Technical Support Document 

PUERTO RICO 

Area Designations For the
 

2008 Lead National Ambient Air Quality Standards
 

EPA has set the level ofthe primary (health-based) standard at 0.15 micrograms per cubic meter 

(fJ.glm 3

) measured as total suspendedparticles (TSP). EPA has set the secondary (welfarebased) standard to be identical in all respects to the primary standard. 

Pursuant to section 107(d) of the Clean Air Act, EPA must designate as "nonattainment" 

those areas that violate the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) and those 

nearby areas that contribute to violations. The table below identifies the counties· or portions 

of counties in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico that EPA intends to designate "nonattainment" 

for the 2008 lead national ambient air quality standard (2008 Lead NAAQS). 

Table 1 

Area 

Puerto Rico Recommended 

Nonattainment County 

EPA's Designated 

Nonattainment County 

Arecibo, Puerto Rico N/A1 Arecibo 

Technical Analysis for Arecibo, Puerto Rico 

Introduction 

This technical analysis for the Arecibo, Puerto Rico Area identifies a monitor in Arecibo County 

that violates the 2008 Lead NAAQS and evaluates nearby counties for contributions to lead 

concentrations in the area. EPA has evaluated these cOlrnties based on the weight of evidence of 

the following factors recommended in previously issued EPA guidance: 

Air quality in potentially included versus excluded areas;
 

Emissions and emissions-related data in areas potentially included versus excluded from
 

the nonattainment area, including population data, growth rates and patterns and
 

emissions controls;
 

Meteorology (weather/transport patterns);
 

Geography/topography (mOlrntain ranges or other air basin boundaries);
 

Jurisdictional boundaries (e.g., counties, air districts, reservations, etc.); and
 

Any other relevant information submitted to or collected by EPA.
 

I For these purposes EPA considers the municipios of Puerto Rico to be equivalent to counties 

and for consistency and convenience will use the term "county." 

2 Puerto Rico submitted a recommendation of "unclassifiable" for the Arecibo area and 

"unclassifiable/attainment" for the rest of the areas of Puerto Rico on October 14,2009. Puerto 

Rico has not submitted any other recommendations based on 2010 air quality data. 

1 
Figure 1: Sources in Arecibo County, Puerto Rico 

Legend 

Violating 1001\0( 

'> (2008-2010 design value) 

rt Attaining Monitor 

o Lead Source (2008 NEI tpy) 

o Lead Source (2008 TRI tpy) 

+ AirporttHeliport (2008 NEllpy) 

Existing Lead Nonattainment 

or Maintenance Area 

County Boundary 

State Recommendation 

o 2.5 5 

mnes 

Figures 1 is a map of the area analyzed showing the location of the air quality violating monitor 

in the area, EPA's recommended "nonattainment" boundary, and the counties surrounding the 

violating air quality monitor. The violating monitor is located in Arecibo County in close 

proximity to The Battery Recycling Company, shown in Figure 1. 

On October 14,2009, Pedro J. Nieves Miranda, Chairman of Puerto Rico Environmental Quality 

Board, recommended that San Juan be designated as attainment, the Arecibo area be designated 

unclassifiable, and for the rest of Puerto Rico be designated unclassifiable/attainment for the 

2008 Lead NAAQS based on air quality data from 2006-2008. His recommendation was based 

on data from a Federal Reference Method (FRM) or Federal Equivalent Method (FEM) 

monitor(s) located in the Commonwealth. EPA understands the reconunendation for 

unclassifiable designation for the"Arecibo area" to refer to Arecibo County. EPA is revising 

Puerto Rico's recommendation based on recent 2010 data from a Federal Reference Method or 

Federal Equivalent Method monitor that had been operated by the Conunonwealth showing a 

violation of the 2008 Lead NAAQS. The revised reconunendation is for the county which 

surrounds The Battery Recycling Company facility to be designated nonattainment. Thus, the 

boundary of the nonattainment area is consistent with the boundary recommended by the 

Governor as unclassifiable. 

Based on EPA's technical analysis described below, EPA is intending to designate the entire 

Arecibo County in Puerto Rico as nonattainment for the 2008 Lead NAAQS as the Arecibo 

nonattainment area, based upon currently available information. This county is listed above in 

Table 1. 

2 
---

Detailed Assessment 

Air Quality Data 

This factor considers the lead design values (in llg/m3

) for air quality monitors in Arecibo 

County and the surrounding area based on data for the 2010 period. A monitor's design value 

indicates whether that monitor attains a specified air quality standard. The 2008 Lead NAAQS 

are met at a monitoring site when the identified design value is valid and less than or equal to 

0.15 llg/m3

. A design value is only valid if minimum data completeness criteria are met. A lead 

design value that meets the NAAQS is generally considered valid if it encompasses 36 

consecutive valid 3-month site means (specifically for a 3-year calendar period and the two 

previous months). For this purpose, a 3-month site mean is valid if valid data were obtained for 

at least 75 percent of the scheduled monitoring days in the 3-month period. A lead design value 

that does not meet the NAAQS is considered valid if at least one 3-month mean that meets the 

same 75 percent requirement is above the NAAQS. That is, a site does not have to monitor for 

three full calendar years in order to have a valid violating design value; a site could monitor just 

three months and still produce a valid (violating) design value. 

The 2008 Lead NAAQS design values for Arecibo County and surrounding area are shown in 

Table 2. 

Table 2 AIr Qual"tny Daat 

I County State Monitor IMonitor Air Monitor Lead Design Lead Design I 

Recommended Name Quality Location Value, Value, 

Nonattainrnent? 2007 - 20093 2008 - 20103 

3

) 

System ID 

(llg/m igg~I1!_3 _
 

Arecibo
 Victor
 

County,
 0.245
 

PR
 

N04 Arecibo 720130001 Santoni N/A 

Cordero 

Arecibo County shows a violation of the 2008 Lead NAAQS. Therefore some area in Arecibo
 

County and possibly additional areas in surrounding counties must be designated nonattainrnent.
 

The absence of a violating monitor alone is not a sufficient reason to eliminate nearby counties
 

as candidates for nonattainrnent status. Each area has been evaluated based on the weight of
 

evidence of the eight factors collectively combined into five like groupings and other relevant
 

information.
 

The violating monitor located in Arecibo County is located in close proximity to The Battery
 

Recycling Company, Road No.2 km 72.2 Barrio Cambalache in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. The
 

monitoring objective, according to the EPA monitor locator report is "source-oriented". The
 

3 Note: Monitoring did not start at this site until January 1,2010.
 

4 Governor recommended an unclassifiable designation for Arecibo prior to the measured
 

violation. The monitor is within Arecibo County.
 

3 
emissions from The Battery Recycling Company will be discussed in the corresponding section 

below. 

Emissions and Emissions-Related Data 

Evidence of lead emissions sources in the vicinity of a violating monitor are an important factor 

for determining whether a nearby area is contributing to a monitored violation. For this factor, 

EPA evaluated county level emission data for lead and any growth in lead emitting activities. 

Emissions 

Emissions data for industrial and airport sources (there are approximately 20,000 airport 

facilities in the U.S. at which leaded aviation gasoline is consumed) were initially derived from 

the 2008 National Emissions Inventory, version 1 (J\TEI08V1). See 

http://www.epa.gov/ttnJchief/net/2008inventory.html#inventorvdoc. Puerto Rico has provided 

updated 2009 emissions inventory information for the industrial sources. These data are 

provided in Table 3. EPA recognizes that we have no information on any emissions increases 

that may have occurred since 2009. For example, certain large sources of emissions in or near 

this area may have installed emission controls or otherwise significantly reduced emissions since 

2009. 

Table 3 shows total emissions of lead sources emitting greater than 0.1 tons per year for the 

violating county according to the Puerto Rico 2009 Emissions Inventory. The airport located in 

Arecibo County emissions is less than 0.1 tons per year based on 2008 NEI emissions inventory, 

and therefore, is not included in this table. Potentially contributing counties in and around the 

Arecibo area were also evaluated. However, there are no industrial and airport sources emitting 

(or anticipated to contribute) greater than 0.1 ton per year of lead in neighboring counties. 

Table 3. Lead Emissions [Puerto Rico 2009 Supplied] 

County Facility 

Located in 

Puerto Rico 

Recommended 

Nonattainment 

Area? 

Facility - Total 

Air Emissions 

[Information 

Source] (tons per 

year) 

Facility 

Location 

Distance 

from 

monitoring 

site 

Total County 

Lead 

Emissions 

(tons per year) 

I 

Arecibo 

County, 

PR 

N04 

The Battery 

Recycling 

Company 

1.22 tpy 

Road No.2, 

kIn 72.2, 

Barrio 

Cambalache, 

Arecibo 

388 meters 

1.385 tpy PREPA 

Cambalache 

Combustion 

Turbine Plant 

0.165 tpy 

PR 681, kIn 

0.5, Arecibo 

1.5 

kilometers 

4 
Population Data, Growth Rates, and Patterns 

Table 4 shows the 2008 population for the county being evaluated. These data help assess the 

extent to which the concentration of human activities in the area and concentration of populationoriented commercial development may indicate emissions-based activity contributing to elevated 

ambient lead levels. This may include ambient lead contributions from activities that would 

disturb lead that has been deposited on the ground or on other surfaces. Re-entrainment of 

historically deposited lead typically is not reflected in the emissions inventory. 

Table 4 PopuI'atlOn Data 

County State 

Recommended 

Nonattainment? 

2008 

Population 

2008 

Population 

Density 

(pop/sq mi) 

Population 

Change 

2000-2008 

Population 

% Change 

2000-2008 

Arecibo 

County, 

Puerto 

Rico 

N04 102,643 801 2,273 2 

Source of data: U. S. Census Bureau estimates for 2008 (http://www.census.gov/popest/datasets.html) and estImatIon 

of the area of U.S. Counties. 

EPA has considered the population growth rate for this area and determined it does not affect 

EPA's proposed nonattainment boundary. 

Emissions Controls 

Under this factor, the existing level of control of emission sources is taken into consideration. 

The emissions data used by EPA in this technical analysis and provided in Table 3 represent 

emissions levels taking into account any control strategies implemented on stationary sources in 

the Arecibo area before 2008. PREPA is an electric power company that provides minimum lead 

emissions in its operations. EPA has not received any additional information on emissions 

reductions resulting from controls put into place since 2008. The Battery Recycling Company is 

currently using one baghouse with an efficiency of 99.5% for its lead smelting furnace and five 

molten lead refining kettle burners. The PREPA Cambalache facility is currently not using any 

control equipment for lead emissions for its three gas turbines. 

Meteorology (weather/transport patterns) 

For this factor, EPA considered data from National Weather Service instruments and other 

meteorological monitoring sites in the area. Wind speed and direction were analyzed from 

August 1992 to August 1993 for a meteorological site located in Cambalache, PRo 

5 
Figure 2: Historic Wind Direction Frequency in each of Four Seasons for Arecibo County, 

Puerto Rico 

Wind Direction Frequencies
 

Cambalache, PR
 

Based on data from Aug. 12, 1992 to Aug. '11.1993 

Frequency 

40% 

35% 

30% 

25% 

20% 

15% 

10% 

5% 

0% 

NNE 

ENE 

ESE 

SSE 

SSW 

Direction WSW 

WNW 

NNW Winter 

As seen in Figure 2 above, on months with the highest observed lead levels, the prevailing 

surface winds were predominantly from the Northeast/Southeast. 

Geography/topography (mountain ranges or other air basin boundaries) 

The geography/topography analysis evaluates the physical features of the land that might have an 

effect on the air shed and, therefore, on the distribution of lead over the Arecibo Area. The 

Arecibo Area does appear to have southern geographical and topographical barriers which may 

limit air-pollution transport within its air shed. However, Puerto Rico did not recommend a 

boundary smaller than the county or provide information to support such a boundary. 

Jurisdictional boundaries 

Existing jurisdictional boundaries may be helpful in articulating a boundary for purposes of 

nonattainment designations, and for purposes of carrying out the governmental responsibilities of 

planning for attainment of the lead NAAQS and implementing control measures. These existing 

boundaries may include an existing nonattainment or maintenance area boundary, a county or 

township boundary, a metropolitan area boundary, an air management district, or an urban 

planning boundary established for coordinating business development or transportation activities. 

In light of EPA's existing guidance on beginning the boundary analysis for nonattainment areas 

with county boundaries, and the Governor's recommendation with regard to boundaries for an 

unclassifiable area, this was a significant factor in determining the nonattainment boundary. 

6 
Other Relevant Information 

EPA did not receive additional information relevant to establishing a nonattainment area 

boundary for this area. 

Conclusion 

After considering the factors described above, EPA has preliminarily determined that it is 

appropriate to include Arecibo County in the Puerto Rico nonattainment area for the 2008 Lead 

NAAQS. 

EPA based this preliminary nonattainment designation determination and boundary on the fact 

that Arecibo County contains an air quality monitor that shows a violation of the 2008 Lead 

NAAQS, based on 2010 air quality data. The Battery Recycling Company facility is the largest 

emissions source located upwind of the violating monitor, and EPA believes this facility caused 

and/or contributed to the violating monitor during the period. 

Based on its considerations of all the relevant, available information, as described above, EPA 

believes that the boundaries described herein encompass the entire area that does not meet (or 

that contributes to ambient air quality in a nearby area that does not meet) the 2008 Lead 

NAAQS. 

7 
Definition ofimportant terms used in this document: 

1) Designated "nonattainment" area - an area which EPA has determined, based on a State 

recommendation and/or on the technical analysis included in this document, has violated the 

2008 Lead NAAQS, based on the most recent three years of quality assured air quality 

monitoring data from 2008-2010 including at least one valid three-month site mean above the 

level of the 2008 Lead NAAQS, or that contributes to a violation in a nearby area. 

2) Designated "unclassifiable/attainment" area - an area which EPA has determined does not 

contribute to a violation of the 2008 Lead NAAQS in a nearby area and either: (l) meets the 

2008 Lead NAAQS, based on the most recent three years of quality assured air quality 

monitoring data from 2008-2010 including 36 consecutive valid three-month site means 

(including the last two months of2007), or (2) has no monitors or has incomplete air quality 

monitoring data for 2008-2010 but has no violations of the 2008 Lead NAAQS. 

3) Designated "unclassifiable" area - an area which EPA has determined cannot be classified 

on the basis of available information as meeting or violating the 2008 Lead NAAQS, based on 

the most recent three years of quality assured air quality monitoring data from 2008-2010, but for 

which available monitoring data from the same or a recent period indicate a significant 

likelihood that the area may be violating the 2008 Lead NAAQS. 

4) Prior nonattainment area - an area that was previously designated as nonatt.ainment for the 

1978 Lead Standard (including both current nonattainment areas and maintenance areas). 

5) Recommended nonattainment area - an area a State or Tribe has recommended to EPA be 

designated as nonattainment. 

6) Violating monitor - an ambient air monitor whose valid design value exceeds 0.15 

micrograms per cubic meter (ug/m3). As described in Appendix R of part 50, a violation can be 

based on either Pb-TSP or Pb-PM 10 data and only three months of data are necessary to produce 

a valid violating design value. 

7) 1978 Lead NAAQS - 1.5 IJ.g/m3

, National Ambient Air Quality Standard for lead 

promulgated in 1978. Based on Pb-TSP indicator and averaged over a calendar quarter. 

8) 2008 Lead NAAQS - 0.15 IJ.g/m3

, National Ambient Air Quality Standard for lead 

promulgated in 2008. Based on Pb-TSP indicator and a three-month rolling average. Pb-PM,o 

data may be used in limited instances, including to show nonattainment. 

8