Category: Air Quality

Emissions of Reactive Organics from Natural Gas-Fueled Engines

Utah State University scientists will improve estimates of the magnitude and composition of emissions from natural gas-fueled artificial lift engines in the Uinta Basin. Recent ambient air measurements have implicated natural gas-fueled engines as a large source of reactive organics, including formaldehyde, ethylene, propylene, and other compounds. The results from this project will allow Utah DAQ to better understand and model this source of ozone-forming pollution in the Uinta Basin and develop science-based, effective emissions reduction strategies for wintertime ozone.

• Principal Investigators: Seth Lyman (USU), Huy Tran (USU)
• Funded by Science for Solutions Research Grant: $117,300

Vertical Ozone Profiles in the Uinta Basin and Validating Drones as an Air Measurement Platform

The University of Utah will conduct vertical ozone profile measurements from ground level to the mid-stratosphere to develop a better understanding of ozone layers and evolution over Utah. Data collected by drones and balloons will provide information on the vertical distribution of ozone and nitrous dioxide (NO2) among other gases. This data will be used by UDAQ to inform policy and decision makers.

• Tony Saad (UU), John Sohl (Weber State University)
• Funded by Science for Solutions Research Grant: $92,463

Quantitative Attribution of Wildfires on Summertime Ozone Concentrations along the Wasatch Front

Wildfires can significantly enhance summertime ozone and aerosol concentrations, which can degrade air quality and have adverse effects on human health. While air quality has improved across much of the U.S., the Western U.S. has seen a recent increase in wildfire activity. This project will assess the contribution of regional fires and long-range smoke transport to poor air quality in the Salt Lake Valley. This study will also improve our understanding of how wildfires interact with urban plumes, improve air quality modeling capabilities, and guide the implementation of effective regulatory policies.

• Adam Kochanski (San Jose State University), Derek Mallia (UU), Kerry Kelly (UU)
• Funded by Science for Solutions Research Grant: $79,768

Halogen Sources and their Influence on Winter Air Pollution in the Great Salt Lake Basin

The Great Salt Lake Basin is meteorologically and chemically distinct from other regions in the U.S. It is subject to both persistent cold air pools in complex terrain that lead to winter air pollution and potentially large inputs of natural and anthropogenic sources of halogen species. This project will investigate the role of these halogen sources in regulating the severity of winter fine particulate matter (PM2.5). Results from this study will improve estimates of halogen emissions and enhance Utah DAQ’s understanding of winter PM2.5 chemistry.

• Steve Brown (NOAA), Caroline Womack (NOAA)
• Funded by Science for Solutions Research Grant: $83,426

Winter Measurements of Heavy-duty Vehicles to Characterize the Cold Temperature Effectiveness of Selective Catalytic Reductions Catalyst in Controlling Oxide of Nitrogen Emissions

The Salt Lake City region in Utah experiences periods of high particulate levels in the winter months due to the combination of its topography, winter atmospheric inversions and local emissions. Secondary nitrate particles comprise the dominant fraction of the particles in these episodes and are the result of the reaction of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) with ammonia. A significant fraction of NOx emissions in the Salt Lake City area are produced by heavy-duty vehicles operating in or traveling through the area on the interstate highway system. This study will measure wintertime NOx emissions from local heavy-duty vehicle activity in order to improve Utah DAQ emissions inventory estimates and better inform policy.

• Gary Bishop (University of Denver)
• Funded by Science for Solutions Research Grant: $52,000

Understanding Wildfire Smoke Pollution

The wildfires may be in California, but the smoke, and its health effects, are here in Utah. Learn more about smoke pollution and what you can do to protect your health.

September 2, 2020 Agenda: Air Quality

Meeting Materials Packet (1 MB) Call-to-Order Date of the Next Air Quality Board Meeting: October 7, 2020 Approval of the Minutes August 5, 2020, Board Meeting. Informational Item. Senate Bill 6004, Regulatory Certainty Amendments. Presented by Bryce Bird. Propose for Final Adoption: R307-101-2. General Requirements. Definitions. Presented by Mat Carlile and Becky Close. Propose for …

Vehicle Repair Program Helps Fix Older Cars to Improve Air Quality

For residents who find themselves in need of auto repairs they can’t afford, DEQ’s Vehicle Repair and Replacement Assistance Program helps. Funded through an EPA Targeted Airshed Grant, the program helps fix or replace polluting cars that don’t meet emissions standards.

Moderate Area Ozone State Implementation Plan (SIP) Development

The Moderate Ozone SIP Development is very much an iterative process. The technical foundation of any SIP involves numerous emissions inventories, air quality modeling assumptions, potential emission controls, and ever-fluctuating design values recorded throughout the air monitoring network. The Ozone Implementation Rule is very prescriptive about how these numbers must fit together to comprise an …

Ozone Overview and Standard
Moderate Area Ozone SIP

Ozone Overview What is Ozone? Ozone in the Uinta Basin Current Air Quality Ozone is a colorless gas comprised of three oxygen atoms. It is not emitted directly into the air as a gas but is formed through a chemical reaction between nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the presence of sunlight. …

Ozone State Implementation Plan (SIP) Process
Moderate Area Ozone SIP

Overview Read about the Utah SIP Overview Within two years after setting or revising NAAQS for criteria pollutants, the EPA must designate areas as meeting (attainment) or not meeting (nonattainment) the air-quality standard. The EPA’s final designations are based on the most recent three years of air-quality monitoring data, recommendations from the state, and additional …

Reasonably Available Control Technology (RACT) Process
Moderate Area Ozone SIP

RACT Overview Under the Clean Air Act, all areas designated Moderate nonattainment for the 2015 8-hour ozone standard are required to implement RACT for all existing major sources of VOCs or NOx (100 tons per year of either pollutant) as well as all VOC sources subject to an EPA Control Technique Guideline (CTG). A RACT …

Reasonably Available Control Measures (RACM) Process
Moderate Area Ozone SIP

RACM Overview Under the Clean Air Act, all areas designated Moderate nonattainment for the 2015 8-hour ozone standard are required to implement RACM for point, area, off-road, and on-road source categories. RACM applies only to those point sources not already addressed as part of a RACT analysis. RACM implementation is required to be as expeditiously …

Regional Haze in Utah

Overview Current Regional Haze Planning Utah’s Regional Haze History In 1999, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a major effort to improve air quality in national parks and wilderness areas designated as Class I areas.The Regional Haze Rule calls for state and federal agencies to work together to improve visibility in 156 national parks and …

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August 5, 2020 Agenda: Air Quality

Meeting Materials Packet (1 MB) Call-to-Order Annual Election of Chair and Vice-Chair. Date of the Next Air Quality Board Meeting: September 2, 2020 Approval of the Minutes June 3, 2020, Board Meeting. Propose for Final Adoption: R307-410. Permits: Emissions Impact Analysis. Modeling of Criteria Pollutant Impacts in Attainment Areas. Presented by Liam Thrailkill and Catherine …