Ambient Air Monitoring Network Review Update

Ambient Air Monitoring Network Review - Open For Comment

Tecumseh Monitoring Station

The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has released the DRAFT 2019 Michigan Ambient Air Monitoring Network Review for public comment. Every year, the Air Quality Division (AQD) conducts a review of the state’s ambient air monitoring network to determine if any changes need to be made and to ensure that adequate funding is available for monitoring activities for the upcoming year. Michigan’s air monitoring network consists of sites throughout the state that collect information about a variety of pollutants, such as ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide lead and particulates, that may be present in the ambient (outdoor) air. The monitoring network is a key element in making sure the air  we breathe in Michigan is healthy.

Changes to the monitoring network may be made based on historical data collected at that monitor, changes to population levels, as well as changes to the federal monitoring requirements under the Clean Air Act. The AQD looked at the information collected during 2016-2017 and recommends specific changes for the 2018 calendar year based on the criteria mentioned above.

Changes may also be made because of particular community concerns. For instance, one of the proposed changes to the current network for 2019 is the addition of three new monitoring sites in the Detroit metropolitan area to assess impact from the construction of the new Gordie Howe International Bridge.

The AQD may also propose to limit certain monitoring activities. For example, the AQD is also proposing to reduce the collection of information for particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers in size at two sites because the levels of this pollutant have been historically low, and the pollutant information is also being collected at nearby sites.

All proposed changes can be viewed in the DRAFT 2019 Michigan Ambient Air Monitoring Network Review which available on the DEQ Web page at www.michigan.gov/air. If you are interested in commenting on the document, comments will be accepted until 5:00 PM EDT on June 22, 2018. Comments will be reviewed with respect to ambient air monitoring activities to be carried out in 2019.

Comments may be submitted either electronically to ghumann@michigan.gov, or by U.S. mail to Navnit K. Ghuman, Department of Environmental Quality, Air Quality Division, Suite 2-300, 3058 West Grand Boulevard, Detroit, MI 48202.

For more information on Michigan's air quality, go to www.michigan.gov/air. To view real-time air monitoring information, go to www.deqmiair.org.