Pinal County PM10 and

PM2.5 Nonattainment
Area Redesignations
University of Arizona
Maricopa Agriculture Center
January 20, 2010
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Federal Clean Air Act Requirements
 National Ambient Air Quality Standards
(NAAQS)
  Protect public health (primary)
  Protect property (secondary)
 Monitor ambient air quality
 Violating standards triggers nonattainment
 Governor recommends nonattainment
area boundaries; EPA establishes later by rule
 Nonattainment redesignation requires the
state to submit a plan to achieve healthful air
quality within 18 months
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Size of PM10 and PM2.5 Particles

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Health and Welfare Impacts of PM10
  Adverse effects on breathing and respiratory systems,
damage to lung tissue, cancer, and premature death
  Protection of at-risk populations: children, elderly,
people with lung and heart disease, influenza, or
asthma
  1 in 13 school-aged children has asthma per EPA
  Protection of healthy people active outdoors
  PM10 can also damage buildings, equipment, plants
and animals, and reduce visibility
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1987 24-hour PM10 NAAQS
 150 micrograms/cubic meter (µg/m3) 24-hour
average
 No more than 3 exceedances in 3 years
 Based on most recent 3 years of data:
2006-2008 certified monitoring data
 Dust storm readings don’t count if EPA concurs
with exceptional and natural events findings
 Two types of monitors
  Continuous provides hourly data 24/7
  Filter-based monitors usually once every 6th or 3rd
day
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History of PM10 Exceedances
Maximum 24-hour Averages in µg/m3
Site Name Average Annual
2006 2007 2008 Exceedances
Apache Junction Fire Station 73 48 57 0
Casa Grande (Filter) 81 112 74 0
Casa Grande (Continuous, opened 3/07) N/A 983 203 5
Combs School (opened 3/20/07) N/A 970 270 22
Coolidge Maintenance Yard 106 82 55 0
Cowtown (Filter, opened 8/05) 606 759 465 197
Cowtown (Continuous) 1,079 1,014 609 203
Eloy - County Complex 99 136 109 0
Mammoth - County Complex 31 40 35 0
Maricopa - County Complex 429 724 520 15
Pinal Air Park 77 113 53 0
Pinal County Housing Complex (Filter) 153 224 141 2
Pinal County Housing (Continuous) 913 2,253 285 20
Riverside Maintenance Yard 83 65 44 0
Stanfield (Filter) 182 374 201 22
Stanfield (Continuous, opened 2/06) 727a 1,062 375 22
EPA Notices of PM Violations
 EPA announcement November 2008
 October 2009 Letters from EPA to Governor
Brewer and Tribes
  Violations of PM10 and PM2.5 standards
  120 days to submit recommended boundary for
the 24-hour PM10 and annual PM2.5 nonattainment
planning areas
  Starting point: Pinal County Boundary + any
nearby areas that may be contributing to
violations (very broad for PM2.5)
 November 13, 2009, Federal Register Notice:
designations for PM2.5; new areas in violation
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Clean Air Act Redesignation Process
 State/Tribes deadline for recommendations is
February 8, 2010
  One month extension requested by ADEQ
 EPA to notify Governor/Tribes of proposed
modifications to recommended boundary by
April 10, 2010; consultation process
 EPA deadline for redesignations of June 10,
2010; Federal Register notice later
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Area Designation Recommendations

 EPA Guidance requires states to justify

nonattainment area boundaries that are
bigger or smaller than the whole-county
default based on nine factors

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Nine Factor Analysis
 Air quality data
 Emission sources, locations & contribution
 Population density & degree of urbanization
 Traffic & commuting patterns
 Growth rates & patterns
 Meteorology (weather and transport)
 Geography/topography
 Jurisdictional boundaries
 Level of control of emission sources
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Anthropogenic VOC Emissions
Employment Density

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Population Density

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Topography and Meteorology
 Broad desert valleys with small mountain
ranges
 Prevailing winds and weather patterns from
the west
 Mountains and deserts produce up- and
down-slope winds
 Stagnation conditions are common
 Storms and frontal systems can produce
strong winds
 Exceptional events can be claimed for “high
wind” events, fires, etc.
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Jurisdictional Boundaries
 Area of interest is Pinal County
 No statutory regional planning agency
 Cities and Towns
 Indian Nations
  Ak Chin Indian Community
  Gila River Indian Community
  Tohono O’odham Nation

 Public and private lands

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Land Ownership in Pinal County

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Existing Controls on Emissions Sources
 Pinal permits stationary sources
  1 TPY PTE permit threshold covers almost all
 ADEQ permits portable sources
  15 TPY PM10 PTE permit threshold
 Pinal requires construction permits
  0.1 acre disturbed area threshold
 Pinal “reasonable precaution” rules apply to
un-permitted fugitive dust sources
 Mobile equipment regulated by ADEQ and/or
EPA
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PM2.5 NAAQS
 Annual Average Standard
  15 µg/m3
  3-year average of annual mean
concentrations
 24-hour Average Standard
  35 µg/m3
  3-year average of 98th percentile values is
less than or equal to 35 µg/m3
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History of Annual Average PM2.5 Exceedances
Annual Averages Three-Year
Site Name in µg/m3 Annual
2006 2007 2008 Average

Apache Junction Firehouse 5.3 7.0 7.5 6.6

Casa Grande Downtown 7.6 10.3 10.6 9.5
Cowtown 22.7 22.5 19.6 21.6

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History of 24-hour Average PM2.5 Exceedances
98th Percentile Samples Three-
Site Name in µg/m3 Year
2006 2007 2008 Average
Apache Junction Firehouse 9.3 13.0 15.4 12.6
Casa Grande Downtown 15.4 20.0 22.0 19.1
Cowtown 48.9 48.0 40.7 45.9

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Health and Welfare Impacts of PM2.5
 Premature death from heart or lung disease
 Fine particles can aggravate heart and lung
diseases - effects such as cardiovascular
symptoms, cardiac arrhythmias, heart
attacks, respiratory symptoms, asthma
attacks, and bronchitis
 Can result in increased hospital admissions,
emergency room visits, absences from school
or work, and restricted activity days
 Particularly sensitive: people with heart or
lung disease, older adults, and children
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EPA Area of Interest
 High potential for long range transport
 Not necessarily confined to sources in
Pinal County
 Potential default nonattainment
boundary identified in 11/13/09 Federal
Register notice includes Cochise, Gila,
Graham, La Paz, Maricopa, Pima,
Yavapai and Yuma Counties
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EPA Area of
Interest and
State PM2.5
Monitoring
Network
Monitor Locations
With No exceedances
With Exceedances
With Violations
Nature of PM2.5 in Pinal County
 Cowtown and Nogales are the only violating
monitors Statewide
 PM2.5 is a component of PM10; violations are
result of frequent and very high PM10
concentrations
  100% of exceedances are also PM10 exceedances
 Primary sources are those in close proximity
to Cowtown – feedlots, other dusts sources,
potentially rail traffic and fire
 Technical support document under develop-
ment and should be posted within 2 weeks
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Public Participation
January 6, 2010 Stakeholder meeting and ADEQ Web site postings

January 12, 2010 First Public Meeting

January 20, 2010 Second Public Meeting in Maricopa, at Maricopa Agricultural

Center, 37860 West Smith-Enke Road

February 1, 2010 Third Public Meeting in Florence, at the Emergency

Operations Center, Building F, 31 N. Pinal Street
To receive public comments on draft Technical Support
Document and strawman boundaries for PM10 and PM2.5
nonattainment areas
February 5, 2010 Deadline for Public Comment

March 8, 2010 Projected Transmittal of Recommendations to EPA

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Redesignation SIP Timeline
 State Implementation Plans due
December 2011 (re-designation
SIP deadline is 18 months after
effective date of redesignation)

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Additional Information:
ADEQ Web site:
www.azdeq.gov/environ/air/plan/pm-
pinal.html

Pinal County AQCD Web site

http://pinalcountyaz.gov/Departments/AirQuality/
Pages/Home.aspx

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Address All Comments To:
James Wagner
Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
Air Quality Planning Section
1110 W. Washington Street
Phoenix, AZ 85007
JW3@azdeq.gov
602-771-2388
or 1-800-234-5677 then 771-2388
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