Council Name - Northern Ireland

Council Name - Northern Ireland

2009 Air Quality Updating and Screening Assessment for

In fulfillment of Environment (Northern Ireland) Order 2002

Local Air Quality Management

Date (Month, Year)

Or cover page design of Local Authority’s choice. May include title, subtitle, LA’s own logo and consultant’s logo if applicable. Pictures and logos can be included.

Updating and Screening AssessmentDate (Month Year)

Council Name - Northern Ireland

Local Authority Officer / Add name(s) here
Department
Address
Telephone
e-mail
Report
Reference number
Date

Executive Summary

Date (Month Year) Updating and Screening Assessment1

Council Name - Northern Ireland

Please summarise the main findings and conclusions of the report here.
Is a Detailed Assessment required for any pollutants?
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Table of contents

1Introduction

1.1Description of Local Authority Area

1.2Purpose of Report

1.3Air Quality Objectives

1.4Summary of Previous Review and Assessments

2New Monitoring Data

2.1Summary of Monitoring Undertaken

2.2Comparison of Monitoring Results with AQ Objectives

3Road Traffic Sources

3.1Narrow congested streets with residential properties close to the kerb

3.2Busy streets where people may spend 1hour or more close to traffic

3.3Roads with high flow of buses and/or HGVs.

3.4Junctions and busy roads

3.5New roads constructed or proposed since the last round of review and assessment

3.6All roads with significantly changed traffic flows.

3.7Bus and coach stations

4Other Transport Sources

4.1Airports

4.2Railways (diesel and steam trains)

4.3Ports (shipping)

5Industrial Sources

5.1New or Proposed Industrial Installations

5.2Major fuel (petrol) storage depots

5.3Petrol stations

5.4Poultry farms

6Commercial and Domestic Sources

6.1Biomass combustion – Individual Installations

6.2Biomass combustion – Combined Impacts

6.3Domestic Solid-Fuel Burning

7Fugitive or Uncontrolled Sources

8Conclusions and Proposed Actions

8.1Conclusions from New Monitoring Data

8.2Conclusions from Assessment of Sources

8.3Proposed Actions

9References

Appendices

Appendix 1Add titles of any appendices

Appendix 2Add titles of any appendices

1Introduction

1.1Description of Local Authority Area

Please include a short paragraph describing geography, major sources etc.
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1.2Purpose of Report

This report fulfils the requirements of the Local Air Quality Management process as set out in the Environment (Northern Ireland) Order 2002, the Air Quality Strategy for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland 2007 and the relevant Policy and Technical Guidance documents. The LAQM process places an obligation on all local authorities to regularly review and assess air quality in their areas, and to determine whether or not the air quality objectives are likely to be achieved. Where exceedences are considered likely, the local authority must then declare an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) and prepare an Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) setting out the measures it intends to put in place in pursuit of the objectives.

1.3Air Quality Objectives

The air quality objectives applicable to LAQM in Northern Ireland are set out in the Air Quality Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003, Statutory Rules of Northern Ireland 2003, no. 342, and are shown in Table 1.1. This table shows the objectives in units of microgrammes per cubic metre g/m3 (milligrammes per cubic metre, mg/m3 for carbon monoxide) with the number of exceedences in each year that are permitted (where applicable).

Table 1.1 Air Quality Objectives included in Regulations for the purpose of Local Air Quality Management in Northern Ireland.

Pollutant / Air Quality Objective / Date to be achieved by
Concentration / Measured as
Benzene / 16.25 µg/m3 / Running annual mean / 31.12.2003
3.25 µg/m3 / Running annual mean / 31.12.2010
1,3-Butadiene / 2.25 µg/m3 / Running annual mean / 31.12.2003
Carbon monoxide / 10.0 mg/m3 / Running 8-hour mean / 31.12.2003
Lead / 0.5 µg/m3
0.25 µg/m3 / Annual mean
Annual mean / 31.12.2004
31.12.2008
Nitrogen dioxide / 200 µg/m3 not to be exceeded more than 18 times a year
40 µg/m3 / 1-hour mean
Annual mean / 31.12.2005
31.12.2005
Particles (PM10) (gravimetric) / 50 µg/m3, not to be exceeded more than 35 times a year
40 µg/m3 / 24-hour mean
Annual mean / 31.12.2004
31.12.2004
Sulphur dioxide / 350 µg/m3, not to be exceeded more than 24 times a year
125 µg/m3, not to be exceeded more than 3 times a year
266 µg/m3, not to be exceeded more than 35 times a year / 1-hour mean
24-hour mean
15-minute mean / 31.12.2004
31.12.2004
31.12.2005

1.4Summary of Previous Review and Assessments

Please outline the conclusions of previous rounds of R&A.
To include –

All stages completed.
Exceedences identified/predicted.
Areas affected.
AQMA’s declared (together with maps)
Any locations where exceedences of objective concentrations have previously been identified but reports have judged that no AQMA is necessary, or an AQMA has been revoked.

It may be helpful to include a table of previous reports, dates they were produced, and brief outcomes e.g. “Detailed Assessment Required for NO2”
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2New Monitoring Data

2.1Summary of Monitoring Undertaken

2.1.1Automatic Monitoring Sites

Please provide details of automatic monitoring carried out in the year covered by this report. Table 2.1 below provides the recommended format for a table of site details. Include in this section

A map showing the location of your monitoring sites
Details of any sites that started up, or closed down, since the previous report, with reasons.

Also include in this section or as a separate appendix, details of QA/QC:

Frequency of routine calibrations and periodic site audits.
Who carries these out? (LA or contractor).
Data validation and ratification procedures.

In the case of PM10 monitoring, include details of any adjustments applied to the data, e.g. correction factors applied to BAM data or use of VCM to correct TEOM data.
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Table 2.1Details of Automatic Monitoring Sites

Site Name / Site Type / OS Grid Ref / Pollutants Monitored / In AQMA? / Relevant
Exposure? (Y/N with distance (m) to relevant exposure) / Distance to kerb of nearest road
(N/A if not applicable) / Worst-case Location?
Example 1 / Urban background / X 332395
Y 433175 / NO2 / Y / Y (1m) / 3m / Y

2.1.2Non-Automatic Monitoring

Please provide details of non-automatic monitoring. This will most commonly be NO2 diffusion tubes but could also include benzene diffusion tubes
Table 2.2 below provides the recommended format for a table of site details.
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Table 2.2Details of Non- Automatic Monitoring Sites

Lab supplying and analysing the tubes.
Preparation method used.
Confirmation that the lab follows the procedures set out in the Harmonisation Practical Guidance.
Whether the Local Authority has compared the diffusion tubes with the reference method in a co-location study (details of this can be included as a sub-section).
The bias adjustment factor being applied to the annual means from the diffusion tubes.
Where this came from – i.e. local co-location, Review and Assessment website, etc.
Results of laboratory precision and WASP scheme (see Para 3.23 in TG(09))

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2.2Comparison of Monitoring Results with AQ Objectives

This section can be divided by pollutant, as in Box 5.2 of Chapter 5 of TG(09) . Please include a table of key statistics for each pollutant monitored. For each monitoring site this should include –

Data capture as a % of the monitoring period.
Key statistics, e.g. annual mean.
All statistics relevant to AQ objectives, e.g. number of 1-hour mean NO2 concentrations >200 µg/m3, annual mean PM10, etc.
Where the period of valid data is less than 90% of a full year, include relevant percentile alternatives (e.g. the 98th percentile of hourly means rather than the number of hours >200 µg/m3).

Separate tables should be used for automatic and non-automatic (e.g. diffusion tube) results.
Text should highlight which sites have exceeded the relevant AQ Objective, and which have not. Mention any cases which are borderline.
If any exceedences are identified, are they within an existing AQMA or not?
The Local Authority may wish to include any trend data from previous years, showing any increasing or decreasing trends (5 years data is usually considered the minimum necessary to identify a significant trend).
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2.2.1Nitrogen Dioxide

Is the measured annual mean concentration at any site greater than 40µg/m3?
Have any sites recorded more than 18 1-hour means above 200 µg/m3, or (if the period of valid data is less than 90% of a full year) does the 99.8th percentile of 1-hour mean concentrations exceed 200 µg/m3?

Discuss whether the monitoring site locations are representative of relevant public exposure. If an exceedence is measured at a monitoring site which is not representative of public exposure, please use the procedure specified in TG(09) to estimate the concentration at the nearest receptor.
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Automatic Monitoring Data

A recommended format for the results table for automatic sites is given below:
Exceedences of the 40 μg/m3 annual mean NO2 objective should be highlighted in bold.
Cases where there are more than the permitted 18 exceedences of the 200 μg/m3 1-hour mean NO2 objective should be highlighted in bold.
Where the period of valid data is less than 90% of a full year, please include the 99.8th percentile in brackets after the number of exceedences.
Where possible, previous year’s statistics should be included for comparison, although this is not a requirement. If data capture is < 90% in any previous year please indicate this in a footnote.
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Table 2.3a Results of Automatic Monitoring for Nitrogen Dioxide: Comparison with Annual Mean Objective

Site ID / Location / Within AQMA? / Proportion of year with valid data
2008
% / Annual mean concentrations (g/m3)
2006 * / 2007 * / 2008
A1 / 1 Example Site / N / 95 / 30.1 / 25.1 / 26.2

* Optional

Table 2.3b Results of Automatic Monitoring for Nitrogen Dioxide: Comparison with 1-hour Mean Objective

Site ID / Location / Within AQMA? / Data
Capture
2008
% / Number of Exceedences of hourly
mean (200 g/m3)
If the period of valid data is less than 90% of a full year, include the 99.8th %ile of hourly means in brackets.
2006 * / 2007 * / 2008
A1 / 1 Example Site / N / 95 / 0 / 3 / 15

* Optional

Diffusion Tube Monitoring Data

Table 2.4a below gives a suggested format for reporting a summary of nitrogen dioxide diffusion tube data. Please include the full dataset (monthly mean values) as an appendix.
Annual means in excess of the 40 μg/m3 annual mean NO2 objective should be highlighted in bold.
Please indicate where a result is the mean of multiple tube exposure (e.g. triplicate tubes).
If there are previous years’ data from the diffusion tube survey, these can be reported as in Table 2.4b below, although this is not a requirement. Additional tables and charts can also be used to illustrate trends.
Exceedences of the 40 μg/m3 annual mean NO2 objective should be highlighted in bold.
All results should be bias-adjusted, with the bias adjustment factors used for each year included e.g. as a footnote.
Where the period of valid data is less than 90% of a full year, this should be clearly indicated.
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Table 2.4a Results of Nitrogen Dioxide Diffusion Tubes

Site ID / Location / Within AQMA? / Data
Capture
2008
% / Annual mean concentrations
2008 (g/m3)
Adjusted for bias
A1 / 1 Example Site / N / 95

Table 2.4b Results of Nitrogen Dioxide Diffusion Tubes

Site ID / Location / Within AQMA? / Annual mean concentrations
(g/m3)
Adjusted for bias
2006 * / 2007 * / 2008
30.1 / 24.0 / 25.1

* Optional

2.2.2PM10

For the 2004 objectives:

Is the annual mean concentration greater than 40 µg/m3, or
Are there more than 35, 24-hour exceedences of 50 µg/m3, or does the 90th percentile of 24-hour concentrations exceed 50 µg/m3?

Confirm whether the monitoring site locations are representative of relevant public exposure.
Results can be presented in a table, as in Table 2.6a and b below: Ensure that data have been adjusted to gravimetric equivalent and are presented as a calendar year mean. Ensure that details of these calculations are presented in the text or in an appendix.
Exceedences of the 40 μg/m3 annual mean PM10 objective should be highlighted in bold.
Cases where there are more than the permitted 35 exceedences of the 50 μg/m3 24-hour mean
PM10 objective should be highlighted in bold
Where possible, previous years’ statistics should be included for comparison but this is not a requirement. Where the period of valid data is less than 90% of a full year, please include the 90th percentile in brackets after the number of exceedence.
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Table 2.5a Results of PM10 Automatic Monitoring: Comparison with Annual Mean Objective

Site ID / Location / Within AQMA? / Data
Capture
2008
% / Annual mean concentrations (g/m3)
2006 * / 2007 * / 2008
A1 / 1 Example Site / N / 98 / 45 / 41 / 44

* Optional

Table 2.5b Results of PM10 Automatic Monitoring: Comparison with 24-hour Mean Objective

Site ID / Location / Within AQMA? / Data
Capture
2008
% / Number of Exceedences of hourly
mean (50 g/m3)
If data capture < 90%, include the 90th %ile of hourly means in brackets.
2006* / 2007* / 2008
A / 1 Example Site / N / 95 / 0 / 3 / 2

* Optional

2.2.3Sulphur Dioxide

Are there more than 35 15-minute means greater than 266 µg/m3? (Or, the period of valid data is less than 90% of a full year, is the 99.9th percentile of 15-minute means greater than this value?)
Are there more than 24 1-hour means greater than 350 µg/m3? (Or, the period of valid data is less than 90% of a full year, is the 99.7th percentile of 1-hour means greater than this value?)
Are there more than 3 24-hour means greater than 125 µg/m3 ? (Or, if the period of valid data is less than 90% of a full year, is the 99th percentile of 24-hour means greater than this value?)

Ensure that the monitoring site locations are representative of relevant public exposure.
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2.2.4Benzene

Are any running annual means greater than 16.25 µg/m3?
Are any running annual means greater than 5.00 µg/m3?

Ensure that the monitoring site locations are representative of relevant public exposure.
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2.2.5Other pollutants monitored

Add as many sub-sections as required. Delete if no other pollutants are monitored.
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3Road Traffic Sources

It is only necessary to consider locations which have not been assessed during the earlier rounds, or where there has been a change or new development.
In each case, if there are no such areas, then there is no need to proceed further with this part.
Please complete the green text box to state this explicitly in the report.
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3.1Narrow Congested Streets with Residential Properties Close to the Kerb

Follow the procedure set out in Section A.1 of Box 5.3 of TG(09). The assessment need only consider nitrogen dioxide.
Please write your assessment below this box, and select one of the green or yellow boxes to highlight the outcome. If there are no areas meeting the specified criteria, then there is no need to proceed further with this part. Please complete the relevant green text box below to state this explicitly in the report, and leave the green box in the completed report.
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<LA Name> confirms that there are no new/newly identified congested streets with a flow above 5,000 vehicles per day and residential properties close to the kerb, that have not been adequately considered in previous rounds of Review and Assessment.
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<LA Name> has identified congested streets with a flow above 5,000 vehicles per day and residential properties close to the kerb, not adequately considered in previous rounds of Review and Assessment, andwill need to proceed to a Detailed Assessment.
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3.2Busy Streets Where People May Spend 1hour or More Close to Traffic

Follow the procedure set out in Section A.2 of Box 5.3 of TG(09). The assessment need only consider nitrogen dioxide.
Please write your assessment below this box, and select one of the green or yellow boxes to highlight the outcome. If there are no areas meeting the specified criteria, then there is no need to proceed further with this part. Please complete the relevant green text box below to state this explicitly in the report, and leave the green box in the completed report.
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<LA Name> confirms that there are no new/newly identified busy streets where people may spend 1 hour or more close to traffic.
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<LA Name> has assessed new/newly identified busy streets where people may spend 1 hour or more close to traffic, that were not assessed in previous rounds of Review and Assessment, and concluded that it will not be necessary to proceed to a Detailed Assessment.
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<LA Name> has assessed new/newly identified busy streets where people may spend 1 hour or more close to traffic, that were not assessed in previous rounds of Review and Assessment, and concluded that it will be necessary to proceed to a Detailed Assessment for nitrogen dioxide.
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3.3Roads with a High Flow of Buses and/or HGVs.

Follow the procedure set out in Section A.3 of Box 5.3 of TG(09). This assessment needs to consider both nitrogen dioxide and PM10.
Please write your assessment below this box, and select one of the green or yellow boxes to highlight the outcome. If there are no new or newly identified roads meeting the specified criteria, then there is no need to proceed further with this part. Please complete the relevant green text box below to state this explicitly in the report, and leave the green box in the completed report.
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