Environment DEC
From the July 2007 issue
DEC to Install Permanent Air Quality Monitor in Rockland County
The state will be installing a permanent air quality monitor in Rockland County in time for the 2008 ozone season. A temporary monitor at the Palisades Mall will continue to operate and collect data for 2007.
An EPA grant will help facilitate purchase of the monitor for the Rockland site
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Pete Grannis said, "Rockland residents have long expressed interest in having a permanent air monitor installed in the county to contribute to DEC's comprehensive air quality surveillance network. DEC is responding by building upon our current commitment to operate the temporary monitor and to work with the county to develop a new permanent monitoring location that will further help us monitor the pollutants that affect public health and the environment."
Improved Monitoring
DEC has operated a temporary air quality monitor at different locations for the past three ozone seasons. Both ozone and fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) are measured at the site and will continue to be measured when the new monitor is installed. The information compiled by the permanent monitor will be used to determine ambient levels of ozone and PM 2.5 and issue air quality health advisories as warranted, to determine air quality trends and to address background levels of pollutants to help identify when and how pollution is transported from other areas of the state and region.
DEC received a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2006 that will help facilitate the equipment purchase for the Rockland site. DEC will continue to work with officials from the Rockland County Department of Health to identify a suitable location for the permanent site and will need to get it approved by the EPA.
