

PollutantAveraging Period

1 Hour 8 Hour 24 Hour 1 year

CarbonMonoxide35,000µg/m3

(30ppm)15,000µg/m3

(13ppm)

HydrogenSulphide15µg/m3

(11ppb)5µg/m3

(3.5ppb)

NitrogenDioxide400µg/m3

(210ppb)200µg/m3

(105ppb)100µg/m3

(52ppb)

SulphurDioxide*900µg/m3

(339ppb)300µg/m3

(113ppb)60µg/m3

(23ppb)

TotalSuspendedParticulate 120µg/m3 70µg/m3

About the Objectives

Theprovincialairqualityobjectivesapplytoambient air.Thatis,thenormaloutdoorairthatisgenerallyavailableforusebypeopleandtheenvironment.Theyarenotmeanttoapplyindoors,nordirectlyattheendofachimney

orsmokestack.

Theairqualityobjectivesaredescribedinunitsof“micrograms”(i.e.,millionthsofagram)percubicmeter(µg/m3).Inthetableabove,mostarealsoprovidedinthesomewhatmorecommon“partspermillion”(ppm)or“partsperbillion”(ppb)units.

As reflected in the table above, there are two ormore objectives for each pollutant, each with an associated“averagingperiod”. This istoensurethattheobjectivesproperlyaddressmaximumvaluesforshorttermpeaks,frequentexposuretomoderatepeaks,andlongtermexposuretolowerlevels(andpotentialcombinationsofthethree).

8

Air Quality Objective Statistics for 2012

ParameterNumber of

ExceedancesEvents

Location Comments

CarbonMonoxide 0 - None

HydrogenSulphide(asTotalReducedSulphur)

3SaintJohn,ChamplainHeights

The one-hour average objective (11 ppb) was exceeded on threeoccasions (4hours total)at theChamplainHeights (DELG)monitoringstation. These exceedances were associated with a failed seal (nowrepaired)onapetroleumstoragetankattheIrvingOilRefinery.

6SaintJohn,NorthEnd&WestSide

Theone-houraverageobjective(11ppb)wasexceededonce,andthe24-hour average objective (3.5 ppb) was exceeded on four occasions(78hours total) at the Indiantown (IrvingPulpandPaper)monitoringstation.The24-houraverageobjectivewasalsoexceededonce(17hourstotal)attheSherbrookStreet(IrvingPulpandPaper)monitoringstation.

NitrogenDioxide 0 - None

SulphurDioxide

3 SaintJohn,East

Theone-hourobjectiveforSaintJohn(169.5ppb)wasexceededontwooccasions(threehourstotal)attheForestHills(DELG)monitoringstation.BothexceedanceswereassociatedwithequipmentmalfunctionsattheIrvingOilRefinerythatweredetectedandimmediatelycorrected.

Theobjectivewasalsoexceededonce(onehourtotal)attheGrandviewWest(IrvingOilLtd.)monitoringstation.

10 Belledune

The one-hour objective (339 ppb)was exceeded on three occasions(threehourstotal)attheBoulay(Glencore)monitoringstation,andfourtimes (fourhours total) at theTownsite (Glencore)monitoring station.ThreeoftheseeventsresultedintemporaryshutdownsoftheGlencoresmeltertoaddresstheexceedance.

Theone-hourobjectivewasalsoexceededontwooccasions(threehourstotalattheMunicipalHall(NBPower)monitoringstation,andonce(onehourtotal)attheBelleduneEast(NBPower)monitoringstation.Theseexceedancesarenotassociatedwithanyknownmalfunctionsoreventsatnearbyfacilities.ItshouldalsobenotedthattheNBPowergeneratingstationwasofflineduringtwooftheexceedanceevents.

TotalSuspendedParticulate 1 Belledune The24-houraverageobjective (120µg/m3)wasexceededonceat the

Boulay(Glencore)monitoringstation.

Accomplishing Our Air Quality ObjectivesThe table below, and its counterpart on page 9, summarize the exceedances of the provincial air quality

objectivesthatoccurredin2012and2013.Province-wide,therewere23exceedanceeventsin2012and15in2013.Mosteventswereveryshort-lived.Thelongerdurationeventswereallodourrelated,involvingrelativelylowconcentrationsofodorousreducedsulphurcompoundsthatwerelikelyduetounusuallocalweatherconditions.

9

Air Quality Objective Statistics for 2013

ParameterNumber of

ExceedancesEvents

Location Comments

CarbonMonoxide 0 - None

HydrogenSulphide(asTotalReducedSulphur)

5 SaintJohn,WestSide

The24-houraverageobjective (3.5ppb)wasexceededonthreeoccasions(91hourstotal)attheSherbrook(IrvingPulpandPaper)monitoringstation.Oneoftheseeventsincludedexceedances of the one-hour objective (11 ppb) (3 hourstotal).Therewasoneadditionalexceedanceoftheone-hourobjectiveatthisstation(onehourtotal).

The 24-hour average objective was exceeded on oneoccasion(4hourstotal)attheMilford(IrvingPulpandPaper)monitoringstation.

NitrogenDioxide 0 - None

SulphurDioxide

4 Belledune

The one-hour objective (339 ppb) was exceeded ontwo occasions (two hours total) at the Boulay (Glencore)monitoring station, once (one hour total) at the Chalmers(Glencore)monitoringstation,andonce(onehourtotal)attheTownsitemonitoringstation.Theseexceedancesarenotassociatedwithanyknownmalfunctionsoreventsatnearbyfacilities.

1 Atholville

The one-hour objective (339 ppb) was exceeded once(one hour total) at the Boom Road (AV Cell) monitoringstation.Thisexceedancewasassociatedwithanequipmentmalfunction at the AV Cell mill that was detected andimmediatelycorrected.

1 Edmundston

The one-hour objective (339 ppb) was exceeded on oneoccasion (two hours total) at the Cormier (Twin Rivers)monitoringstation.ThisexceedancewasassociatedwithanoperatorerrorattheTwinRiversmillthatwasdetectedandimmediatelycorrected.

TotalSuspendedParticulate

2 Belledune

The 24-hour objective (120 µg/m3) was exceeded on twooccasions at the Townsite (Glencore) monitoring station.Theseexceedancesareassociatedwithforestfiresmokethatwasintermittentlyimpactingthisareaduringthisperiod.

2 Miramichi

The 24-hour objective (120 µg/m3) was exceeded on twooccasions at the Fire Ponds (Arbec) monitoring station.Furtheranalysisofcollectedsamplesrevealedthesourcetoberoaddust.

10

In 2012, the Canadian Council of Ministers ofEnvironment(CCME)adoptednewCanadianAmbientAirQualityStandards (CAAQS) for tracking long-termtrends forparticulatematterandground levelozoneacrossCanada.

TherearetwoCAAQSforfineparticulatematter.Oneisforannualaverageconditions,andtheotherisadailyaveragestandardbasedonthe98thpercentileday(oneofthepoorestairqualitydaysoftheyear).TheozoneCAAQS isbasedon the fourthworstdayof theyear.

Inallcases,thecalculatedannualstatisticisaveragedoverathreeyearperiod.

The CAAQS were designed to replace the previoussystem of “Canada-wide Standards” for thesecontaminants, which used a similar statisticalapproach.

As illustratedbelow,NewBrunswickhasachieved its2015CAAQStargetatallreportingsites.Thisisbasedondatacollectedin2011,2012,and2013.

Canadian Ambient Air Quality Standards

Early Achievement!

2015 Targets

Reached in 2013

10µg/

m3

Standa

rd

Fine Particulate MatterAnnual Metric

28µg/

m3

Standa

rd

Fine Particulate MatterDaily Metric

8.0

4.85.6 5.4

6.2 5.96.7 6.4

7.0 51 50 5053 52 51 53

4751 50

47

5449

52

63ppb

Standa

rd

Ground Level OzoneAnnual Metric

1816 14

1216

21

16 1619

11

Air Zone Management Levels

Management Level

Management Goal

Threshold Values

Fine Particulate Matter Ozone(ppb)Daily (µg/m3) Annual (µg/m3)

Red(CAAQSnon-acheivement)

CAAQSAchievement >28 >10 >63

OrangePreventCAAQSnon-achievement

>19to28 >6.4to10 >56to63

YellowPreventairqualitydeterioration

>10to19 >4to6.4 >50to56

Green Keepcleanareasclean 0to10 0to4 0to50

In addition to the Canadian Ambient Air QualityStandardsthatwereadoptedin2012,theCCMEhasalsocreatedanaccompanyingAirZoneManagementFramework (AZMF) to help guide air qualitymanagementactionswithineachprovince.

Under the AZMF, each province will establish “AirZones”,whicharegeographic areas thathave similarairqualityprofilesandchallenges.NewBrunswick’sairzonesareillustratedright.

Each year, air qualitywithin eachAir Zone is gradedagainst a colour-coded system of “ManagementLevels”.TheManagementLevelsand their thresholdsaredescribedinthetablebelow.

Management Levels arebasedon theCAAQSmetricvalues,butmaybeadjustedtoremovethe influenceofexceptionalevents(e.g.,forestfires).

New Brunswick’s 2013 Management Levels for eachprovincialstationareillustratedonpage10.

Air Zone ManagementNew Brunswick’s

Provincial Air Zones

N Northern Air Zone

Central Air Zone

Southern Air Zone

12

2013 Air Zone Management Levels

Ground Level Ozone (ppb)

St. Léonard

Fredericton Moncton

Bathurst

Saint Andrews

5053

51

51

Canterbury

52

Point Lepreau

54

Lower Newcastle

50

Fundy National Park

Norton

52 53

49

N

47Blissville 47

51 50

West SideHarbour Forest Hills

Saint John

Fine Particulate Matter - Annual(µg/m3)

Fredericton Moncton

Bathurst

Saint Andrews

4.75.6

8.0

Canterbury

5.4

N

6.1

6.4

7.0 6.7

5.9

Saint JohnForest HillsChamplain HeightsCastle Street

West Side

Fine Particulate Matter - Daily (µg/m3)

Fredericton Moncton

Bathurst

Saint Andrews

1514

Canterbury

12

N

15

16

18 16

21

18

Champlain HeightsForest HillsWest Side

Castle Street

Saint John

Each signpost in the three illustrations identifiesthe location of a monitoring station within the

provincially operated air qualitymonitoring networkthatcollectsdatafortheCAAQSmetricidentified.

The number on each signpost represents thecalculated 2013 Management Level value for thatparameteratthat location.The2013valuesexcludedfineparticulatematterdatafromatwodayprovince-widetransboundaryforestfiresmokeeventduringthemonthofJuly.

The colour of each signpost indicates the Air ZoneManagementLevelassociatedwiththatlocation.

Each air zone is considered to have an overallmanagement level that corresponds to the colourassignedtoitspoorestairqualitystation.

Understanding the Levels

13

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) have beenmonitored in the Saint John region since 1992.

Withinthecity,VOCdataisbeingcollectedinForestHillsandChamplainHeights.BackgroundreferencedataisalsobeingcollectedatPointLepreau.Allsamplesareanalyzedformorethan150VOCcompounds.

Unliketheotherparametersintheprovincialnetwork,VOCs are not monitored continuously. Rather, airsamples are periodically collected in stainless steelcanisters, which are shipped to a laboratory foranalysis.Asaconsequence,VOCdata isnotavailableinreal-time.

Key Pollutant: Benzene

Benzene is one of the key VOCs that is monitoredin Saint John. Major sources of benzene includeevaporation and combustion of petroleum products(especially gasoline), as well as other types ofcombustion.Benzeneisrecognizedascancer-causingby the World Health Organization and the UnitedStatesEnvironmentalProtectionAgency.

Although it cannot be entirely eliminated from theenvironment due to natural emission sources (e.g.,volcanoes and forest fires), governments around theworldareworkingtominimizeexposurelevels.

As New Brunswick does not typically experiencehigh ambient benzene concentrations, no provincial

ambientairqualitystandardhasbeendevelopedforthispollutant.Similarly,thereisnonationalairqualitystandard for benzene in Canada. However, in lieuof a local standard, results canbe comparedagainststandards that have been adopted elsewhere in theworld. Illustratedbelow, theSaint John resultshavebeen compared againstOntario’s provincial criterionfor benzene, which is the most stringent currentlyavailable.

Asindicatedinthegraph,benzenelevelsinSaintJohnare higher than the criterion value established forOntario.Nevertheless,thesevaluesarequitelowwhencompared to the next most stringent internationalstandard(1.5ppbforSweden).

ItisalsonotablethattheannualaverageforForestHillsincreasedsubstantiallybetween2011and2012.Thiswasdue toelevated levels thatoccurredduring JulyandAugustof2012.Asnocorrespondingincreasewasobserved at the Champlain Heights monitor duringthisperiod,itislikelythatthiswastheresultofashort-livedeventneartheForestHillsstation.Thefollowingyear (2013) saw the lowestbenzene levelson recordforForestHills.

Volatile Organic Compounds in the Saint John Region

SUMMACanistersforsamplingVOCs.

Note:theblackerrorbarsonthegraphrepresentthe“StandardError”oftheaverage.Thisisastatisticaltoolmeanttoillustratethevariabilityof thedatathatcontributedtoeachaveragevalue.Widererrorbarsindicatealargeramountofvariability.

0

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Annual Average Benzene Levels in Saint John

Champlain Heights, Saint JohnForest Hills, Saint JohnBackground Reference Site (Point Lepreau)

Ontario Air Quality Criterion (0.14 ppb)

14

Although daily fluctuations in ambient pollutionlevels may pass unnoticed by many, for people

with reduced lung function from respiratory diseaseand other types of environmental sensitivity, suchchanges can have significant impacts on their dailylives.Recognizingthis,toolshavebeendevelopedtoprovidetimelyinformationtothepublicaboutcurrentandforecastedpollutionlevelsindifferentareasoftheprovince.

Air Quality Advisories

Airqualitydataandpollutionforecastsarecontinuallymonitored by DELG, the Department of Health, andEnvironmentCanada.Wheneverairqualityobjectivesare exceeded or are forecasted to be exceeded, airqualityandhealthadvisoriesare issuedtothemediatoprovidetimelynoticetothepublic.

Air Quality Indices

NewBrunswickcurrentlyreportsairqualityinformationto the public in real time through two air qualityindices:theIndexoftheQualityoftheAir(IQUA)andtheAirQualityHealthIndex(AQHI).TheIQUAhasbeenused in New Brunswick since 1979 and is graduallybeingreplacedbytheAQHI,whichwasfirstintroducedin New Brunswick in 2008. The AQHI is consideredsuperiortotheolderIQUAasitisbasedonthelatestscienceandfocussesontherelationshipbetweenairqualityconditionsandassociatedhealthrisks.

Additional information and current IQUA and AQHIvaluesareavailableviathefollowingwebsites:

www.gnb.ca/environmentwww.gnb.ca/health

Current AQHI information is also available via thefollowingnationalwebsitewww.weather.gc.ca.AQHIinformation is also reported through The WeatherNetwork, and via privately developed SmartphoneApps.

Local Air Quality Information - When You Need It

2013 IQUA and AQHI Coverage

AQHI

IQUA

LEGEND

Saint Andrews Point Lepreau

Saint John

Blissville Norton Fundy National Park

MonctonFrederictonCanterbury

St. Léonard Lower Newcastle

N

Bathurst

2012There were no air quality advisories issued in 2012.

2013There were four air quality advisories issued in 2013:

June 15, 2013Forestfires inQuebecproducedsmokeplumesthatimpactedmostofNewBrunswick.

July 2, 2013Forest fires between Labrador and James Bayproduced smoke that impacted air quality incentralandsouthernNewBrunswick.

July 16 and 17, 2013Smoke from forest fires in southern Quebecimpacted air quality throughout most of NewBrunswick.

August 20, 2013Unusual wind patterns resulted in elevatedground level ozone concentrations in southernNewBrunswick.

15

Inanefforttotracktheresultsofourpollutionreductionefforts,DELGhasoperatedanextensiveacidprecipitation(rainandsnow)monitoringnetworkincooperationwithNBPowersincetheearly1980s.Theabovemapshowsthelocationofthe11acidprecipitationmonitoringsitesinNewBrunswick.Samplesarecollectedateachofthesesitesbyalocalsiteoperatoreveryday,andsenttotheDELGlaboratoryforanalysis.DELGstaffcoordinatethemonitoringprogram,performdataqualityassurance,andmaintaintheofficialdataarchive.

The key indicators for acid rain are sulphateand nitrate concentration. Each of theseparameters has a slightly different effect onacidity,butcanbecombinedandexpressedas“milliequivalentsperlitre”(meq/L).Asreflectedin the chart to the left, emission reductionstrategieshavesignificantlyreducedsulphateand nitrate concentrations in precipitationoverthepast10years.

Although levels have declined, acid rainmonitoring remains important for NewBrunswick because sensitive areas are stillbeing impacted. Continued efforts arerequiredtoreduceemissionsandensurethatourmostsensitivelakesandriversareprovidedwithlong-termprotectionfromaciddamage.

Some air pollutants can be transformed in theatmosphereintoacidicparticlesthatultimatelyfall

outasacidrain(orsnow,hail,etc).Theemissionsthatcauseacidraintypicallytravellongdistances,hundredsoreven thousandsofkilometers,before returning tothesurfaceasrainorsnow.Theadverseimpactsofacidrainhavebeenrecognizedsince the early 1980s. Acid rain harms sensitiveecosystems by changing the chemistry of lakes,streams,andforestsoils.Itcanalsodamagetreesandagriculturally important plants. Infrastructure is alsoimpacted by acid rain, as it can degrade paints andprotectivecoatings,whichacceleratescorrosion.Measures to reduce the emissions that contributetoacid rainhavebeenundertaken inNorthAmericasince the late1980s.Most recently, thishas includedcommitmentstoreduceemissionsundertheCanadianCouncil of Ministers of Environment’s “Post-2000Canada-wide Acid Rain Strategy”. Over the past twodecades emissions from major sources within NewBrunswickhavebeenreducedsignificantly.

Acid Rain Monitoring

0.00

0.01

0.02

0.03

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

Sulp

hate

and

Nitr

ate

Con

cent

ratio

n (m

eq/L

)

10 Year Acid Rain Trend(2004-2013)

Min(Annual average for the station with the lowest concentrations)

Max(Annual average for the station with the highest concentrations)

Network-wide Annual Average

2013 Acid Precipitation Network Map

Robertville

St. Maure

Trout BrookNictau

Holtville Harcourt

Canterbury

Fundy National Park

Saint John

South Oromocto Lake

PennfieldLEGEND

Monitoring Station

N

16

Special Air Quality Studies

St. Stephen2005

Saint JohnGrandview Avenue - 2001 to 2003Grandview Avenue - 2006 Forest Hills - 2007 to 2008

Apohaqui (Shale Gas Study)

2012 to 2013

Moncton, McKay Avenue(MacAleese Lane Study)

2009

Nackawic2010

Atholville2011

Miramichi2001

Lameque2002 to 2005

New Maryland2004

Special Air Quality Study Sites(2001 - 2013)

CommonStudy

Parameters

The DELG mobile air quality monitoring unit(picturedabove)istypicallyequippedwithmonitorsfor:

• Sulphurdioxide• Nitrogenoxides• Groundlevelozone• Carbonmonoxide• Fineparticulatematter• Totalreducedsulphur• Meteorology (wind speed,

winddirection,temperature,andbarometricpressure)

The unit can also be equipped with avariety of other sensors and samplingequipment when needed (e.g., totalsuspended particulate, volatile organiccompounds,andmetals).

N

LEGEND

Study Site

Inadditiontoitsfixednetworkofpermanentairqualitymonitoringstations,since2001DELGhasoperatedamobileairqualitymonitoringunitthatcanbemovedfrom place to place to carry out special monitoringprojects.

Themobileairqualitymonitoringunitisdeployedasneedsarise.Typicalusesinclude:

• Assessingairqualitynearpollutionsources.• Evaluatingpotentialsitesforpermanent

monitoringstations.• Verifyingairqualitymodellingpredictions.• Measuringbackground(baseline)airquality

levelspriortoadevelopment.

Resultsfromspecialstudiesarereportedintheannualairqualitymonitoringresultsfortheyearinquestion,orinseparatestand-alonereports.

During2012and2013theunitwasusedtostudytheshalegasindustryinthePenobsquisarea.ThisstudyisbeingundertakeninpartnershipwithHealthCanada.Resultsarebeingpublishedinaseriesofstand-alonereports.

17

Feedback...Weareinterestedinyourfeedbackon this report. All suggestionswillbeconsidered,andifpossible,incorporated in future reports.Pleaseforwardanycommentsto:

StateoftheEnvironmentBranch,DepartmentofEnvironmentandLocalGovernment(DELG)

phone:(506)457-4844fax:(506)453-2265e-mail:darrell.welles@gnb.ca

Conclusion

Learn More About Air Quality

As reflected in this report, air quality in NewBrunswickisverygood,andtheprovincecontinues

tobenefitfromairpollutionreductioninitiativesthathavebeenimplementedoverthepastdecade.

The New Brunswick Department of Environmentand Local Government remains committed to airquality surveillance throughout the province, andcomprehensively reportingairquality information toNewBrunswickers.

In addition to this overview, complete site-specificmonitoring results are available in the “Air QualityMonitoring Results - SupplementaryData 2012 - 13”companiondocument,whichisavailableelectronicallyviatheDELGwebsite:

www.gnb.ca/environment

Department of Environment and Local Government

EnvironmentalReportingSeries

2015

ISBN978-1-4605-0766-7ISSN2368-9676