# PM 2.5 

# SIP

Appendix C

Model Protocol for Liberty-Clairton

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# PM 2.5 

# Model Protocol

Liberty-Clairton Nonattainment Area

Allegheny County Health Department Air Quality Program

October 15, 2007

### TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page
1.0 OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................... 1

1.1 PM 2.5 

### Designations .................................................................................... 1
1.2 Stakeholders.............................................................................................. 1

2.0 PROBLEM STATEMENT .......................................................................................... 2 2.1 Modeling Area .......................................................................................... 2

2.2 Monitored Data......................................................................................... 2

3.0 SELECTION CRITERIA

3.1 Models Selection ....................................................................................... 3 3.2 Regional Modeling...................................................................... . 3

3.3 PM 2.5 

### Components..................................................................................... 4 3.4 Modeling Year ........................................................................................... 4

4.0 CALPUFF MODELING PROCEDURE ...................................................................... 5 4.1 Domain Settings ........................................................................................ 5 4.2 Geophysical Preprocessing....................................................................... 6 4.3 Meteorological Preprocessing ................................................................... 7 4.4 Prognostic Meteorology............................................................................. 8 4.5 Meteorological Simulation ......................................................................... 8 4.6 Emission Inputs ....................................................................................... 10 4.7 Receptor Grid.............................................................................. 11 4.8 Modeling Tasks ....................................................................................... 13

5.0 EVALUATION OF RESULTS
5.1 Combination of CMAQ and CALPUFF .................................................... 14

5.2 Attainment Test ....................................................................................... 15

APPENDICES Appendix A – Maps of Affected Areas.................................................................A1 Appendix B – Monitor Sites and Data .................................................................A4 Appendix C – Meteorological Sites with Wind Roses..........................................A5 Appendix D – Surface Characteristics and Heat Flux Areas...............................A6 Appendix E – MANE-VU Grid Cells and Configuration .......................................A7 Appendix F – Facilities Potentially Affecting Liberty-Clairton ............................A10 Appendix G – Sample CMAQ Output................................................................A11PM 2.5 Protocol

Page 1 1.0 OVERVIEW

This section explains the official designations for particulate matter 2.5 microns or less (PM 2.5 ) in Allegheny County and need to carry out an attainm ent demonstration for the Liberty-Clairton Nonattainment Area according to this protocol. Stakeholders for the PM 2.5 protocol are also

discussed.

1.1 PM 2.5 Designations

EPA issued final PM 2.5 area designations on December 17, 2004, which became final on April 5,

2005.

Designations for PM 2.5 were based on several factors, including 2001-2003 monitored data, proximity to metropolitan areas, census populat ions, types of emissions, and others. Five counties in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area (MSA) 1 and portions of adjacent counties were designated as the Pittsburgh-Beaver Valley nonattain ment area. Additionally, the Liberty-Clairton area was designated as a separate area within Allegheny County.

The Liberty-Clairton Area includes the Boroughs of Glassport, Liberty, Lincoln, Port Vue, and the City of Clairton. Appendix A provides maps of the Southwestern PA designation areas, including close-ups of the Liberty-Clairton Area.

1.2 Stakeholders

The PA Dept. of Environmental Protection (D EP) will model the Pittsburgh-Beaver Valley nonattainment area, while the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) will model the Liberty-Clairton Area. A final attainment dem onstration for the Liberty-Clairton Area will be submitted to the PA DEP, on behalf of the ACHD , for submittal to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA) Region 3 office.

All contractual assi stance for the development of Liberty-Clairton Area modeling will be under the direction of the ACHD. ACHD staff, the ACHD Cr iteria Subcommittee (subcommittee of the Air Advisory Committee), and the ACHD PM 2.5 Modeling Workgroup have participated in the development of this protocol.

The Criteria Subcommittee members include per sons from industry, environmental advocacy organizations, environmental consultation companies, and the general public.

Sullivan Environmental Inc. has been selected as t he meteorological consultant for this modeling demonstration. Additional support for the di spersion modeling has not been contracted at the time of this protocol.

1 The Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) encompasses Allegheny, Ar mstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington, and Westmoreland counties, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, November 2004.PM 2.5 Protocol

Page 2 2.0 PROBLEM STATEMENT

This section explains the nature of the PM 2.5 problem and provides a conceptual design for the Liberty-Clairton Area. Monitored data results are also given.

2.1 Modeling Area

The Liberty-Clairton Area is made up of complex river valley terrain, approximately 3 miles wide by 5 miles long. It includes a 4-mile winding portion of the Monongahela River and is bordered by the Youghiogheny River to the east. The area incl udes rural land, densely populated residential areas, and industrial facilities.

River valleys lie at 718 feet in elevation (MSL), while adjacent hilltops can be greater than 1250 feet. Large temperature differences can be se en between hilltop and valley floor observations (e.g. 2 to 7° F) during clear, low-wind, nightti me conditions. Strong nighttime drainage flows can cause differences of up to 180° in wind direction with 3-4 mph downward flows. Also, strong nighttime inversions can lead to poor dispersion scenarios on several days of the year.

The Liberty-Clairton Area is presumably impacte d by regional, urban excess, and localized PM 2.5

. Source apportionment result s based on speciated data can be found in the report Allegheny County PM2.5 Source Apportionment Results using the Positive Matrix Factorization Model (PMF Version 1.1). 2

2.2 Monitored Data

The Federal Reference Method (FRM) PM 2.5 monitor at Liberty is located atop a school at high elevation near the center of the Liberty-Clairto n area. The FRM monitor at Clairton is located atop a school at low elevation in the western port ion of the area. Both are violating the annual

PM 2.5 standard of 15 μg/m3. The Liberty monitor is al so in violation of the 24-hour standard of 65 μg/m3. FRM monitors located to the west and to the south of the area have monitored attainment of both standards. Appendix B contains details of monitor sites and data.

Results from the Liberty PM 2.5 speciation monitor show that carbons, ammonia, andsome trace elements are higher in the LibertyClairton Area than in other monitored areas by 4 to 5 μg/m3. An in-depth analysis of speciated

PM 2.5 components in Allegheny County can be found in the report PM 2.5

Chemical Speciation and Related Comparisons at Lawrenceville and Liberty: 18-Month Results. 3

2 Report can be found online at http://www.achd.net/airqual/pubs/pdf/pmf0106.pdf

3 Report can be found online at http://www.achd.net/airqual/pubs /pdf/speciation_report.pdf Figure 2.2. Liberty PM 2.5 Excess Species Pie ChartPM 2.5 Protocol

Page 3 3.0 SELECTION CRITERIA

This section outlines the models, the species of PM 2.5, and the years to be modeled for the Liberty-Clairton Area. The final EPA PM 2.5 Implementation Rule was published in March 2007.

The final EPA PM 2.5 Modeling Guidance was published in April 2007.

3.1 Models Selection

The PaDEP is using CMAQ modeling for PM-2.5 as developed by the Mid-Atlantic NorthEast Visibility Union. The same modeling results will be used for the Liberty/Clairton area. However, a more detailed analysis is necessary for the Liberty/Clairton area due to localized emissions impacting communities located nearb y. In this process, a loca l dispersion model will be used to more precisely locate and represent the impact of local emissions, the regional model CMAQ will be used for the remaining sources.

The EPA-preferred CALPUFF modelin g system will be used to create near-field and some longrange transport simulations of the Liberty-Clair ton area. CALPUFF Version 5.8 (dated June 29, 2007) is the most rece ntly EPA-approved version for regulat ory applications. CALPUFF was selected as the dispersion model for the Liberty-Clairton Area based on the complex terrain and strong temperature inversions that are characteristic to the area. CALPUFF also has the ability to model buoyant line sources that are resident to the area.

The CALPUFF modeling system is comprised of CALMET (meteorological model), CALPUFF (dispersion model), geophysical data preprocess ors, meteorological data preprocessors, and several postprocessors such as CALPOST. The CALPro GUI (dated June 29, 2007) comprises CALPUFF and associated preproce ssors and postprocessors in a central interface and will be utilized as the modeling software. 4

The CALMET meteorological model employs the use of gridded multi-layer wind fields. Data from the PSU/NCAR Mesoscale Model Generation 5 (MM5) will be used for prognostic wind field data. Regional modeling will also be required for background values for the Liberty-Clairton domain. This will be performed using the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model. Regional impacts from CMAQ will be combined with the near -field impacts and long-range transport from CALPUFF during post-processing.

3.2 Regional Modeling

The Pennsylvania D epartment of Environmental Protecti on or its contractor will complete modeling for the Pittsburgh-Beaver Valley Nonattain ment Area, likely using the regional reactive model CMAQ. The results of this modeling will be the basis of the modeling completed for the Liberty-Clairton attainment demonstration.

The regional results will provide a hourly concentrations by major PM 2.5 component for each 12 x 12 km grid cell. This will represent the background value for each cell, which will then be combined with the impacts from the CALPUFF model simulations. Sample hourly CMAQ results for major species for base year 2002 and projected year 2009 are shown in the tables in Appendix G.

4 CALPUFF can be downloaded at: http://www.src.com/calpuff/download/download.htmPM 2.5 Protocol

Page 4 3.3 PM 2.5 Components

Analysis of speciated PM 2.5 data in Southwestern PA indicates that the Liberty-Clairton Area excess is composed mainly of primary components of PM 2.5 . Therefore, emission inputs for the CALPUFF modeling will consist of pr imary filterable and condensable PM 2.5 . Secondary

formation of PM 2.5 from sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) will be excluded from the Liberty-Clairton modeling. Therefore, CMAQ modeled results will be used for all secondary components, and a comb ination of CMAQ (for background) and CALPUFF modeled results will be used for primary components.

3.4 Modeling Year

The availability of MM5 and CMAQ data is the lim iting factor in the Liberty-Clairton modeling

timeframe. Data is available for the area for the year 2002, based on MANE-VU regional modeling. Hence, 2002 will be the modeled year fo r the Liberty-Clairton modeling. Modeling will focus on annual concentrations, but selected shor t-term modeling periods may reveal specific meteorological scenarios and control techniques.PM 2.5 Protocol

Page 5 4.0 CALPUFF MODELING PROCEDURE

This section delineates the procedures for preprocessing, model simulations, and postprocessing required for the Liberty-Clairton modeling demonstration.

4.1 Domain Settings

Since nested domains are not possible in the cu rrent version of CALPUFF/CALMET, separate domains for long-range transport and near-field impacts will be used at different resolutions. Results from these domains will be combined in postprocessing with the regional CMAQ background results.

Common domain settings can be shared for CALPUFF, CALMET, and most associated preprocessor programs. These include:

 Projection: Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM)

 Zone: 17, Northern

 Datum: North American 1983

 Continent/Region: North Americ a/Continental US (CONUS), NAR-C

 Base Time Zone: Eastern U.S. (GMT -05:00)

 Grid Type: Cartesian, referenced to lower left corner

 Grid Spacing: - 1 km for long-range transport grid - 100 m for near-field impact grid

 Grid Dimensions: - 140 x 140 km for long-range transport grid - 20 x 20 km for near-field impact grid

Figure 4.1. Modeling DomainsPM 2.5 Protocol

Page 6 The near-field domain will be centered on the Liber ty Monitor, allowing fo r equidistant movement of puffs around maximum monitored concentrat ion point. The long-range transport domain will

match the extent of the MM5 data as supplied by the regional modelers.

Data files from different datum references can be used for geophysical inputs since the preprocessors are able to convert to one consist ent datum. Contour plotting with software such as Surfer® should be used to reveal errors that may exist in gridded data.

For the long-range modeling applications, Lambert Conformal coordinates are recommended for domains in which the earth’s curvature may be signi ficant (greater than 200 km). For purposes of post-processing Liberty-Clairt on results, UTM will be datum to be used for the gridded and discrete receptor coordinates within t he long-range transport and near-field domains.

4.2 Geophysical Preprocessing

Geophysical preprocessing for CALMET includes the programs TERREL, CTGCOMP, CTGPROC, and MAKEGEO. The following settings should be used for these:

 Coastline: none

 Terrain Files: - USGS30, 7.5’ DEMs in and adjacent to the Liberty-Clairton Area - USGS90, 1° DEMs outside the vicinity of the Liberty-Clairton Area

 Discrete Receptors: only for Li berty and Clairton nearby receptors

 Land Use Files: - USGS NLCD 1992 land use (by state)

The use of 7.5’ DEM terrain and NLCD 1992 la nd use data provide data points at every 30 meters within the near-field domain (100 meter reso lution). Since the resolution of the long-range transport domain is 1 km, the use of 1° DEM te rrain data at 90-meter resolution is sufficient.

Fi g ure 4.2. Nea r -Field CALMET Domain at 100 m ResolutionPM 2.5 Protocol

Page 7 Land use files are periodically updated by the USGS . NLCD 2001 land use data would provide a more accurate depiction of the Liberty-Clairt on Area. However, The CTGPROC preprocessor code will not accept NLCD 2001 at the time of this protocol.

4.3 Meteorological Preprocessing

Meteorological preprocessing for CALMET includes SMERGE, READ62, PXTRACT, and PMERGE. The following inputs should be used for these preprocessors:

 Period: Jan.1-Dec. 31, 2002, Local Standard Time (LST)

 Surface Data: DATSAV3 (TD-9956), converted to SAMSON

 Upper Air Data: NCDC FSL or MM5

 Top Pressure: must equal or exceed top of vertical domain

 Precipitation Data: TD-3240

Airports near the Liberty-Clairton Area include the Pittsburgh International Airport (Code: PIT, WBAN: 94823) and the Allegheny County Airport (Code: AGC, WBAN: 14762). Upper air and precipitation data is not availabl e for the Allegheny County Airport.

Several local surface data sites have been evaluated for use in the modeling demonstration.

Local surface data to be included are the Liberty site, operated by the ACHD Air Quality Program, and the Clairton site, operated by US Steel on Cl airton Coke Works property. Photographs and wind roses of 2002 data for key sites are shown are shown in Appendix C.

For the long-range transport domain, the following inputs will be used

 PIT Airport surface and precipitation data

 PIT Airport and/or MM5 for hourly upper air data

For the near-field domain, the following inputs will be used:

 AGC Airport, Liberty, and Clairton surface data

 PIT Airport precipitation data

 PIT Airport and/or MM5 for hourly upper air data

Raw surface from the U.S. Steel Clairton site is incomplete, containing no data from Jan.1 – Aug. 11, 2002. A regression analysis based on additio nal years of data from Clairton, Liberty, and historical met sites may be used to substitute or “back-fill” missing data for 2002 at Clairton. Details of the regression analysis will be given in t he final report by the meteorological contractor.

Since surface data from local meteorological site s only provide wind speed, wind direction, and temperature, airport data will be substituted fo r other meteorological va riables. During hours where local temperature is lower than airport dew point temperature, relative humidity will be

corrected to 100% in the surface data files.

Surface characteristics such as albedo and surface roughness can va ry by season. Therefore, CALMET files will be processed on a seasonal basis with varying surface char acteristics for the near-field domain. Adjustments will also be made to anthropogenic heat flux in grid cell areas where combustion sources emit large amounts of heat. Appendix D shows default average surface parameters (all-season) and high anthropogenic heat flux areas.PM 2.5 Protocol

Page 8 4.4 Prognostic Meteorology

Data for prognostic meteorology will be extracted from 2002 MM5 results. The PSU/NCAR Mesoscale Model Generation 5 (MM5) is a limited- area, non-hydrostatic, terrain-following sigmacoordinate model designed to simulate or predi ct mesoscale atmospheri c circulation. Modeled surfaces near the ground closely follow the terrai n, and the higher-level sigma surfaces tend to approximate isobaric surfaces. The vertical and horizontal resolution and domain size are

variable.

MM5 data has been prepared for 2002 in the Northe astern United States by states in the MidAtlantic/Northeast States Visib ility Union (MANE-VU) during early work for Regio nal Haze State Implementation Plans (SIPs) for these states. This same data will be used by the member states in preparation of their PM 2.5 SIPs. PA DEP has indicated that t hey will use this data in their SIPs, including the Pittsburgh-Beaver Valley SIP.

For consistency with the regional modeling for the Pittsburgh-Beaver Valley SIP, ACHD will use the same meteorological data and process it th rough CALMET for use in the CALPUFF model. The MM5 grid cells are set at 12 km spacing. A CHD will use the existing gr id and the subset of meteorological data appropriate for the modelin g domains. Appendix E shows MANE-VU MM5 and CMAQ maps and configurations for Southwestern Pennsylvania.

Additional meteorological data will be included in the CALMET processing of data. This includes surface, upper air, and precipitation data from t he Greater Pittsburgh Airport (PIT), surface data from the Allegheny County Airport, and surface dat a from ACHD air quality or other monitoring sites. CALMET will create a three-dimensional wind and temperature gridded fields for use in

CALPUFF.

4.5 Meteorological Simulation

CALMET will be used for the meteorological simu lation. ACHD will begin by using only the MM5

data in CALMET and review the CALMET-cr eated wind fields for representative wind characterization. Meteorological site data will be added, with limited range of effectiveness, until sufficiently accurate representative wind fields ar e structured for each hour across the modeling

domain.

Meteorological data processed through CALMET w ill result in two gridded meteorological domains: a long-range transport domain (140 x 140 km, 1 km receptor spacing) and a near-field impact domain (20 x 20 km, 100 m receptor spacing), with each domain containing 11 vertical layers of meteorological data. Data used to create these grids will come from 12-km spaced MM5 data already processed for mu lti-state regional modeling, combined with local airport and local meteorological tower data. The steps of meteorological data preparations are:

a) Quality-assure MM5 grid points from MANE-VU MM5 meteorological data processed for

2002. b) Reformat observed data as necessary to prepare for CALMET runs. c) Review results for model input parameters such as albedo and surface roughness from the preprocessor programs. Identify values for model inputs such as bias and mixing height constants; use default values if unknown. d) Compare meteorological data from CALMET run to observed data. Identify specific days to run during data preparation tests, including days of high concentration and representation of various meteorological conditions. e) Make a first run through CALMET using only MM5 and terrain data, using the days selected in (d). f) Evaluate results against observed data.PM 2.5 Protocol

Page 9 g) Review airflow information surrounding the USS Clairton coke works. Using heat information from the plant, identify a pro per representation of air movement near and above the plant. h) Review and determine use of observed met eorological data for subsequent test runs. i) Make subsequent test runs, with se lected observed data files and adjusted meteorological parameters. Analyze re sults, and recommend modifications to meteorological parameters with each run. j) Make full year runs with final meteorologic al parameters and chosen observed data sets.

CALMET runs will be performed by season to allo w for seasonally-adjust ed surface parameters. For modeling purposes, seasons are defined as follows:

 Winter: Dec. – Feb.

 Spring; Mar. -May

 Summer: June - July

 Autumn: Sept. - Nov.

For a complete year of CALMET data for year 2002, a total of five files are needed as input to CALPUFF, since the winter season is split between Jan.-Feb. and December.

Key variables in CALMET are needed to assign bias , radii of influence, and many other options. Table 4.5 below lists CALMET variable assignments based on preliminary modeling and meteorological analyses.

TABLE 4.5. CALMET Variable Values

CALMET Variable Selected Value Rationale

NOOBS 1 Use MM5 upper air data

NPSTA -1 Use MM5 precipitation data (to consider wet deposition)

IEXTRP -4 Using MM5 for upper levels, extrapolate

observed surface winds aloft to account for valley wind effects based on BIAS.

ZFACE 0.,20.,40.,80.,160.,320.,640., 1000.,1500.,2000.,2500.,3000. Define 11 cell face heights (m) in vertical grid

BIAS -1, -1, -1, -1, .5, .8, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 Heavily weight surface observations below valley wall height of 200m and then increase weighting of upper air

observations above valley wall. RMIN2 -1 Not used since NOOBS=1; IEXTRP=-1

IPROG 14 Use MM5 as a first guess but allow CALMET to adjust for terrain

TERRAD 0.5 Using formula of terrain ridge to ridge distance divided by 2 plus some small

factor

R1 & R2 1.5 This adjustment is data dependent and projected wind patterns will be compared to observed wind flows (feedback mechanism)

RMAX1 & RMAX2 1.5 This adjustment dependent on met data sites relative to terrain valley/ridge

features

ITPROG 1 Use surface stations and MM5 for upper

air IRHPROG 1 Use MM5 relative humidity SIGMAP 12 Set radius to the MM5grid spacingPM 2.5 Protocol

Page 10 4.6 Emissions Inputs

Emissions inputs will be based on calculated actual emissions data for sources affecting the Liberty-Clairton Area. Types of sources should be modeled as such:

 Stacks: point sources

 Ambient-Temperature Fugitives: area or volume sources

 Quench Towers: point or short buoyant line sources

 Coke Oven Batteries: buoyant (BLP) line sources

 Significant roads: non-buoyant line sources

For the base inventory, the ACHD will begin with the NEI invent ory as prepared for the MANE-VU regional PM 2.5 modeling effort. All sources in Alleg heny County and significant sources outside Allegheny County will be reviewed for their influence on the non-attainment area.

The MANE-VU inventory lists 1439 point sources for Allegheny County. Preliminary runs will be made of individual sources and groups of sources to determine if these sources create a gradient

of concentrations across the CMAQ grid cell (that matches the ne ar-field domain), i.e. that the source results in a significantly higher concentration at one recept or point than another. Sources with no gradient that are not targeted with loca l controls will be removed from the CALPUFF inventory. The intent in the CALPUFF modeling is to find the variance of concentrations to add or subtract that gradient from the full CMAQ model.

Sources will be reviewed for emissions and source parameter errors. MANE-VU has corrected some source inputs, but since the accuracy of source emissions and parameters become more sensitive to a finer grid, it may be necessary to further refine these source s. Recent stack tests may be incorporated to better characterize emission rates and stack parameters.

For consistency with CMAQ modeled results, sources with erred parameters will be subtracted from the regional results, based on average CALPU FF results that closely matches that CMAQ grid cell, then added according to corrected CALPUFF average results. This is discussed more in the model simulation and postprocessing sections that follow.

The MANE-VU emission inventory contains a numbe r of area sources. ACHD will evaluate these sources to determine whether they are spread evenly across the County and therefore would not be responsive to the CALPUFF model. Also, ACHD will review the effect of these sources within the Liberty/Clairton non-attainment domain.

Allowable vs. Actual Emissions

The regional model is based on 2002 actual emissions for its modeling runs. This is necessary

because the formation of some PM 2.5 components such as sulfates and nitrates depend on the ambient mix of chemicals. Thus, an actual emis sion inventory, rather than an allowable emission inventory, is needed. The CALPUFF modeling of the Liberty-Clairton Area must be consistent with the CMAQ modeling, so modeling will also be based on 2002 actual emissions using the inventory. This is different from most loca l regulatory dispersion modeling applications, where allowable or potential emissions are used.

In developing a control strategy, a procedure mu st be developed to calculate expected actual emissions from the control strategy. For thos e sources with a contro l strategy set by the Pittsburgh-Beaver Valley SIP demonstration and modeled in the attainment run for that model,

the ACHD will use the same emission rates for the CALPUFF modeling runs. For those sources whose emissions have changed by the ACHD contro l strategy for the Liberty-Clairton Area, or changed due to other expected source changes, emission rates will be adjusted to representPM 2.5 Protocol

Page 11 actual emission rates in the attainment year by evaluating actual operating levels and actual fuel use over the most recent two years.

Appendix F contains sources potentially affecting the Liberty-Clairton PM 2.5 Nonattainment Area, lying within the nonattainment area or adjacent municipalities.

4.7 Receptor Grid

Either a 100-meter or 1-kilometer grid across the area covered by the CMAQ modeling grid number 98, 89 of the MANE-VU modeling will be used to determine an average CALPUFF

concentration for each source modeled. Tests w ill be made of the sensitivity of the model to the choice of grid.

Although the modeling domains are larger in scal e to accommodate changing wind patterns, the attainment analysis will only be performed on the 12 km CMAQ grid cell that contain the LibertyClairton Area. Final attainment will be based on the nearby receptor impa cts located at the FRM sites within the Liberty-Clairton Area on a quarterly (calendar year) basis

Nearby Receptors

The modeling guidance recommends modeling concen trations at “nearby receptors,” receptors close to the 2 PM-2.5 monitors in the Liberty/Cl airton area, the Liberty monitor and the Clairton monitor. Nearby receptors hav e been defined by ACHD as receptors spaced at 100 meter resolution up to a 500 meter radius from the FR M site and located at an elevation no less or greater than 40 feet of the FRM monitor elevati on. Once the elevation criterion is not met, receptors at further distances away from the monito r in the same radial direction are excluded.PM 2.5 Protocol

Page 12 The locations of the Clairton nearby receptors have led to a problem: the receptors located

southwest of the monitor are located outside the CMAQ grid cell used in the remaining modeling.

Several options were discussed to deal with this issue:

• Include the next CMAQ grid cell in the analysis, by using the CMAQ concentrations from this grid with the receptors located in that cell. This may lead to some inconsistency.

• Include the next CMAQ grid cell in the a nalysis, by averaging the CMAQ results of the two grid cells and modeling CALPUFF as a 12 x 24 kilometer grid. This would shift the emphasis off the non-attainment area and into locations further south.

• Do not consider any nearby receptors not located within the CMAQ grid. This may lead

to concerns from the excluded areas.

• Locate the CALPUFF modeling grid 0.5 s outhwest of the CMAQ grid, but use the concentrations provided by the one CMAQ grid cell when combining the results of the two

models.

ACHD has chosen the fourth option: make a s light shift to the southwest to the CALPUFF equivalent cell to include the nearby receptors for Clairton (see Figure 4.8.b below). The CALPUFF receptor gird would not include the area represented by the “top” 0.5 km x 12 km of the CMAQ grid cell, and include an area 0.5 km x 12 km area below the identified CMAQ grid cell.

This would maintain the mass of a 12 km x 12 km grid, include all the nearby receptors, and maintain consistency of the CMAQ results ac ross the grid. Since there are no major sources affected by such an adjustment, and the average shou ld be similar to that of the exact equivalent CMAQ grid cell area, this shift should not negatively affect the final modeled results.

Figure 4.8.a. Nea r -Field Domain Aerial Map, with CMAQ Grid Cell Area and Nearby Receptors for Liberty and ClairtonPM 2.5 Protocol

Page 13 4.8 Modeling Tasks

The CALPUFF model will be run for each sour ce, for each quarter, for each of the selected pollutants.

The modeling steps, in brief, are:

a) Select input and results data from MA NE-VU CMAQ runs for Liberty-Clairton nonattainment area. Develop software as neede d to extract data from the MANE-VU runs. b) Compare the NEI/MANE-VU PM and VOC emissions inventory against ACHD, PADEP, & WVDEP inventories for Allegheny County sources and select sources from the remainder of the modeling domain. This review will include source parameters. c) Confirm questionable emission rates and source parameters. d) Write software, if needed, to combine results from modeling runs of separate groups of sources, specifically to combine CALPUFF an d CMAQ results. Results from different CALPUFF runs, i.e., near-field and long-range grids, can be combined using the CALSUM or other postprocessor. e) Make test runs of individual and groups of sources or small sets of receptors or dates using CALPUFF to check the integrity of input files. f) Perform test runs for model options as applicable; exclude options not applicable to Liberty-Clairton modeling such as chemical transformation. g) Set up full modeling runs. If needed, set up separate modeling runs to run simultaneously on separate computers. h) Combine CALPUFF and CMAQ results, using the process described below. i) Run the model iteratively to deter mine the optimum control strategy. j) Verify the attainment modeling by making a final run using the selected control strategy. k) Combine CALPUFF results with CMAQ results of the final run. l) Prepare a technical support document on the final attainment modeling. Figure 4.8.b. Nea r -Field Domain A erial Map, with CALPUFF Equivalent (Average)

Grid Cell Shift and Libert y -Clairton Area and MonitorsPM 2.5 Protocol

Page 14 5.0 EVALUATION OF RESULTS

This section delineates the procedures for postprocessing modeled results and testing for

attainment.

5.1 Combination of CMAQ and CALPUFF

Component-by-Component Analysis

Total concentration of PM 2.5 can be determined by summing t he primary dispersion derived component and the secondary grid model component. The Speciated Modeled Attainment Test (SMAT) will adjust the major species to a tota l that is more equivalent to an FRM mass concentration on a quarterly basis.

Elsewhere in this document, it is demonstrated th at nitrates and sulfates in the Liberty/Clairton are regional, rather than local, in nature. The results of the CMAQ model are sufficient for these components, and CALPUFF will not be run for them . For nitrates, sulfates, and ammonium, the value from CMAQ base and attainment modeling runs will be used. There will be one value each day per 12 x 12-km grid, on a quarterly basis.

CALPUFF modeling will be done for primary filterable and condensible PM 2.5 emissions. Results will be analyzed and calculated against the same component in CMAQ. For primary filterable, condensable, and other primary PM 2.5 , the value from CMAQ will be combined with CALPUFF

modeled values.

CMAQ regional modeling will prov ide one value per species across the 12 x 12 km grid cell that includes the Liberty-Clairton Area. CALPUFF modeling for the near field domain (long-range domain discussed below), will produce two end-results:

 And array of concentrations in an area equiva lent to the area represented by the CMAQ 12 x 12 km cell, from which an average will be calculated. Resoluti on for this area should be sufficient enough (250 m to 1 km) to realize the maximum and minimum impacts throughout the area. The average from all the receptors from t he CALPUFF “equivalentcell” will be used in combination with the CMAQ value to effectively remove any doublecounting of average/background concentrations.

 Concentrations at the nearby receptors, at or adjacent to the FRM site locations within the Liberty-Clairton Area, representing community impacts.

The methodology of the CALPUFF procedure is to use CMAQ values as background, remove the equivalent CALPUFF average values from the background (to avoid double-counting), and add the localized CALPUFF impacts at the nonattainment sites.

Based on work done for the Philadelphia air toxi cs study, the CALPUFF modeling can provide a finer resolution to the terrain within the non-attainment area than the CMAQ model; however, the mass of the CMAQ grid cell shou ld be maintained. For the nearby receptor analysis, ACHD plans to use the equation:PM 2.5 Protocol

Page 15 CMAQ + CALPUFF defined sub-grid variability:

C sub-Grid = C CMAQ + C CALPUFF – [C CALPUFF ] AVG

In this case, the concentration results from the CMAQ attainment run and the concentrations from

the CALPUFF attainment runs will be used. The effe cts of local controls on sources that are not included in the CMAQ modeling would be eradicated from the attainment run if a new, final CALPUFF average were subtracted from each rece ptor. So, the final attainment calculation

would need to be:

C controlled_sub-Grid = C CMAQcontrolled + C CALPUFFcontrolled – [C CALPUFF ] AVGuncontrolled

Relative response factors (RRFs) will be applied to elemental and organic carbons base year actual monitor concentrations in order to projec t future year concentrations. Actual speciation monitor results are not available for Liberty-Cl airton in 2002, and averages for 2003-2007 will be extrapolated temporally to represent quarterly averages.

5.2 Attainment Test

Final concentrations for each species will be entered into SMAT analysis, which adjusts the speciated results to more closely match FRM results using the SANDWICH method on a quarterly basis. The SANDWICH method (S ulfate, A djusted Ni trate, D erived W ater, I nferred
C arbonaceous mass H ybrid) material balance approach adds water, passive mass, and corrects the organic carbon species.

The EPA Modeling Guidance for PM 2.5 (and ozone and regional haze) provides the procedures for processing the data by SMAT. Weight of evidence analysis will be needed based on final

values for PM 2.5 for the controlled year.PM 2.5 Protocol

Appendices Page A1 

### APPENDIX A – Maps of Affected Areas

PM 2.5 

### Southwestern PA Designation AreasPM 2.5 Protocol

Appendices Page A2 

### Liberty-Clairton Area – Aerial Close-Up (with Municipalities)PM 2.5 Protocol

Appendices Page A3 

### Liberty-Clairton Area – Topographic Close-UpPM 2.5 Protocol

Appendices Page A4 

### APPENDIX B – Monitored Sites and Data

Two sites have monitored PM 2.5 (FRM monitors) within in the Liberty-Clairton Area:

Liberty : Located on a plateau near the center of the Liberty-Clairton Area at an elevation of 1069 ft. (MSL). It has monitored non attainment for both the annual and the

24-hour standard. It also contains continuous (TEOM) and speciation (STN) monitors. [AQS# 42-003-0064-88101]

Clairton : Located within the Monongahela River valle y in the western portion of the area at an elevation of 953 ft. (MSL). It has m onitored nonattainment for the annual standard only. [AQS# 42-003-3007-88101]

Two additional sites have monitored PM 2.5 (FRM monitors) within the vicinity of the LibertyClairton Area:

Forward : Located on a plateau to the south of the Li berty-Clairton Area at an elevation of 1170 ft. (MSL). It has monitored attainment of both standards. It was relocated
from the South Park site in Feb. 2003 and was discontinued in Dec. 2005. AQS#

42-003-0133-88101

South Park : Located on a plateau to the west of the ar ea at an elevation of 1221 ft. (MSL). It

monitored attainment for both standards. It was discontinued and moved to the
Forward site in Feb. 2003. AQS# 42-003-0131-88101



### Southeastern Allegheny

Count yPM 2.5 Protocol

Appendices Page A5 

### APPENDIX C – Meteorological Sites with Wind Roses

Liberty

Clairton Allegheny County AirportPM 2.5 Protocol

Appendices Page A6 

### APPENDIX D – Surface Characteristics and Heat Flux Areas

Adjusted Anthropogenic Heat Flux Areas Bowen Soil Heat Anthropogenic Leaf

Ratio Flux Heat Flux Area

11 RESIDENTIAL 0.19 1.20 0.19 5.00 1.68

13 INDUSTRIAL 0.18 1.50 0.25 30.00 0.00

15 INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL COMPLEXES 0.18 1.50 0.25 5572.73 0.00

21 CROPLAND AND PASTURE 0.15 1.00 0.15 0.00 3.00

41 DECIDUOUS FOREST LAND 0.10 1.00 0.15 0.00 7.00

42 EVERGREEN FOREST 0.10 1.00 0.15 0.00 7.00

43 MIXED FORESTLAND 0.10 1.00 0.15 0.00 7.00

52 LAKES (RIVERS) 0.10 0.00 1.00 0.00 0.00

75 STRIP MINES, QUARRIES, AND GRAVEL PITS 0.30 1.00 0.15 0.00 0.05

76 TRANSITIONAL AREAS 0.22 1.25 0.20 0.00 0.35 Land Use

Type Description Albedo



### Near-field grid cells in red contain high anthropogenic heat flux based on combustion sources (shown in yellow) Annual Average CALMET Default Surface Characteristics

with Ad j usted Anthro p o g enic Heat FluxPM 2.5 Protocol

Appendices Page A7 

### APPENDIX E – MANE-VU Grid Cells and Configuration

MM5 Grid Center Points and MM5 Coverage

Grid points at 12 km spacingPM 2.5 Protocol

Appendices Page A8 

### CMAQ Grid Cells with SW PA Counties

Grid cell containing Liberty-Clairton shown in bluePM 2.5 Protocol

Appendices Page A9 

### MANE-VU Regional Modeling System Grid ConfigurationsPM 2.5 Protocol

Appendices Page A10 

### APPENDIX F – Facilities Potentia lly Affecting Liberty-Clairton

Below are facilities potentially affecting the Li berty-Clairton PM2.5 Nonattainment Area, lying within the nonattainment area or adjacent munici palities, according to the ACHD permit tracking list. Emissions data are based on NEI 2002 emissions inventory (actuals).

Major/Minor/Synthetic Minor Sources w/PM 2.5 > 1 TPY Clairton Slag, W. Elizabeth ..............................................10.46 tpy CP Industries, McKeesport ................................................1.05 tpy Eastman Chemical, W. Elizabeth ....................................13.04 tpy Guardian, W. Elizabeth ....................................................21.89 tpy Marsh Asphalt, Dravosburg ...............................................4.66 tpy Mid-Continent Coal, Clairton .............................................4.10 tpy Koppers, Clairton ...............................................................6.71 tpy US Steel Clairton, Clairton .............................................319. 04 tpy US Steel Irvin, W. Mifflin ..................................................26.41 tpy

Major/Minor/Synthetic Minor Sources w/PM 2.5 < 1 but Other Criteria > 1 TPY GE International, W. Mifflin GM, W. Mifflin Kinder Morgan, Dravosburg Liberty Pultrusions, W. Mifflin Marathon Ashland, W. Elizabeth Nash, Elizabeth Precoat, McKeesport Sanyo Chemical , W. Elizabeth

Major/Minor/Synthetic Minor S ources w/All Criteria < 1 TPY PA Electric Coil, Glassport

Minor Sources w/No Emissions Inventory AKJ Industries, Clairton Elizabeth Carbide, McKeesport Harbison Walker, W. Mifflin MonValley Transportation Center, Glassport Penn Rilton, W. Elizabeth Ryan Metal, McKeesport Tech Met, Glassport TYK Refractories, Clairton

PA DEP Sources Reliant Energy – Elrama, Union Twp. Allegheny Energy – Mitchell, Union Twp.PM 2.5 Protocol

Appendices Page A11 

### APPENDIX G - Sample CMAQ Output

Data below is shown for year 2002 (base year), by hourly major species in μg/m3. The species A25 is primary un-speciated PM 2.5



### .

2002
DATE/HOUR PM2.5 SO4 NO3 NH4 EC OM A25

2002010100 14.8025 1.3307 4.7542 1.8792 0.9320 3.1156 2.7910

2002010101 15.3689 1.3787 5.2984 2.0551 0.8850 2.9497 2.8019

2002010102 16.6705 1.4380 5.7607 2.2116 1.0383 3.2216 3.0002

2002010103 17.4495 1.4135 6.0682 2.2917 1.1672 3.3952 3.1137

2002010104 18.2931 1.3158 6.2770 2.3157 1.4417 3.7457 3.1972

2002010105 19.1490 1.2872 6.5669 2.3892 1.5920 4.0079 3.3058

2002010106 20.2648 1.3094 6.8786 2.4880 1.7428 4.3646 3.4815

2002010107 21.6470 1.3800 7.1915 2.6053 1.9126 4.8193 3.7383

2002010108 23.0140 1.4724 7.4489 2.7147 2.0777 5.2884 4.0118

2002010109 23.9955 1.5170 7.5192 2.7518 2.2311 5.7673 4.2090

2002010110 22.7164 1.4829 7.3748 2.6971 1.9189 5.1758 4.0669

2002010111 19.0075 1.5060 6.7729 2.5310 1.2314 3.7132 3.2531

2002010112 16.8398 1.5920 6.0480 2.3528 1.0356 3.1239 2.6875

2002010113 14.7394 1.4883 5.1577 2.0554 0.9184 2.8217 2.2979

2002010114 14.7165 1.7929 4.5507 1.9933 0.9118 2.9348 2.5330

2002010115 18.3694 2.4379 4.7795 2.3016 1.4067 4.0730 3.3708

2002010116 25.1637 3.0168 5.2343 2.6509 2.6888 6.7227 4.8501

2002010117 26.7666 3.0794 5.4420 2.7346 2.9395 7.3119 5.2592

2002010118 27.4995 2.8928 5.7316 2.7487 3.0251 7.5641 5.5372

2002010119 27.5892 2.5784 6.2197 2.7725 2.9400 7.4624 5.6162

2002010120 27.6079 2.4022 6.9326 2.9134 2.6696 7.0359 5.6543

2002010121 28.0412 2.4297 7.7505 3.1610 2.3317 6.5527 5.8156

2002010122 28.5227 2.4908 8.4058 3.3742 2.1049 6.2427 5.9043

2002010123 28.4715 2.4801 9.0439 3.5554 1.8190 5.8264 5.7467

2002010200 28.5442 2.4498 9.6462 3.7187 1.6405 5.5451 5.5440

2002010201 28.5095 2.3856 10.1459 3.8397 1.5482 5.2945 5.2956

2002010202 27.9996 2.2779 10.5305 3.9106 1.4436 4.9544 4.8827

2002010203 27.1029 2.0935 10.8094 3.9222 1.3915 4.5832 4.3030

2002010204 26.5643 1.8992 11.0418 3.9170 1.4700 4.4141 3.8223

2002010205 26.6821 1.7940 11.2865 3.9487 1.5957 4.4630 3.5942

2002010206 27.7236 1.7927 11.5551 4.0265 1.7779 4.7855 3.7858

2002010207 29.2867 1.8215 11.8191 4.1141 1.9983 5.2701 4.2636

2002010208 31.0866 1.8323 11.9975 4.1701 2.3076 5.9724 4.8067

2002010209 32.1544 1.8350 11.9859 4.1678 2.5024 6.4990 5.1644

2002010210 32.4919 1.8761 11.7850 4.1249 2.5866 6.7837 5.3357

2002010211 30.5268 1.9863 11.4494 4.0688 1.9995 6.0451 4.9777PM 2.5 Protocol

Appendices Page A12 

### Data below is shown for year 2009 (projected controlled year), by hourly major species in μg/m3. The species A25 is primary un-speciated PM 2.5



### .

2009
DATE/HOUR PM2.5 SO4 NO3 NH4 EC OM A25

2009010100 14.8876 1.3012 4.5373 1.8052 0.8266 2.9902 3.4270

2009010101 15.5982 1.3455 5.1189 1.9906 0.7798 2.9132 3.4501

2009010102 16.9447 1.4077 5.6291 2.1620 0.9286 3.1959 3.6215

2009010103 17.9199 1.3966 6.0175 2.2707 1.0499 3.4234 3.7618

2009010104 19.1311 1.3606 6.3414 2.3512 1.3040 3.8370 3.9368

2009010105 20.1977 1.3785 6.7085 2.4645 1.4501 4.1066 4.0895

2009010106 21.4533 1.4089 7.1108 2.5927 1.6039 4.4602 4.2768

2009010107 22.9384 1.4749 7.4603 2.7189 1.7765 4.9358 4.5720

2009010108 24.1541 1.5480 7.6171 2.7919 1.9399 5.4106 4.8466

2009010109 24.7023 1.5710 7.4795 2.7605 2.0888 5.8086 4.9940

2009010110 23.1497 1.5152 7.1775 2.6520 1.7875 5.2040 4.8135

2009010111 19.8690 1.5492 6.5987 2.4967 1.1423 3.8143 4.2679

2009010112 17.7946 1.5684 5.9031 2.3019 0.9705 3.3074 3.7432

2009010113 15.1120 1.3903 5.0817 1.9967 0.8669 2.8797 2.8967

2009010114 14.8956 1.5468 4.7077 1.9468 0.8624 2.9512 2.8806

2009010115 18.6337 2.2076 4.8671 2.2408 1.3461 4.1493 3.8228

2009010116 25.2866 2.8490 5.1714 2.5697 2.5839 6.7801 5.3325

2009010117 26.5864 2.9371 5.3500 2.6546 2.8013 7.3009 5.5427

2009010118 26.8451 2.7775 5.5809 2.6618 2.8683 7.4350 5.5216

2009010119 26.6377 2.5079 6.0007 2.6825 2.7749 7.2544 5.4172

2009010120 26.4796 2.3599 6.6394 2.8124 2.4986 6.8063 5.3630

2009010121 26.8580 2.4039 7.5016 3.0792 2.1531 6.3244 5.3959

2009010122 27.4114 2.4839 8.2222 3.3184 1.9236 6.0151 5.4483

2009010123 27.4115 2.4911 8.8209 3.4949 1.6514 5.6011 5.3521

2009010200 27.5247 2.4746 9.3355 3.6381 1.4889 5.3409 5.2467

2009010201 27.6184 2.4298 9.7513 3.7419 1.4061 5.1489 5.1404

2009010202 27.4627 2.3327 10.1203 3.8126 1.3089 4.8818 5.0064

2009010203 27.1154 2.1354 10.4421 3.8320 1.2688 4.6171 4.8201

2009010204 26.9430 1.8966 10.7264 3.8250 1.3460 4.5387 4.6102

2009010205 27.2242 1.7482 10.9961 3.8477 1.4665 4.6382 4.5274

2009010206 28.1514 1.7195 11.1761 3.8893 1.6420 4.9743 4.7503

2009010207 29.5240 1.7458 11.2989 3.9348 1.8551 5.4591 5.2302

2009010208 31.1821 1.7829 11.3681 3.9689 2.1481 6.1377 5.7762

2009010209 32.1814 1.8262 11.2908 3.9628 2.3377 6.6178 6.1461

2009010210 32.4737 1.8990 11.1115 3.9380 2.4279 6.8134 6.2838

2009010211 30.4246 2.0083 10.8156 3.8931 1.8801 5.8411 5.9864