Category: Pollutants

  • Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM2.5) Overview

    PM2.5 particulates are fine, inhalable particles or droplets with a diameter of 2.5 microns or smaller. These fine particulates, which are about 30 times smaller than the width of a human hair, can travel deeply into the lungs and cause both short-term and long-term health effects. While larger PM10 particulates can compromise respiratory and cardiac…

  • PM2.5 Moderate Area State Implementation Plans (SIPs) (2009-2014)

    In 2006, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) tightened the 24-hour PM2.5 standard from 65µg/m3 (microgram per cubic meter) to 35µg/m3. While the state was in attainment under the previous 24-hour standard, all or parts of seven Utah counties did not meet the new 24-hour PM2.5 standard. Utah continues to attain the 2006 annual PM2.5 standard…

  • Area Designations:
    PM2.5 State Implementation Plan Development

    Nonattainment designation is determined by the EPA when an area or areas within a state persistently exceed the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. The EPA has designated “nonattainment areas” for Particulate Matter having an aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 microns (μm) or less (PM2.5). The two EPA designated areas include: Utah Nonattainment Map Including nonattainment area…

  • Public Comment:
    PM2.5 State Implementation Plan Development

    Public comments are a critical part of the decision making process. The Department of Environmental Quality and its divisions and boards are committed to using the public notice and comment process to improve the decisions they make. The most effective comments: Request actions the agency has legal authority to make. Provide new information the agency…

  • Area Source Rules:
    PM2.5Moderate SIP

    The following rules were adopted as part of the overall emissions control strategy for the PM2.5 SIPs. The rules themselves can be accessed online.

  • PM2.5 Air Trend Plots

    PM2.5 data has been collected at most monitoring stations since 2000. Like PM10, maximum values also tend to occur during wintertime inversions. Also like PM10, trends are somewhat difficult to evaluate because weather plays such a large role in the data collected from year-to-year. This is why the standard is evaluated over a three year…

  • Serious Area PM2.5 State Implementation Plan (SIP) Development (2017-2019)

    The Serious PM2.5 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 PM2.5 Implementation Rule is very prescriptive about how these numbers must fit together to comprise an…

  • Control Strategies:
    Serious Area PM2.5 SIP

    Disclaimer The Serious PM2.5 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 PM2.5 Implementation Rule is very prescriptive about how these numbers must fit together to comprise…

  • Public Participation:
    Serious Area PM2.5 SIP

    EPA reclassified two of Utah’s three PM2.5 Nonattainment areas from Moderate to Serious. The State must comply with additional requirements for its PM2.5 State Implementation Plan (SIPs) as a result of this reclassification. Under these new requirements, the State has reviewed its air-quality rules for area, point, and mobile sources and implemented Best Available Control…

  • Technical Analysis:
    Serious Area PM2.5 SIP

    Jump to: Background Emissions Inventories Posted Inventories Modeling Disclaimer The Serious PM2.5 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 PM2.5 Implementation Rule is very prescriptive about…

  • Particulate Matter 10 (PM10) Overview

    Particulate matter (PM) is a complex mixture of small, solid particles and liquid droplets in the air. PM10 is particulate matter that is 10 microns (μm) or less in diameter. It is a mixture of materials that can include soot, metals, salt, and dust. Major sources include: Air Quality Standards The health-based, National Ambient Air…

  • PM10 State Implementation Plans and Maintenance Plans

    Nonattainment Areas In 1987, the EPA set new air-quality standards for PM10 of 150µg/m3 over a 24-hour period and an average of 50 µg/m3 annually. Utah was initially unable to meet the 24-hour standard and was required to prepare State Implementation Plans for Salt Lake and Utah County. Ogden City was designated nonattainment on September…

  • Utah’s Approach for Addressing Nutrient Pollution:
    Nutrients in Utah’s Waters

     The significant increase in recent years of nitrogen and phosphorus in water bodies across the country has intensified water quality problems. Excess nitrogen and phosphorus in Utah waters harm our streams, rivers, and lakes. The Division of Water Quality (DWQ) is currently at work on a nutrient reduction plan tailored to the unique needs…

  • Ecological Study:
    Nutrients in Utah’s Waters

    The Utah Division of Water Quality conducted a study in 2010 to evaluate the ecological impacts of nutrient additions from POTWs on the State’s streams and rivers. The study was conducted on receiving waters above and below the discharges of eight mechanical treatment plants and one lagoon system. The Division studied these waters above and…

  • Economic Evaluation: Statewide Nutrient Criteria Development: Nutrients in Utah’s Waters

    The Utah Division of Water Quality (DWQ) is funding a study to quantify the economic benefits and costs of implementing nutrient criteria for surface waters in Utah. Human-caused nutrient inputs of nitrogen and phosphorus to the nation’s waters have been identified as significant threats to aquatic life and recreational uses. In response, the US Environmental…

  • Publicly Owned Treatment Works Nutrient Removal Cost Impact Study: Nutrients in Utah’s Waters

    The Utah Division of Water Quality conducted the 2009 Statewide Nutrient Removal Cost Impact Study to evaluate the economic impacts of potential new nutrient removal requirements for Utah’s publicly owned treatment works (POTWs). The study estimated economic, financial, and environmental impacts associated with a range of potential nutrient discharge standards for every discharging POTW in…

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