# Annual Report

on the

Air Resources Board’s

Fine Particulate Matter Monitoring Program

January 2015

California Environmental Protection Agency 

# Air Resources Board

### PM2.5 Air Quality Monitoring Program

State of California California Environmental Protection Agency

Air Resources Board

Annual Report on the Air Resources Board’s Fine Particulate Matter Monitoring Program

January 2015

This report has been reviewed by the staff of the C alifornia Air Resources Board and approved for publication. Approval does not signif y that the contents necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Air Resources Board, nor does the mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or re commendation for use.8

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### PM2.5 Air Quality Monitoring Program

Health and Safety Code, Section 39619.5(g) requires the Air Resources Board (ARB or Board) to provide an up date each year on the status and results of the fine par ticulate matter (PM2.5) monitoring program. This report pro vides a summary of PM2.5 monitoring activities in 2014 an d how the data are being used to support ARB programs.

California’s PM2.5 air quality monitoring program p rovides information used for determining which areas violat e standards, characterizing the sources that contribu te to PM2.5 pollution, determining background concentrations, assessing pollution transport, and supporting healt h studies and other research. Monitoring data also p rovide information to develop and evaluate programs for improving air quality.

California’s PM2.5 monitoring network began collect ing data in 1998. A number of different types of PM2.5 monitors are operated to provide information on PM2 .5 mass and chemical composition which are summarized below. Figure 1 displays the locations of PM2.5 mo nitors throughout the State. Additional information on PM 2.5 monitoring can be found at:

http://www.arb.ca.gov/aaqm/partic.htm

Federal Reference Method Monitors

The installation of federally-approved PM2.5 mass monitors throughout California began in 1998. In 2 014, Federal Reference Method (FRM) monitors were operat ed at 63 sites. These monitors collect particulate sam ples on filters, which are later weighed and analyzed in a laboratory. Because of this two-step process, PM2. 5 air quality data collected with these monitors are not immediately available. To provide “real-time” PM2. 5 air quality information, we added continuous PM2.5 mass

monitors to our network.

Continuous Mass Monitors

Continuous PM2.5 mass monitors provide valuable information for public reporting, temporal represen tation, health studies, transport studies, and background monitoring. PM2.5 mass can be measured continuousl y with several different commercially available techn ologies. California’s PM2.5 monitoring

network includes :

• Federally-approved

monitors that measure

PM2.5 mass over a 24-hour period at
63 sites;

Federal reference method

monitor8

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### PM2.5 Air Quality Monitoring Program

We chose the Beta Attenuation Monitor (BAM) for use in

California and have installed monitors at 97 sites. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) designated certain models of the continuous monitor s as Federal Equivalent Method (FEM) monitors. They are considered equivalent to the FRM monitors and can therefore be used to determine compliance with fede ral standards. California has deployed 61 of these FEM

monitors.

Speciation Monitors

Another major stage of network implementation is th e deployment of PM2.5 speciation monitors. Speciatio n monitoring provides valuable information about the composition (and ultimately sources) of PM2.5 pollu tion. However, monitoring of the individual species that make up PM is still an emerging field, with continuous spec iation measurements the greatest challenge. We continue t o evaluate newly emerging methods not currently used in routine monitoring for potential incorporation in C alifornia’s PM2.5 monitoring network.

In 2014, along with states, U.S. EPA conducted a nationwide assessment of the PM2.5 speciation netwo rk to determine whether the sites were meeting the object ives

and still needed. The review determined that all o f the

sites in California were needed and should continue to operate.

Federally-Required Speciation Monitors

There are two components to the PM2.5 speciation network in California. The first component, mandat ed by the U.S. EPA, required filter-based PM2.5 speciatio n monitoring at eight California sites that are now p art of a national trends network for PM2.5 speciation. Thes e monitors are the National Air Monitoring Stations ( NAMS) monitors for the speciation network. The eight PM2 .5 speciation monitors are located in Bakersfield, El Cajon, Fresno, Sacramento, San Jose, Los Angeles, Riversid e, and Simi Valley. • Samplers that quantify PM2.5 mass continuously at 97 sites;

Beta attenuation monitor

and

• Monitors that collect PM2.5 samples for analysis of chemical components at 20 sites.

Speciation monitor8

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### PM2.5 Air Quality Monitoring Program

Additional Speciation Monitors

The second component of California’s PM2.5 speciati on network is the selection and deployment of samplers at selected State and Local Air Monitoring Stations (S LAMS). Data from these sites provide additional informatio n needed for developing effective air quality attainm ent plans. The focus of the SLAMS PM2.5 speciation net work is to enhance the spatial coverage of the NAMS site s in areas with a diversity of PM problems.

ARB and the air districts have deployed filter-base d speciation monitors at twelve sites - Anaheim, Cale xico, Chico, Fontana, Escondido, Modesto, Portola, Visali a, Sacramento, Vallejo, Livermore, and Oakland.

In 2007, ARB began monitoring for specific wood smo ke

tracers to determine the contribution of wood burni ng sources to PM2.5 ambient levels. Wood smoke tracer s are being monitored at seven of the speciation SLAM S sites - Calexico, Chico, Escondido, Modesto, Portol a, Sacramento, and Visalia during the winter season.

Accessing PM2.5 Data

Data collected as part of California’s PM2.5 monito ring program can be obtained through a number of means. Daily PM2.5 values as well as summary statistics ca n be accessed through the interactive query program on A RB’s web page at:

http://www.arb.ca.gov/adam/welcome.html

Real-time hourly PM2.5 data from California’s conti nuous monitors can also be found at:

http://www.arb.ca.gov/aqmis2/aqdselect.php

PM2.5 Designations

The Clean Air Act requires the U.S. EPA to set nati onal 24-hour and annual PM2.5 ambient air quality standa rds, and to designate nonattainment area for the nationa l standards. ARB established a more health protectiv e State and National PM2.5 Ambient Air Quality Standards

(micrograms per cubic meter)

California National

Annual 12 12

24-hour --- 35

Designations for

State PM2.5 Standard8

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### PM2.5 Air Quality Monitoring Program

National 2006 24-hour

PM2.5 Std.

Nonattainment Areas

National 2012 annual

PM2.5 Std.

Nonattainment Areas State PM2.5 ambient air quality standard as require d by

California State Law. California State Law also req uires ARB to designate each area as attainment, nonattain ment,

or unclassified for the State standard.

Based on data collected as part of California’s PM2 .5 monitoring network, the ARB designates the attainme nt status of areas with respect to the State annual av erage PM2.5 ambient air quality standard of 12 μ g/m 3 . Based on 2010-2013 air quality data, there were no changes t o any area’s PM2.5 attainment status. Most urban areas o f California exceed the State PM2.5 standard, as well as several more isolated sub-areas. However, as air q uality has improved more areas now meet the State PM2.5 ambient air quality standard.

In 2006, U.S. EPA strengthened the national 24-hour

PM2.5 standard from 65 μ g/m 3 to 35 μ g/m 3 . The U.S. EPA issued final designations for this standard which b ecame effective in December 2009. Seven areas in Califor nia were designated as not meeting the strengthened fed eral 24-hour PM2.5 standard – the South Coast Air Basin, San Joaquin Valley Air Basin, Bay Area Air Basin, Sacra mento Metropolitan area, a portion of the Feather River A ir Pollution Control District, a portion of Butte Coun ty, and a portion of Imperial County. In 2013, based on rece nt data, U.S. EPA determined that the Bay Area Air Basin, th e Feather River Air Pollution Control District, Sacra mento Metropolitan area, and Butte County attained the st andard.

Information on the final determinations can be foun d at:

http://www.epa.gov/region9/air/actions/ca.html

In 2012, U.S. EPA lowered the annual PM2.5 standard

from 15 μ g/m 3 to 12 μ g/m 3 . The U.S. EPA issued final designations for this standard in December 2014 bas ed on 2011-2013 air quality data. Four areas in California were designated as not meeting the lowered annual PM2.5 standard – South Coast Air Basin, San Joaquin Valle y Air Basin, and portions of Imperial and Plumas Counties

. Information on the State and federal designations c an be

found at:

http://www.arb.ca.gov/desig/pm25desig/pm25desig.htm8

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### PM2.5 Air Quality Monitoring Program

PM2.5 Attainment Plans

To meet the requirements of the revised 24-hour PM2 .5 standard, the South Coast Air Quality Management Di strict and the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control Di strict prepared State Implementation Plans in 2012. ARB adopted the plans and submitted them to U.S. EPA in 2013. Imperial County Air Pollution Control Distri ct also prepared a State Implementation Plan for the Imperi al County nonattainment area. This plan was adopted b y ARB in December 2014 and submitted to U.S. EPA. Information on the South Coast Plan, the San Joaqui n Valley Plan, and the Imperial County Plan are avail able, respectively, at:

http://www.arb.ca.gov/planning/sip/planarea/scabsip .htm

http://www.arb.ca.gov/planning/sip/planarea/sanjqnv llysip.h

tm

http://www.arb.ca.gov/planning/sip/planarea/imperia l/imperi alsip.htm

New PM2.5 attainment plans for the revised annual P M2.5

standard of 12 μ g/m 3 will be due to U.S. EPA in 2016.6 

### Fine Particulate Matter Program

Figure 1: PM2.5 Monitoring Stations in California