Air Quality Screening and Assessment Report 2009
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Wigan Council Wigan Council 2009 Air Quality Updating and Screening Assessment for Wigan Council In fulfillment of Part IV of the Environment Act 1995 Local Air Quality Management September 2009 Updating and Screening Assessment September 2009 Wigan Council Local Paul J Cartmell Authority Officer Department Environmental Services Address Unity House, Westwood Park Drive, Wigan, WN3 4HE Telephone 01942 827075 e-mail [email protected] Report WC/ES/USA2009 Reference number Date September 2009 September 2009 Updating and Screening Assessment Wigan Council Executive Summary This Updating and Screening Assessment has considered new monitoring data and air pollution source and exposure changes with the Wigan borough since the previous assessment in 2006. Monitoring results (diffusion tube) indicate that there are numerous roadside locations with relevant exposure where the annual mean objective for nitrogen dioxide is being exceeded. All these sites are located within existing Air Quality Management Areas. There is also some indication that at near roadside locations, levels of nitrogen dioxide are showing a slight increasing trend. At other monitoring positions away from roads data (both diffusion tube and automatic monitoring sites) indicates a declining trend in levels of nitrogen dioxide. Given the interlinked relationship between nitrogen oxides and ozone it should also be noted that automatic monitoring data indicates the national objective for ozone has been exceeded in three consecutive years at the Wigan Centre local urban background automatic monitoring site. Monitoring for PM 10 does not indicate any areas of exceedance of the relevant air quality Objectives within the Wigan area. Monitoring for PM 2.5 has only recently commenced within the Wigan borough (2009) and therefore insufficient data is available to permit comment in this report. The only other pollutant monitored within the borough is Benzene. Monitoring (pumped tube) for Benzene at the Wigan Centre urban background location indicated compliance with the annual mean air quality objectives. New information available in relation to changes in source emissions or relevant exposure and revised DEFRA TG(09) technical guidance indicates that there are some areas that require further Detailed Assessment in Wigan. These specifically are:- 1. One street (High Street, Hindsford) indicating higher traffic flows, relatively low speed, outside current AQMA and with residential properties close to the kerb. 2. Potential for exceedance of the 1 hour NO 2 objective at two identified residential locations (Manchester Road, Ince and properties near the M6, Ashton in Makerfield). 3. Potential exceedance of annual mean NO 2 objective near railway lines between Wigan and Manchester (identified in table 5.1 of TG(09)) with large number of diesel trains and relevant exposure within 30m of the track.. 4. New A49 link road proposal (assessment required to consider affect on local AQMA when operational) 5. Insufficient monitoring data at existing AQMA boundaries. In addition to the above since the last Detailed Assessment was undertaken in 2003/4 (based on 2001 emissions inventory data) numerous changes have taken place. These changes including changed emission factors, knowledge of primary NO 2 levels, cumulative impact of new development, revised and improved local emissions inventory, improved traffic and geographic data. These changes alone strongly persuade the need for further detailed modelling assessment. Therefore, along with the other Greater Manchester authorities detailed modelling and assessment work will be undertaken to consider pollutant levels (NO 2 and PM 10 ) across the whole of the borough. Particular attention will be given to the above issues and to pollutant levels at roadside locations, which will be essential in considering the need for revision of local Air Quality Management Areas. Future year pollutant level predictions will also be made based on the best available information, including future growth predictions derived from Local Development Framework preferred options. Updating and Screening Assessment Page 2 of 62 September 2009 Wigan Council Table of contents 1 Introduction 5 1.1 Description of Local Authority Area 5 1.2 Purpose of Report 6 1.3 Air Quality Objectives 6 1.4 Summary of Previous Review and Assessments 8 2 New Monitoring Data 9 2.1 Summary of Monitoring Undertaken 9 2.2 Comparison of Monitoring Results with AQ Objectives 13 3 Road Traffic Sources 22 3.1 Narrow congested streets with residential properties close to the kerb 22 3.2 Busy streets where people may spend 1-hour or more close to traffic 23 3.3 Roads with high flow of buses and/or HGVs. 23 3.4 Junctions and busy roads 24 3.5 New roads constructed or proposed since the last round of review and assessment 24 3.6 All roads with significantly changed traffic flows. 25 3.7 Bus and coach stations 25 4 Other Transport Sources 26 4.1 Airports 26 4.2 Railways (diesel and steam trains) 26 4.3 Ports (shipping) 27 5 Industrial Sources 28 5.1 New or Proposed Industrial Installations 28 5.2 Major fuel (petrol) storage depots 29 5.3 Petrol stations 30 5.4 Poultry farms 30 6 Commercial and Domestic Sources 31 6.1 Biomass combustion – Individual Installations 31 6.2 Biomass combustion – Combined Impacts 31 6.3 Domestic Solid-Fuel Burning 31 7 Fugitive or Uncontrolled Sources 33 8 Conclusions and Proposed Actions 34 8.1 Conclusions from New Monitoring Data 34 8.2 Conclusions from Assessment of Sources 34 8.3 Proposed Actions 34 9 References 36 September 2009 Updating and Screening Assessment Wigan Council Appendices Appendix A QA and QC data Appendix B DMRB comparison Appendix C Monitoring Location and current AQMA maps Appendix D Emissions Inventory and Traffic Modelling Improvements - The Case for repeating detailed modelling in Greater Manchester Updating and Screening Assessment Page 4 of 62 September 2009 Wigan Council 1 Introduction 1.1 Description of Local Authority Area The Wigan borough is composed of an agglomeration of a number of townships. The two main/busier town areas in the borough are Wigan (located to the West) and Leigh (located to the East). A significant proportion of the borough is greenbelt and open land (approximately 70%). Some of its larger open areas are as a result of past mining activity, which has left areas that have now recovered substantially from their past use, and in some cases have been transformed into the boroughs country parks identified as Wigan ‘Greenheart’. The borough is located to the Western side of the Greater Manchester region and has Warrington and Liverpool conurbations to the West. To the East lies Horwich/Bolton and then rising to the Pennines. The local population is in the region of 306,000. The most significant pollution source in the borough is road traffic, due to numbers and composition of traffic producing emissions and the close proximity of source and receptor (vehicle exhausts and residential properties). The road system in Wigan is essentially Victorian, with a fair proportion of main roads being lined with terraced residential property. It is estimated that approximately 10% of the local population live in these roadside positions. Wigan is surrounded by an extensive main road network. The M6 motorway and the A49 trunk road run across the west of the borough, while the A580 East Lancashire Road, runs east to west across the south of the borough. The M62 motorway lies close to the southern boundary while the M61 Motorway runs close to the north-east boundary of the Borough. The map below shows the major road network of the borough. Fig 1.1 Map of Wigan borough showing major road links September 2009 Updating and Screening Assessment Wigan Council Other notable local pollution sources include a number of Part A and Part B industrial processes and domestic sources (primarily arising from domestic heating). The area experiences relatively higher levels of background pollution due largely to the emissions generated by surrounding conurbations. Wigan has a growing population, and the Local Development Framework proposals (currently out for consultation) put forward plans indicating significant development of currently open areas for business and residential use with the next fifteen years. 1.2 Purpose of Report This report fulfils the requirements of the Local Air Quality Management process as set out in Part IV of the Environment Act (1995), the Air Quality Strategy for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland 2007 and the relevant Policy and Technical Guidance documents. The LAQM process places an obligation on all local authorities to regularly review and assess air quality in their areas, and to determine whether or not the air quality objectives are likely to be achieved. Where exceedences are considered likely, the local authority must then declare an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) and prepare an Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) setting out the measures it intends to put in place in pursuit of the objectives. 1.3 Air Quality Objectives The air quality objectives applicable to LAQM in England are set out in the Air Quality (England) Regulations 2000 (SI 928), The Air Quality (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2002 (SI 3043), and are shown in Table 1.1. This table shows the objectives in units of microgrammes per cubic metre µg/m3 (milligrammes per cubic metre, mg /m3 for carbon monoxide) with the number of exceedences in each year that are permitted (where applicable). Updating and Screening Assessment Page 6 of 62 September