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AIR POLLUTION CONTROL DISTRICTCOUNTY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO
3433 Roberto CourtSan Luis Obispo, California 93401
Phone: (805) 781-5912Fax: (805) 781-1002
Burn Advisory (toll free): (800) 834-2876Email: [email protected]
World Wide Web Homepage: www.sloapcd.dst.ca.us
Air Pollution Control Officer: Robert W. Carr
Senior Staff
Technical Services: Paul Allen Enforcement: Karen BrooksPlanning: Larry Allen Engineering: David Dixon
Administrative Support: Kim Johnson
2000 Annual Air Quality Reportprepared by Jay Courtney
Technical Services Division
Published January 2002
The air qualitydatabase for SanLuis Obispo Countyis a public recordand is available fromthe APCD office invarious forms,includingcomprehensiverecords of all hourlyor other samplevalues acquiredanywhere in thecounty. Datasummaries arepublished in theAPCD quarterlynewsletter ClearVision, and in thisAnnual Air QualityReport. Ozonesummary dataappear weekly in theSaturday edition ofthe San Luis ObispoCounty TelegramTribune, a localnewspaper. Eachmonth data from allcountywidemonitoring is addedto separate archivesmaintained by thefederalEnvironmentalProtection Agency(EPA) and by theARB. Summarydata from San LuisObispo County canbe found in EPA andARB publicationsand on the District'swebsite at:
www.sloapcd.dst.ca.us.
2000 Air Quality SummaryMost populated areas of San Luis Obispo County enjoyed good airquality this year. In 2000 the state and federal ozone standards were notexceeded at any of the permanent ambient air monitoring stations. Stateand federal ozone standards were exceeded at three special study sitesassociated with the Central California Ozone Study (CCOS) described onpage 5. Countywide, exceedances of the state PM10 standard of 50ug/m3 occurred on 15 out of 60 different sample days in 2000. Both thePaso Robles and Atascadero monitoring stations recorded two statePM10 exceedances this year while the Ralcoa Way station on the NipomoMesa recorded fifteen exceedance days with a maximum value of 110.5ug/m3. There were no exceedances of the national air quality standard forPM10 in the county in 2000.
In San Luis Obispo County, ozone and PM10 are the pollutants of mainconcern, since exceedances of state health-based standards for thoseare experienced here in most years. For this reason our county isdesignated as a non-attainment area for both the state ozone and PM10standards.
Air Quality MonitoringSan Luis Obispo County air quality was measured in 2000 by a networkof ten permanent monitoring stations and two temporary stations run onlyduring the summer ozone season for the CCOS study. Station locationsare depicted on the map on page 2. The APCD operated stations atNipomo Regional Park, Grover Beach, Morro Bay, and Atascadero andresearch stations at Red Hills and on the summit of Black Mountain. TheAPCD also operated stations at Piedras Blancas and Camp Roberts forthe summer months only. The State Air Resources Board (ARB)operated stations at San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles. Two stations onthe Nipomo Mesa were operated by a private contractor for a petroleumrefining and production company.
Air quality monitoring is rigorously controlled by federal and state qualityassurance and control procedures to ensure data validity. Gaseouspollutant levels are measured continuously and averaged each hour, 24hours a day. Particulate pollutants are generally sampled by filtertechniques for averaging periods of three to 24 hours. PM10 (inhalableparticulate matter 10 microns or less in size) and PM2.5 (inhalableparticulate matter 2.5 microns or less in size) are sampled for 24 hoursevery sixth day on the same schedule nationwide. In addition, PM10 issampled continuously at the Atascadero monitoring station using aTEOM (tapered element oscillating microbalance) sampler.
1
Figure 1: Ambient Air Monitoring Stations in San Luis Obispo County in 2000
2
Table 1: Ambient Air Quality Parameters Monitored in San Luis Obispo County(2000)
O3 NO NO2 NOx SO2 CO PM10 PM2.5 TEOM WS WD ATMAPCD Stations
Atascadero X X X X X X X X X X
Morro Bay X X X XNipomo Regional
Park X X X X X X X X
Grover Beach X X X X X X X
*Black Mountain X X X
*Red Hills X X X X X X X
**Camp Roberts X X X X
**Piedras Blancas X X X X X X
ARB StationsSan Luis Obispo X X X X X X X X X X
Paso Robles X X X X X
Contractor Operated StationsNipomo,
Guadalupe Rd. X X X X XNipomo,
Ralcoa Way X X X X
Acronyms:O3 Ozone SO2 Sulfur Dioxide PM10 Particulates < 10 microns WS Wind SpeedNO Nitric Oxide CO Carbon Monoxide (samples every sixth day) WD Wind DirectionNO2 Nitrogen DioxideNox Oxides of Nitrogen
TEOM Particulates <10 microns (monitored continuously)
PM2.5 Particulates < 2.5 microns (samples every sixth day)
ATM Ambient Temp
* Research station** Special station for the CCOS study
3
Table 2: Ambient Air Quality Standards
Pollutant Averaging Time California Standard National Standard
1 Hour 0.09 ppm 0.12 ppm
Ozone8 Hour 0.08 ppm
(not yet implemented)
8 Hour 9.0 ppm 9 ppmCarbon
Monoxide 1 Hour 20 ppm 35 ppm
Annual Average 0.053 ppmNitrogenDioxide
1 Hour 0.25 ppm
Annual Average 80 µg/m3 (primary)
24 Hour 0.04 ppm 0.14 ppm (primary)
3 Hour 0.5 ppm (secondary)SulfurDioxide
1 Hour 0.25 ppm
Annual Geometric Mean 30 µg/m3
24 Hour 50 µg/m3 150 µg/m3PM10
Annual Arithmetic Mean
50 µg/m3
Annual Arithmetic Mean
15 µg/m3
(proposed)
Susp
ende
dPa
rtic
ulat
eM
atte
r
PM2.5
24 Hour 65 µg/m3
(proposed)
Hydrogen Sulfide 1 Hour 0.03 ppm
Visibility 1 ObservationIn sufficient amount to reduce the prevailingvisibility to less than ten miles when the relativehumidity is less than 70%.
4
In recent years wehave experiencedboth our worst andour cleanest ozoneseasons. Thefactors that lead toozone formationare very complexand include:climate,topography,emissions ofprecursorpollutants, andpollutant transport. Air qualitymonitoring hasshown that ozonelevels can be verydifferent from yearto year. Thereasons for this arenot yet fullyunderstood and arethe subject ofongoing research.
A standardexceedanceoccurs when ameasured valuemeets exceedancecriteria prescribedby state or federalagencies and doesnot necessarilyconstitute aviolation.
A standardviolation mayoccur following asingle orcumulative seriesof standardexceedances. Criteria constitutinga violation areunique for eachpollutant and mayresult in changes toan area’sattainment status.
Central California Ozone Study
During the summer of 2000 the Air Pollution Control District (APCD)participated in an air quality research effort called the Central CaliforniaOzone Study (CCOS). The study was guided by a policy committeecomprised of staff from the California Air Resources Board (ARB), theCalifornia Energy Commission (CEC), local air pollution control agencies,and industry. The study is a multi-year effort to examine ozone formationand transport in central and northern California. The field study portion,which occurred in the summer of 2000, will provide emissions, meteorologyand air quality data for use in photochemical models and other analyses tobe performed over the next several years. The study area extended fromRedding in the north to the Mojave desert in the south, and from the PacificOcean to the Sierra Nevada mountains. As a partner in the study the APCD installed and operated three newambient air monitoring stations at Piedras Blancas, Camp Roberts, andRed Hills (mostly using donated equipment). These new stationscontinuously monitored ambient ozone concentrations as well as windspeed, direction, and air temperature. They were located at the northern,western and eastern county boundaries to augment our existing network ofstations, and to shed light on the mechanisms and effects of pollutanttransport in and out of the county. In addition to surface-levelmeasurements of pollutants and meteorology, APCD staff also launchedand tracked weather balloons from the Paso Robles airport to betterunderstand air flow and other characteristics of upper level air.
Along with other important information obtained in the study, was thediscovery of a layer of very polluted air that frequently resides over theinterior northeast portion of the county during the summer ozone season. This layer is of variable thickness and seems to extend above about 2000feet in elevation. In this layer ozone concentrations can significantlyexceed those found at ground level. The polluted air is apparently normallykept from reaching the ground surface by the presence of a persistentsurface layer of relatively clean marine air from the Pacific Ocean. Theconditions under which polluted air over the interior of the county might bemixed down to ground level where it can affect people, and details aboutthe origin and transport of the pollutants are still under investigation.
Numerous cities, companies, and government institutions donated funds orother resources in support of the APCD’s involvement with the CCOSstudy. Supporters within the county included the cities of Atascadero,Morro Bay, Paso Robles, Pismo Beach, and San Luis Obispo. Countybusinesses supporting CCOS included Duke Energy, Lime MountainCompany, TOSCO Santa Maria Refinery, TOSCO Pipeline Division, andUnion Asphalt. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to all thatcontributed to this important research effort.
5
While ground levelozone is harmful toplants and animalsand is considered apollutant, upperlevel (stratospheric)ozone occursnaturally andprotects the earthfrom harmful ultra-violet energy fromthe sun.
Fine particulatematter, in additionto being a healthhazard, can greatlyreduce visibility.Recent researchsuggests that fineparticulate may bemuch moredetrimental tohuman health thanpreviously thought.
NO2 and SO2create aerosols,which may fall asacid rain causingdamage to crops,forests, and lakes.
CO is a colorless,odorless gas thatcan lower thebloods ability tocarry oxygen.
Ambient Air Quality Data Summaries
OzoneAlthough ozone occurs naturally at low concentrations near the earth'ssurface, much higher and unhealthful levels are created when airbornemixtures of hydrocarbons and oxides of nitrogen are driven by sunlight toreact, forming ozone pollution. The emissions of these ozone precursorpollutants come from many human activities, but primarily from industry andthe wide use of motor vehicles. As a pollutant, ozone is a strong oxidantgas, which attacks plant and animal tissues. It causes impaired breathingand reduced lung capacity, especially among children, athletes, andpersons with respiratory disorders. It also causes significant crop andforest damage. Ozone is a pollutant of particular concern in Californiawhere geography, climate and high population densities contribute tofrequent violations of health-based air quality standards.
Particulate MatterThe two classes of particulate matter are PM10 (coarse particulate matterless than 10 microns in aerodynamic diameter), and PM2.5 (fine particulatematter 2.5 microns or less in aerodynamic diameter). Both consist of manydifferent types of particles that vary in their chemical activity and toxicity.PM2.5 tends to be a greater health risk since it cannot be removed from thelungs once it is deeply inhaled. Sources of particulate pollution include:mineral extraction and production; combustion products from industry andmotor vehicles; demolition and construction; agricultural operations; fire;paved and unpaved roads; condensation of gaseous pollutants into liquidor solid particles; and natural sources such as wind-blown dust.
NO2, SO2, CONitrogen dioxide (NO2) is the brownish-colored component of smog. NO2irritates the eyes, nose and throat, and can damage lung tissues. Sulfurdioxide (SO2) is a colorless gas with health effects similar to NO2. SO2 andNO2 are generated by fossil fuel combustion in mobile sources (such asvehicles, ships and aircraft), and at stationary sources (such as industry,homes and businesses). SO2 may also be emitted by petroleumproduction and refining operations. The state and national standards forNO2 have never been exceeded in this county. The state standard for SO2was exceeded 34 times on the Nipomo Mesa after monitoring began therein 1984. As a result, San Luis Obispo County was formerly listed as non-attainment for the state SO2 standard by the ARB. Equipment andprocesses at the facilities responsible for the emissions have changed inrecent years, and the state SO2 standard has not been exceeded since1993. Exceedances of the federal SO2 standard have never beenmeasured here.
Carbon monoxide (CO) can cause headaches and fatigue and results fromfuel combustion of all types. Motor vehicles are by far the chief contributorof CO in outdoor air. State CO standards have not been exceeded in SanLuis Obispo since 1975. CO is measured at only one location in the countyand the measured concentrations have been low in recent years.
6
2000 OzoneThe following graphs depict 2000 monthly ozone concentrations at six locations. There are two databars presented for each month. The monthly maximum hour bar shows the highest hourly averageconcentration during the month in parts per billion (ppb). The monthly mean bar is a monthly averageconcentration and depicts an overall average ozone intensity (in ppb) for the month.
7
Morro Bay
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
ozon
e co
ncen
trat
ion
Monthly Maximum Hour Monthly Mean
State Standard
San Luis Obispo
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
ozon
e co
ncen
trat
ion
Monthly Maximum Hour Monthly Mean
State Standard
Grover Beach
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
ozon
e co
ncen
trat
ion
Monthly Maximum Hour Monthly Mean
State Standard
Nipomo Regional Park
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
ozon
e co
ncen
trat
ion
Monthly Maximum Hour Monthly Mean
State Standard
Paso Robles
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
ozon
e co
ncen
trat
ion
Monthly Maximum Hour Monthly Mean
State Standard
Atascadero
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
ozon
e co
ncen
trat
ion
Monthly Maximum Hour Monthly Mean
State Standard
2000 Ozone at CCOS Special Study Sites
Black Mountain
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
ozon
e co
ncen
trat
ion
Monthly Maximum Hour Monthly Mean
State Standard
Red Hills
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
ozon
e co
ncen
trat
ion
Monthly Maximum Hour Monthly Mean
State Standard
Camp Roberts
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
ozon
e co
ncen
trat
ion
Monthly Maximum Hour Monthly Mean
State Standard
The following graphs depict 2000 monthlyozone concentrations at three of the specialtemporary monitoring stations in place for theCCOS study (see page 5). There are twodata bars presented for each month. Themonthly maximum hour bar shows the highesthourly average concentration during themonth in parts per billion (ppb). The monthlymean bar is a monthly average concentrationand depicts an overall average ozoneintensity for the month (in ppb).
These three monitoring stations were locatedin relatively unpopulated areas onmountaintops and near the interior borders ofour county. They were sited to give us moreinformation about possible transport ofpolluted air into our county from other areas, as well as providing us with a profile of ozone concentration in the air column from groundlevel to about 4000 foot elevation. Thisinformation is invaluable to APCD staff andARB researchers in understanding pollutanttransport within California.
In general, ozone levels were higher at allthree sites than in populated areas where weregularly monitor for ozone. The wind rosefor ozone at Black Mountain shows how thehighest ozone concentrations are presentwhen the wind is out of the northeast.
8
Particulate Matter, 10 microns or less (PM10) The graphs on this and the next page present PM10 data from seven locations and a graph of PM10 trendsover the past eight years. In 2000, exceedances of the state standard of 50 micrograms per cubic meterwere recorded at four air monitoring stations in the county. No exceedance of the national standard of 150micrograms per cubic meter was measured.
9
Paso Robles 2000
0
20
40
60
80
100
WINTER SPRING SUMMER FALL
state standard: 50 micrograms/cubic t
Atascadero 2000
0
20
40
60
80
100
WINTER SPRING SUMMER FALL
state standard: 50 micrograms/cubic meter
Morro Bay 2000
0
20
40
60
80
100
WINTER SPRING SUMMER FALL
state standard: 50 micrograms/cubic meter
San Luis Obispo 2000
0
20
40
60
80
100
WINTER SPRING SUMMER FALL
state standard: 50 micrograms/cubic meter
Nipomo Regional Park 2000
0
20
40
60
80
100
WINTER SPRING SUMMER FALL
state standard: 50 micrograms/cubic meter
1300 Guadalupe Rd., Nipomo Mesa 2000
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
WINTER SPRING SUMMER FALL
state standard: 50 micrograms/cubic meter
Particulate Matter, 10 microns or less (PM10) continued.
Table 4: First, Second and Third Highest Hourly Averages for 2000sampling date and hour appears with each data value in the format of month/day : hour.
O3 (ppm) SO2 (ppm) NO2 (ppm) CO (ppm)Station 1st 2nd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd
Paso Robles .0838/1:11
.0828/16:11
.0828/17:11
Atascadero .0846/14:10
.0828/1:11
.0829/13:11
.0599/12:18
.0569/12:19
.0544/1:19
Morro Bay .0634/2:15
.0614/1:16
.0603/31:16
San Luis Obispo .0758/1:17
.0695/21:17
.0644/1:16
.051n/a
.050n/a
n/a 3.912/6:17
3.411/20:08
3.312/27:08
Grover Beach .0689/13:14
.0634/1:16
.0634/12:12
.0225/28:18
.0213/21:20
.0177/31:00
.05012/18:11
.04411/03:18
.04412/05:14
Nipomo RegionalPark
.0789/13:13
.0678/1:12
.0664/01:16
.14012/28:16
.08311/20:09
.0514/02:09
.04311/19:18
.04011/3:19
.03912/26:19
Nipomo, 1300Guadalupe Road
.1505/26:17
.1243/10:13
.12112/18:13
Nipomo,Ralcoa Way
.1595/19:15
.1305/31:18
.1125/30:08
10
Ralcoa Way 2000
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
WINTER SPRING SUMMER FALL
state standard: 50 micrograms/cubic meter
Pm10 Trend
05
10152025303540
annu
al g
eom
etric
mea
n ug
/m3
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
2000
Paso Atas Moro SLO Ralcoa Guad. Rd.
COUNTYWIDE OZONE TRENDS - 1991-2000
The following graphs depict ozone trends at six locations within the county for the past ten years (nine years at PasoRobles and eight at Nipomo). Each data bar represents the total number of hours in a given year in which the ozoneconcentrations exceeded 65 parts per billion. This concentration level is a useful indicator for trend purposes eventhough there are no health standards for single-hour exposures to 65 parts per billion of ozone. The location of thePaso Robles monitoring station was changed in 1991. Consequently, data from Paso Robles is incomplete for 1991. No data was collected for Nipomo in 1997 and 1998 during which time the station was relocated. Monitoring resumedat Nipomo in November 1998.
11
Atascadero
275181 201 221
271
411
123
239 224176
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
hour
s ab
ove
65 p
pb
Paso Robles
131 108
263355
147
1164
364
185
493
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
hour
s ab
ove
65 p
pbMorro Bay
41 13 28 15 0 1 2 0 5 00
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
hour
s ab
ove
65 p
pb
San Luis Obispo
17 13 24 13 21 45 6 4 12 100
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
hour
s ab
ove
65 p
pb
Grover Beach
7 31 6 9 9 11 10 1 22 20
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
hour
s ab
ove
65 p
pb
Nipomo
64 2945
67 42 5058 14
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
hour
s ab
ove
65 p
pb
Errata
Subsequent to the original publication of this report, some minor errors were discovered in the
ozone and PM10 trends charts on pages 10 and 11. Corrected charts appear below; see the
2008-2009 Annual Air Quality Report for detailed discussion of the errors in the original figures.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
an
nu
al ari
thm
eti
c m
ean
ug
/m3
PM10 Trends
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
Paso Atas Morro SLO NRP Mesa 2
state annual standard 20 ug/m3
Ralcoa
