November 21, 1997
SUMMARY
of the
Particulate Monitoring Program
Overview
Deployment of a new PM2.5 monitoring network
is a critically important component of the air programs which address
attainment of the recently promulgated National Ambient Air Quality
Standard (NAAQS) for particulate matter. Substantial resources are
required to employ a mature national monitoring program of approximately
1,500 planned sites, following the requirements provided in 40 CFR Parts
53 and 58, and published in the Federal Register on July
18, 1997. The ambient data from this network will drive an array of
regulatory decisions, ranging from designating areas as attainment or
nonattainment, to developing cost-effective control programs and
tracking the progress of such programs. There is an urgent need to
establish the network as soon as practicable so that other programmatic
efforts relying on these environmental data are not delayed. The
implementation of this 1,500 site national PM2.5
monitoring network requires that the following key milestones be met:
| Milestone |
Action |
| November 1, 1997 |
State commitment to use National contract for purchase of monitors. |
| November 1, 1997-November 15, 1997 |
EPA Regions send States Section 103 grant guidance for the PM2.5 Program |
| November 15-January 15, 1998 |
EPA Regions will negotiate Section 103 work plans. |
| January 15, 1998 |
EPA Regions provide OAQPS a preliminary list of number and type of PM2.5 sites. |
| February 1, 1998 |
States Section 103 grant applications are due to the EPA Regions containing approved
program work plans and draft network descriptions. |
| February 15, 1998-March 1, 1998 |
EPA Regions award Section 103 grant for PM Monitoring Network to States. |
| March 2, 1998 |
EPA Regions provide OAQPS a final list of number and type of PM2.5 sites
for National PM2.5 Sampler Procurement Contract orders. |
| March 31, 1998 |
EPA OAQPS and CMD awards National PM2.5 Sampler Procurement Contract. |
| June 1, 1998 |
States begin to receive PM2.5 samplers. |
| July 1, 1998 |
States submit final PM2.5 network descriptions. States submit a Quality Assurance
Project Plan (QAPP) to EPA Regions for the PM2.5 Monitoring Network. |
| December 31, 1999 |
Mature network of 1,500 sites are established. |
Regulation Summary
Revised rules for particulate matter monitoring (40 CFR 53 and 58),
including both PM2.5 and PM10,
were promulgated on July 18, 1997. Community-oriented (core) monitors
that represent community-wide average exposures, form the basis of
PM2.5 network design. This approach is consistent
with the data bases used to develop the revised NAAQS for particulate
matter. While all population-oriented monitoring locations are eligible
for comparison to the 24-hour PM2.5 standard, only
locations representative of neighborhood or larger spatial scales are
eligible for comparison to the annual NAAQS. Monitoring for regional
transport and regional background concentrations is also required to
assist with implementation of the air quality management program.
Community monitoring zones with constrained criteria may also be
used to define monitors acceptable for spatial averaging to compare with
the annual NAAQS. The combination of emphasis on well-sited
community-oriented monitors and the ability of the States and Local air
pollution control agencies to select the preferred community monitoring
approach reduces the complexity associated with network design and
planning.
The number of required core PM2.5 State and
Local Air Monitoring Stations (SLAMS), and other PM2.5 SLAMS results in a minimum national requirement of
848 PM2.5 sites; however, by the end
of 1999, the total PM2.5 network will consist of 1,500
sites. The latter includes both SLAMS/NAMS sites and Special Purpose
Monitoring sites (SPMs). There are a variety of PM2.5
monitoring sites operating at present, utilizing a variety of existing fine
particle samplers including those sites within the IMPROVE (Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual
Environments) networks. Because of the flexibility built into the
monitoring regulation, not all sites will be equipped with federal
reference method (FRM) or equivalent (FEM) samplers. The minimum number
of sites with FRM/FEM will be 745 (848 SLAMS less 103
background/transport sites). However, because of spatial averaging and
the consistency and availability of FRM/FEM, it is expected that far
more than 745 sites will actually be equipped with FRM/FEM.
Network Design
A PM network design document must be prepared by each affected air
pollution control agency and submitted to the EPA Regional Administrator
for approval. This document is intended to comprehensively describe each
agency's PM2.5 and PM10 air
quality surveillance networks. To ensure opportunities for public
review and inspection of the monitoring network, State and Local
agencies must maintain information and records on such items as the
station location, monitoring objectives, spatial scale of
representativeness, optional community monitoring zones, and schedule for completion of the
network. Such information and records are included in a State or Local
agency's PM monitoring network description. EPA will closely
track the progress of implementing the PM2.5 monitoring network. The
network descriptions prepared by these agencies and submitted to EPA for
approval, are viewed as long-term networks of SLAMS and NAMS sites that
meet the variety of monitoring objectives specified in 40 CFR part 58,
Appendix D. These objectives include determining compliance with air
quality standards, developing appropriate control strategies, and
preparing short- and long-term air quality trends. Since no formal SIP
revision (that entails Federal Register proposal and public comment) is
required for PM monitoring network description revisions, EPA encourages
public involvement in the review of a State's PM monitoring network
description particularly when the spatial averaging monitoring approach
is selected for comparisons to the annual standard.
Integration With Visibility Monitoring Requirements
The PM2.5 monitoring program and visibility monitoring efforts, such as IMPROVE, will be coordinated to optimize
mutual benefits across these programs. The 1,500-site network will include sites that support the upcoming regional haze rule.
Laboratory Analysis
Chemical speciation is included in the discussion of major
monitoring requirements and principles set forth by the revised 40 CFR
Part 58 Regulations. A modest chemical speciation network of 50 PM2.5 sites that provides a first order characterization of
the metals, ion, and carbon constituents of PM2.5
is a requirement of this rule. These sites will be part of the National
Air Monitoring Stations (NAMS) network and will provide national
consistency for trends purposes and serve as a model for other chemical
speciation efforts. This required network represents a small fraction
of all the chemical speciation work that EPA expects to support with
Federal funds. EPA expects that approximately 300 sites will be
participating in a full chemical speciation network. Additional efforts
may be used to enhance the required network and tailor the collection
and analyses of speciated data to the needs of individual areas.
Procurements
EPA is developing a national contract to fulfill all the
requirements of the national PM2.5 monitoring
network and will procure (via this contract) four different types of
monitors: single channel, sequential, portable audit sample and
speciation monitors. The EPA anticipates that all 50 states will be able
to purchase the PM2.5 monitors from this contract,
with subsequent delivery of ordered monitors to locations throughout the
country. Given the objective to capture and analyze for a variety of
parameters, EPA is designing contract vehicles to provide particular
Teflon®, quartz, and nylon filters; contracts will also be awarded
for acceptance testing of these filters. Additionally, EPA will develop
contracts for the chemical analysis of filters, technical assistance,
and quality assurance.
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