Initial Results from the Mobile Air Monitoring Laboratory Deployments in Yakima Valley

Presentation to the Yakima Valley Air Partnership Monthly Call  Report on initial results from the Mobile Air Monitoring Lab deployments in Yakima Valley (1 hour) Ecology’s Overburdened Communities Discussion (20 min) Discussion with Dept of Commerce (15 min) Reminder about next steps with Charter (5 min) Follow-up on PM2.5 Projects: updates from each Partner on next steps for their projects (20 min)  

Impact/Purpose

Despite efforts to reduce wintertime fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations in the Yakima Valley, the Washington State Department of Ecology, the Yakama Nation, and EPA Region 10 are concerned that the area will not attain the PM2.5 National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) in coming years. The Yakima Valley is a community with environmental justice concerns; portions of the valley score at the 80th percentile or higher on EJ-Screen due to the high proportion of low income residents and people of color, including people of Native American and Hispanic descent. Because of the persistent and complex nature of wintertime air quality issues in many areas across Region 10, wintertime air quality is the Region 10 Air and Radiation Division’s #1 science priority for 2022. Efforts to reduce wintertime PM2.5 concentrations in the Yakima Valley have not yielded expected results, which indicates that there are fundamental knowledge gaps for what is driving PM2.5 concentrations. We propose a joint field characterization and modeling study of PM2.5, its precursors, chemistry, and composition. This project will improve our understanding of the sources and chemistry of PM2.5 in the Yakima Valley and will assist the State, Yakama Nation, and EPA Region 10 with development of a control strategy and State/Tribal Implementation Plan, should the area become designated nonattainment with the NAAQS.

Citation

Wallace, W. Initial Results from the Mobile Air Monitoring Laboratory Deployments in Yakima Valley. Yakima Valley Air Partnership Monthly Call, Olympia, WA, December 16, 2024.