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Air, Water, and Soil Resources

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Air, Water, and Soil Resources INYO NATIONAL FOREST ASSESSMENT TOPIC PAPER (NOVEMBER 2013) Chapter 2: Air, Water, and Soil Resources Air Resources Introduction Process and Methods Scale of Assessment Air moves across Forest boundaries and air quality effects can occur hundreds of miles from the source. For this purpose, the assessment will be conducted at the scale of air districts, in California, and counties in Nevada. Air districts are boundaries set up by the state of California, and each district has its own rules and regulations. The Forest is almost entirely within the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District, with a small portion in the Reds Meadow and Ansel Adams Wilderness area within the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District. The portion of the Forest in Nevada is under the State of Nevada’s “15 Rural County” regulations; counties are the smallest units by which the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection regulates air quality. Indicators The following indicators will be used to assess or “measure” the condition and trends of air resources: Characteristic or attribute Indicator Measure or Unit being measured or assessed Location and size of the Forest in Air quality Particulate Matter (PM10) non-attainment for PM10 Location and size of the Forest in Air quality Ozone non-attainment for Ozone Areas of Forest that exceed Air quality Ecosystem critical loads critical loads. Air quality Annual deciview average at Visibility IMPROVE monitoring sites Particulate Matter (PM10) and ozone were chosen as indicators since both PM10 and ozone are in non- attainment status within the Inyo National Forest. Ecosystem critical loads were chosen as an air quality indicator since the 2012 Forest Planning Rule requires consideration of ecosystem critical loads for air quality. Visibility was chosen as an indicator since visibility is an Air Quality Related Value (AQRV) of Class I wilderness defined by the Clean Air Act. 1 General Characteristics of Air Resources General Air Patterns and Flow Air quality of the Inyo National Forest can be impacted by near and far sources. Concentration of air pollution varies depending on wind patterns and proximity to the source. Wind patterns are driven by migrating pressure fronts and local and regional topography. When the westerly flow of air is strong, air from the Central Valley (San Joaquin and Sacramento Valley Air Basins) can be transported to the Great Basin Valley Air Basin (WRCC 2013). Low pressure off the California coast and a high pressure over the Great Basin will cause air to flow out of the Great Basin Valleys Air Basin to the south (WRCC 2013). The prevailing winds over the Inyo National Forest are generally West to East or Northwest to Southwest. However, local wind patterns vary considerably throughout the year and even throughout the day due to the greatly varied local topography and temperature gradients in the mountainous area on and surrounding the Forest. Wind can blow upslope, downslope, or up-valley or down-valley on the same day, and wind direction and speed can vary greatly across short distances. During storms, wind can come from all directions in a 24-hour period. In Bishop, prevailing wind direction is generally out of the north or northwest over most of the year, and out of the south-southeast in July and August (Desert Research Institute 2013, California Air Resources Board 1984). Prevailing winds rarely blow from the east or northeast, but can blow in any direction on a local scale. Therefore, we can infer that fires or other air pollution sources to the south, west and north of the Forest have a potential to affect air quality on the Forest, and those to the east have little potential to affect the Forest’s air quality. Air Basins and Air Districts The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has divided California into 15 air basins with similar geographical and meteorological features, and some political boundaries (CARB 2012a). Figure 1 displays a map showing air basins in the Inyo National Forest. These basins were further divided into a total of 35 air districts whose role is to regulate the air quality within its boundaries (CARB 2012a). The Inyo National Forest intersects two air basins and districts. Federal agencies, such as the Forest Service, must meet all regulations put forth by the air districts. The two Air Pollution Control Districts (APCDs) within the Inyo National Forest are the San Joaquin Valley Unified APCD and the Great Basin Unified APCD. They are responsible for regulating air quality within and adjacent to the Forest in California. The Nevada portion of the Forest is in Mineral and Esmeralda Counties, and those counties are regulated under Nevada’s “15 Rural County” regulations. Nevada uses Federal EPA standards for air quality, and has not created their own standards. Sensitive Air Quality Lands The Clean Air Act of 1977 established Class I air quality areas for wilderness or national park with lands over 5,000 acres in existence in 1977 (CAA). No new Class I areas have been designated since 1977 the exception being land additions to existing Class I areas. The Ansel Adams, John Muir, and Hoover Wildernesses are Class I areas within the Inyo National Forest (Figure 2). This status is designated at the federal level and is permanent. 2 Figure 1 Map showing location and boundaries of air districts covering the Inyo National Forest. Air districts range widely in size and may cover multiple forests 3 Figure 2. Map showing the location of Forest Service Class I Wildernesses within the Sierra, Sequoia, and Inyo National Forests. Class I areas are designated by the Clean Air Act and have extra protection against air pollution. 4 Current Conditions of Air Resources Emissions Inventories and Geographic Distribution of Air Pollution Emissions types and amount vary between each air district. Yearly emissions inventories by county and air basins are available from the California Air Resources Board (CARB 2011). The pollutants covered by this inventory are the criteria pollutants of total organic gases (TOG), reactive organic gases (ROG), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx), particulate matter (PM), particulate matter less than 10 micrometers (PM10), and particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5). At this time, the most current inventory is for the year 2010. Wind patterns can bring additional pollution into the Great Basin from over the Sierra Nevada Crest (WRCC 2013). The State of Nevada does not monitor air quality in the two counties that intersect the Forest, Mineral and Esmeralda Counties. Therefore, we do not present air quality data for the Nevada portion of the Forest here. The following table displays total emissions by pollutant type for the air basins within the California portion of the Inyo National Forest for the year 2010. Table 1. Air emissions by pollutant type for the California Air Districts that cover the Inyo National Forest. Air Basin Total Air Basin Emissions by Pollutant Type in 2010 (Tons per Day) TOG ROG* CO NOx*# SOx PM PM10+ PM2.5+ Great Basin Valleys 56.5 46.3 51.9 8.0 0.8 135.5 82.2 11.9 San Joaquin Valley 1635.0 360.8 1272.3 523.7 23.7 539.0 301.9 104.3 Figures obtained from California Air Resources Board at http://www.arb.ca.gov/app/emsinv/emssumcat.php *Ozone Precursors +PM10 indicators #Ecosystem nitrogen deposition critical loads include this species of nitrogen Lands in Non-attainment with Federal and State Air Quality Standards The pollutants for which concentration levels limits are established to protect human health are called criteria pollutants (CAA). All lands within the nation are classified by the amount of air pollution present for each criteria pollutant. When lands exceed the regulatory guidelines they are considered sensitive and are designated as non-attainment. Lands are designated for CAA attainment at both at the federal level by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state level by the California Air Resources Board, and are re-evaluated periodically. Nevada has not monitored air quality in Mineral and Esmeralda Counties, due to populations under their threshold for monitoring, and therefore these counties are considered, “unclassifiable” (Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, 2010). Table 2 depicts federal and California state ambient air quality standards for criteria pollutants. 5 Table 2. California State and Federal standards for criteria pollutants, adopted from the California Air Resources Board at http://www.arb.ca.gov/research/aaqs/aaqs2.pdf Attainment Status Summary for the Inyo National Forest The Inyo National Forest has lands federally designated as in non-attainment for ozone and PM10. Because California standards are stricter than federal standards, the Forest also has lands that are in non-attainment with state standards for ozone, PM2.5, and PM10. See table 3 for a summary of state attainment status for the portions of the Inyo National Forest in California. In Nevada, as of 2010, all of 6 Esmeralda and Mineral Counties were in attainment or unclassified for all criteria pollutants (Nevada Division of Environmental Protection 2010). Table 3. State attainment status for the Inyo National Forest. Attainment status is determined for criteria pollutants. Jurisdiction Pollutant Air Basin Air District County CO Ozone NO2 SO2 Hydrogen PM PM VRP Lead (CA) (O3) Sulfide 2.5 10 Great Basin Great Basin Inyo A N A A A A N U A Valleys Unified Great Basin Great Basin Mono A N A A A A N U A Valleys Unified San San Joaquin Tulare A N A A U N N U A Joaquin Valley Unified Valley San San Joaquin Fresno A N A A U N N U A Joaquin Valley Unified Valley San San Joaquin Madera U N A A U N N U A Joaquin Valley Unified Valley A= Attainment, N=Nonattainment, U= Unclassified Air Pollution Implementation Plans Applicable to the Inyo National Forest When an area’s air pollution is in non-attainment with regulatory limits, a plan to reduce pollution is prepared.
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