6-1 6.0 Monitoring Strategy

Visibility conditions representative of t hose within the Class I areas is monitored by the IMPROVE program. In the mid-1980’s, t he IMPROVE program was established to measure visibility impairment in mandatory Class I areas throughout the United States. The moni toring sites are operated and maintained through a formal cooperative relationshi p between the EPA, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Se rvice, Bureau of Land Management, and U.S. Forest Service. In 1991, several additio nal organizations joined the effort: State and Territorial Air Pollution Program Admini strators and the Association of Local Air Pollution Control (which now is calle d the National Association of Clean Air Agencies) Officials, Western States Air Re sources Council, Mid-Atlantic Regional Air Management Association, and Nort heast States for Coordinated Air Use Management.

A Quality Assurance Project Plan (Q APP) for the IMPROVE program, dated
March 2002, can be found at:

http://vista.cira.colostate.edu/improve/ Publications/QA_QC/IMPROVE_QAPP_R0.pdf

6.1 IMPROVE Program Objectives

Data collected at these sites are used by land managers, industry planners, scientists, public interest groups, and ai r quality regulators to understand and protect the visual air quality resource in Class I areas. Most importantly, the IMPROVE program scientific ally documents the visual air quality of wilderness areas and national parks. Pr ogram objectives include:

$ Establish current visi bility and aerosol conditions in mandatory Class I areas,

$ Identify chemical species and emi ssion sources responsible for existing anthropogenic visibility impairment,

$ Document long-term trends for as sessing progress toward the national visibility goals,

$ Provide regional haze monitoring repres enting all visibility-protected federal Class I areas where practical, as requir ed by the EPA’s Regional Haze Rule.

6.2 New York’s Monitoring Responsibilities

Section 51.308(d)(4)(iii) of t he EPA’s Regional Haze Rule requires the inclusion of procedures by which monitoring data and other information are used in determining the contribution of emissions from within the Stat e to regional haze visibility impairment at mandatory Class I Federal areas both within and outside

the State. MANE-VU and Ne w York State accept t he contribution assessment analysis completed by NESCAUM entitled, Contributions to Regional Haze in the6-2 Northeast and Mid-Atlantic United States (Appendix A). New York State agrees that NESCAUM is providing appropriate technical information by using the IMPROVE program data and t he VIEWS site. Informat ion about the use of the default and alternative approac hes to the calculation of baseline and natural background conditions can be found in Section 5 of this SIP.

New York, however, does not contain any Class I areas. Therefore, no monitoring plan is required to be submitted with this SIP under the EPA’s Regional Haze

Rule.

6.3 Monitoring Information for MANE-VU Class I Areas 1

Although New York does not contain any Cl ass I areas, this section provides a description and location for the IMPROVE m onitors in the Class I areas to which New York contributes to regional haze.

6.3.1. Acadia National Park, Maine (Figures 6-1 and 6-2)

The IMPROVE monitor for the Acadia Nati onal Park (indicated as ACAD1) is located at Acadia National Park Headquarte rs in Maine at an elevation of 157 meters, a latitude of 44.38  ̊ and a longitude of -68.26  ̊

.

Monitoring Strategy

The ACAD1 site is considered to be adequate for assessing reasonable progress goals of the Acadia National Park by the State of Maine and no additional monitoring sites or equipment are necessa ry at this time . Maine routinely participates in the IMPROVE monito ring program by sending regional representatives to t he IMPROVE meetings.

1 All maps in this section are derived from maps found at: http://www.nationalatlas.gov/pri ntable/fedlands.html#list6-3 Figure 6-1 - Locational Map of the Acadia National Park, the Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge, and the Roosevelt Campobello International Park6-4 Figure 6-2 - Detailed Map of Acadia National Park

6.3.2 Moosehorn National Wildlife Re fuge, Maine (Figures 6-1 and 6-3)

The haze data for Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge is collected by an IMPROVE monitor (MOOS1) that is operat ed and maintained by the U.S. Fish &

Wildlife Service. The IMPROVE monito r for the Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge is located near McConvey Road, about one mile northeast of the National Wildlife Refuge Baring Unit Headquarters in Maine at an elevation of 78 meters, a

latitude of 45.13  ̊ and a longitude of -67.27  ̊

.

Monitoring Strategy

The State of Maine considers the MOOS 1 site as the only current IMPROVE monitoring site in Maine adequate for assessing reasonable progress goals of the Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge and no additional monitoring sites or equipment are necessary at this time. Maine routinely participates in the6-5 IMPROVE monitoring program by sendi ng regional represent atives to the IMPROVE meetings.

This monitor also represents the Roosev elt/Campobello International Park in New Brunswick, Canada.

6.3.3. Roosevelt/Campobello Internationa l Park, New Brunswick, Canada (Figure 6-3)

The haze data for Roosevelt/Campobello Inte rnational Park is collected by the IMPROVE monitor (MOOS1) that is operat ed and maintained by the U.S. Fish &

Wildlife Service. The IMPROVE monito r for the Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge is also the monitor for Roosev elt/Campobello International Park. The monitor is located near McConvey R oad, about one mile nor theast of the Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge Baring Unit Headquarters in Maine at an elevation of 78 meters, a latitude of 45.13  ̊ and a longitude of -67.27  ̊

.

Monitoring Strategy

The State of Maine considers the MOOS 1 site as the only current IMPROVE monitoring site in Maine or Canada adequate for assessing reasonable progress goals of the Roosevelt/Campobello Internat ional Park. No additional monitoring sites or equipment are necessary. Maine routinely participates in the IMPROVE monitoring program by sending regiona l representatives to the IMPROVE meetings.6-6 Figure 6-3 - Detailed Map of the Moosehorn National W ildlife Refuge Areas and the Roosevelt Campobello International Park

6.3.4. Brigantine Wilderness Area, New Jersey (Figures 6-4 and 6-5)

The haze data for Brigantine Wilder ness Area is collected by an IMPROVE monitor (BRIG1) that is operated and main tained by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife

Service. The IMPROVE monitor for the Br igantine Wilderness Area is located at the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters in Oceanville, New Jersey at an elevation of 5 meters, a latitude of 39.47  ̊ and a longitude of -74.45  ̊

.6-7 Monitoring Strategy

The State of New Jersey considers t he BRIG1 site as adequate for assessing reasonable progress goals of the Brigantine Wilder ness Area and no additional monitoring sites or equipment are necessary at this time. New Jersey routinely participates in the IMPROVE monito ring program by sending regional representatives to t he IMPROVE meetings.

Figure 6-4 - Locational Map of the Brigantine Wilderness Area6-8 Figure 6-5 - Detailed Map of th e Brigantine Wilderness Area

6.3.5 Great Gulf W ilderness Area, New Hampshire (Figures 6-6 and 6-7)

The haze data for Great Gulf Wilder ness Area is collected by an IMPROVE monitor (GRGU1) that is operated and mainta ined by the U.S. Forest Service.

The IMPROVE monitor for t he Great Gulf Wilderness Ar ea is located at Camp Dodge, which is located in the mid nort hern area of Greens Gr ant, just east and

south of where Route 16 crosses the Gr eens Grant/Martins Location boundary in the White Mountain National Forest, Sout h of Gorham, New Hampshire, at an
elevation of 454 meters, a latitude of 44.31  ̊ and a longitude of -71.22  ̊

.

Monitoring Strategy

The State of New Hampshire consi ders the GRGU1 site as adequate for6-9 assessing reasonable progress goals of t he Great Gulf Wil derness Area and no additional monitoring sites or equipment are necessary at this time. New Hampshire routinely participates in t he IMPROVE monitoring program by sending regional representatives to the IMPROVE meetings.

This monitor also represents the Presi dential Range/Dry River Wilderness Area in New Hampshire.

6.3.6 Presidential Range/Dry River Wilderness Area, New Hampshire (Figures 6-6 and 6-7)

The haze data for Presidential Range/Dry River Wilderness Area is collected by an IMPROVE monitor (GRGU1) that is operated and maintained by the U.S.

Forest Service. The IMPROVE monitor for the Great Gulf Wilderness Area also represents the Presidential Range/Dry Riv er Wilderness Area. The Presidential Range/Dry River Wilderness Area monitor is located at Camp Dodge, White Mountain National Forest, South of Gorham , New Hampshire, at an elevation of 454 meters, a latitude of 44.31  ̊ and a longitude of -71.22  ̊

.

Monitoring Strategy

The State of New Hampshire consi ders the GRGU1 site as adequate for assessing reasonable progress goals of the Presidentia l Range/Dry River Wilderness Area and no additional monitoring sites or equipment are necessary. New Hampshire routinely participates in the IMPROVE monitoring program by sending regional representatives to the IMPROVE meetings.6-10 Figure 6-6 - Locational Map of the Great Gulf Wilderness and Presidential Range Dry River Areas6-11 Figure 6-7 - Detailed Map of the Great Gulf Wilderness and Presidential Range Dry River Areas

6.3.7 Lye Brook Wilderness, Vermont (Figures 6-8 and 6-9)

The haze data for Lye Brook Wilderne ss Area is collected by an IMPROVE monitor (LYBR1) that is operated and mainta ined by the U.S. Forest Service. The IMPROVE monitor for the Lye Brook Wilderness Area is located on Mount Equinox at the windmills in Manchester, Vermont. T he monitor is not in the

Wilderness Area but is located on a mount ain peak across the valley to the west of the wilderness area. The Lye Brook Wil derness Area is at high elevation in the

mountains and the IMPROVE site across the valley is at about the same height as

the Wilderness Area at an elevation of 1015 meters, a latitude of 43.15  ̊ and a longitude of -73.13  ̊

.

Monitoring Strategy

The State of Vermont considers t he LYBR1 site as adequate for assessing reasonable progress goals of the Lye Brook Wilderness Area and no additional6-12 monitoring sites or equipment are necessary at this time. Vermont routinely participates in the IMPROVE monito ring program by sending regional representatives to t he IMPROVE meetings.

Figure 6-8 - Locational Map of the Lye Brook Wilderness Area6-13 Figure 6-9 - Detailed Map of the Lye Brook Wilderness Area