The Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) sought input from Benicians on potential locations for air monitoring stations during a workshop Monday at Veterans Memorial Hall.

The workshop was the final stop for a series of presentations about the topic held in the Bay Area’s refinery communities, with previous discussions held in Richmond, Martinez and Rodeo. The workshops are tied into an assessment report by the California Air Resources Board aimed at improving emergency air monitoring in addition to monitoring routine emissions at refineries and surrounding communities. The report recommends expanding air monitoring within refineries, improving modeling techniques to better impact pollution impacts and refinery incidents, provide real-time information about air quality near refineries and improve state and local collaboration through an interagency refinery monitoring working group.

Additionally, Assembly Bill 617, authored by Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens), aims to establish actions to reduce community health impacts from pollutant and toxic air contaminants, largely in communities most affected by air pollution. It also includes new requirements for fenceline and community monitoring near such sources. The bill was signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in July.
Wayne Kino, BAAQMD’s deputy air control pollution officer, said in every recent workshop, the agency had received the same question: “Where’s our monitoring?”

“I’m happy to say we’re here to talk specifically about monitoring,” he said.

Most of the presentation was delivered by Kate Hoag, BAAQMD’s principal air quality engineer. She noted that air pollution is a complex mixture that changes widely due to several factors, including natural background, meteorology, how far a pollutant might travel from a source, topography such as hills, chemical reactions, and emissions from common and unique sources. Thus, she said air monitoring studies must be designed around specific data.

“It’s very difficult to monitor for everything,” she said. “You need to develop a good question of what you’re trying to look for when you’re doing monitoring, so make sure you get the data that’s helpful for answering that question.”

Hoag said most of BAAQMD’s ambient monitors are in fixed locations that characterize regional population exposure, including common nearby sources such as water heaters and HVAC systems. However, she noted some areas might have unique sources such as cement kilns or refineries which have localized or cumulative impacts that BAAQMD was still trying to study.

Hoag also went over the different types of facility emissions monitors. Source tests accurately measure emissions at sources but only provide snapshots in time and are designed to characterize normal operations measuring several chemical compounds. Continuous emissions monitors record normal operations and incidents at specific sources for specific compounds. Ground level monitors gauge specific compounds at single locations at a facility’s fence line and allow enforcement action to be taken upon results. Fence line systems can measure a larger range of compounds along a facility’s fence lines but are not regulatory at the moment.

She also discussed ambient air pollution monitors. Traditional monitoring sites can measure more widespread concentrations and represent a population’s exposure. Screening monitors cover larger areas but have a shorter duration and are intended to identify hot spots for further investigation. Special studies are designed to further investigate specific emissions from specific sources and generally have a medium length duration. Finally, incident responses measure concentrations during unplanned releases.

Hoag said BAAQMD staff was very excited about AB 617 and plans to use the approaches to understand where localized pollutants originate in the area. She also said BAAQMD would be returning to discuss assistance with the bill.

A variety of factors would need to be considered in selecting monitor locations, including source emissions, weather conditions, wind direction, nearby buildings or tress that could act as obstructions, the ability for the monitor to remain in a location for long periods of time— ranging from years to decades, power and security.

The floor was then opened for the public to ask questions. Marilyn Bardet, co-founder of the Good Neighbor Steering Committee, said she began working with Valero Benicia Refinery Director Don Cuffel, Public Affairs Manager Sue Fisher Jones and monitoring company Argos Scientific to discuss a public website with health data.

“We already had at that time $200,000 worth of equipment already purchased through a settlement agreement with Valero,” she said.  “It was going to be a website that would help people without disturbing people.”

Bardet said she, Cuffel and Jones worked for about a year on the website and felt it could be useful input for BAAQMD.

“I would like not to lose all that work we did,” she said.

Lionel Largaespada, chair of the Economic Development Board, asked what the process of gathering data would look like. Hoag said the data would be used within the district to look at concerns they were not initially aware of. Issues with limits or regulations would be passed on to the compliance and enforcement section for further investigation. Additional problems that BAAQMD such as new exposure risks can be fed into a new rulemaking process.

Solano County Supervisor Monica Brown asked what the timetable would be for installing monitors. Hoag said it would vary by location, but the process could range anywhere from six months to seven years. Nonetheless, she said BAAQMD hopes to get the process started soon.

BAAQMD staff promoted community engagement through the “Open Air Forum” page on their website, which can be accessed under the “In Your Community” tab at baaqmd.gov. To participate in a survey, residents should click on the topic labeled “Refinery Community Monitoring Survey.”