Relevant Documentation Principal Investigators: The Utah Legislature’s 2016 budget included a $150,000 appropriation for the Utah Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to create a pilot program to screen for leaks of volatile organic compounds (VOC) primarily coming from the “thief hatch” on oil and gas-condensate storage tanks. DEQ proposed a partnership agreement with the Tri-County…
Oil and gas production appears to be the major source of ozone precursors in the Uinta Basin. The Division of Air quality seeks to maintain the regulatory ozone limits within the basin without impeding continued development. As such, the Division of Air Quality developed a model projecting future-year emission inventories in the oil and gas…
During the winters of 2012, 2013, and 2014, the Utah Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) led a multi-disciplinary, multi-agency study of ozone formation in the Uinta Basin. Among other findings, these studies found that formaldehyde and other carbonyls play a key role in wintertime atmospheric ozone production. There are three main carbonyl sources in the…
Background The 2015 Utah Legislature provided $70,000 to the Utah Division of Air Quality (DAQ) to undertake a modeling study to address two specific questions. What would be the effect of a two-stage program that would reduce emissions from wood-burning stoves while at the same time maximizing the number of days that EPA-certified stoves and…
The Utah Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) contracted with ICF International (ICF), an independent research and consulting firm, to conduct a survey of residents in seven northern Utah counties regarding their opinions surrounding air quality and their home heating and wood burning behaviors. Key objectives of the study included estimating the percentage of households in…
Executive Summary Northern Utah valleys experience elevated levels of particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter (PM2.5) in winter. These pollution episodes are closely associated with periods of atmospheric stability known as Persistent Cold Air Pools (PCAPs) or, more commonly referred to as inversions. A typical Utah winter sees about 5 to 6 multi-day…
Valleys along the Wasatch Mountains (Cache, Salt Lake and Utah) experience high levels of particulate matter (PM) in winter months and are currently designated as non-attainment area for particulate matter with diameters less than 2.5 micron (PM2.5). The chemical aspects of these pollution episodes are not well characterized. In order to fill in this gap…
DAQ (Division of Air Quality) monitoring found high levels of ozone near the Great Salt Lake from 2010-2013. The Division also found a wide variance in the concentration of ozone in the stable air pocket over the lake during the summertime. Though the mechanisms behind air flow in lake and coastal regions have been studied…
Atmospheric chlorine is a strong oxidant and known to potentially initiate photochemistry via reactions with various common hydrocarbons. Kerry et al (2013) found that chlorine atoms significantly contribute to local Salt Lake City PM2.5 during elevated wintertime episodes with ammonium chloride accounting for 10-15% of the PM2.5 mass. In order quantify the concentrations of local…
Wintertime meteorological conditions in Utah are difficult to portray using conventional atmospheric-modeling approaches. To improve the accuracy of simulations of pollution along the Wasatch Front and Cache Valley, models need to better simulate the complex meteorological features associated with the cold-air pools that form during winter in the valleys of northern Utah. Specifically, models need…
Following the completion of the Winter Modeling Improvements study funded by DAQ with the original legislative research funding, DAQ contracted with the same research group for a targeted modeling project. The purpose of this was to model three past inversion episodes using the model improvements that resulted from the original study. The study was completed…
Wintertime ozone in the Uinta Basin is unique and requires improvements to the photochemical models used for winter conditions. Current chemical mechanisms within the modeling system assume a summertime temperature of 300 K (80° F) when performing important chemical reactions, far different from the wintertime temperatures in the Basin. In order to properly model the…
Wintertime ozone is a serious air quality issue in the Uinta Basin. The situation is unique and requires improvements to the photochemical models used for winter conditions. High concentrations of wintertime ozone occur over snow-covered surfaces. Snow cover influences wintertime ozone by increasing surface albedo and thus increasing photolysis rates, inhibiting the surface deposition of…
Reducing automobile emissions has been a central component of the state’s plans to improve air quality. Unfortunately, there is little literature or data that identify the benefits or consequences from changes to the way individuals and fleets start their vehicles, particularly under Utah-specific conditions. A small, earlier study measured the pollutant and pollutant precursor emissions…
The Division of Air Quality has been monitoring ambient concentrations of Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs) in the Salt Lake Valley for over a decade. Since trace amounts of toxic compounds have been linked to such adverse health effects as cancer, ribosomal damage, birth defects, and other serious conditions it is important to gain a better…
The first analysis of toxics data completed by the UDAQ in 2014 indicated that certain organic toxic compounds regularly exceed risk levels. Research funding from the 2014 Utah legislative session allowed UDAQ to undertake a new and comprehensive analysis which included new monitoring sites to better understand the spatial distribution of toxics along the Wasatch…