4.2Air Quality
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4.2 AIR QUALITY This section of the Draft SEIR analyzes the potential air quality impacts resulting from the construction and operation of the Proposed Project. The following analysis is based, in part, on the Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Analysis and Technical Report prepared by Dudek for the Proposed Project, which examines Project impacts as they relate to construction and operational criteria air pollutant emissions, consistency with regional growth and air quality management plans, exposure of sensitive receptors to air quality impacts, Project-related emissions that may lead to other emissions (such as odors), and cumulative impacts. 1 The report is included in its entirety in Appendix B of this Draft SEIR. 4.2.1 ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING The City of Santa Clarita is located within the South Coast Air Basin (Basin) and under the jurisdiction of the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD). The Basin is a 6,745- square-mile area bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and the San Gabriel, San Bernardino, and San Jacinto Mountains to the north and east and includes all of Orange County and the non- desert portions of Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties. The Basin is home to more than 42 percent of California’s population and generates about 24 percent of the total state criteria pollutant emissions. Pollutant concentrations in parts of the Basin are among the highest in the nation. The topography and climate of Southern California combine to make the Basin a high air pollution potential area. The high-pressure zone restricts the movement of cooler air, resulting in the formation of temperature inversions, and low wind speeds that hamper the dispersion of air pollutants in the Basin. The Basin is characterized as having a Mediterranean climate (typified as semi-arid with mild winters, warm summers, and moderate rainfall). The general region lies in the semi-permanent high-pressure zone of the eastern Pacific; as a result, the climate is mild and tempered by cool sea breezes. The usually mild climatological pattern is interrupted infrequently by periods of extremely hot weather, winter storms, or Santa Ana winds. The extent and severity of the air pollution problem in the Basin is a function of the area’s natural physical characteristics (e.g., weather and topography) and of manufactured influences (e.g., development patterns and lifestyle). The Basin has a semi-arid climate, meaning that the air near the surface is moist because of the presence of a shallow marine layer. In Santa Clarita, the climate is characterized by relatively low rainfall, with warm summers and mild winters. Average temperatures range from a high of 94°F in August to a low of 40°F in January. Annual precipitation averages about 18.25 inches, falling mostly from November through April. 2 The presence and intensity of sunlight are necessary prerequisites for the formation of photochemical smog. Under the influence of the ultraviolet radiation of sunlight, certain “primary” pollutants (mainly reactive hydrocarbons and oxides of nitrogen (NO x)) react to form “secondary” pollutants (primarily oxidants). Since this process is time-dependent, secondary pollutants can be formed many miles downwind of the emission sources. Southern California also has abundant sunshine, which drives the photochemical reactions that form pollutants, such as ozone (O 3) and a substantial portion of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ). 1 Dudek, Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Analysis Technical Report for the Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Expansion Project , February 2020. 2 Western Regional Climate Center (WRCC), Newhall (046165) Monthly Climate Summary, http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?ca6165, accessed October 2019. City of Santa Clarita Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Master Plan Second Amendment November 2020 Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report 4.2-1 4.2 AIR QUALITY Under ideal meteorological conditions and irrespective of topography, pollutants emitted into the air mix and disperse into the upper atmosphere. However, the Southern California region frequently experiences temperature inversions in which pollutants are trapped and accumulate close to the ground. The inversion, a layer of warm, dry air overlaying cool, moist marine air, is a normal condition in coastal Southern California. The cool, damp, and hazy sea air capped by coastal clouds is heavier than the warm, clear air, which acts as a lid through which the cooler marine layer cannot rise. The height of the inversion is important in determining pollutant concentration. When the inversion is approximately 2,500 feet above mean sea level (amsl), the sea breezes carry the pollutants inland to escape over the mountain slopes or through the passes. At a height of 1,200 feet amsl, the terrain prevents the pollutants from entering the upper atmosphere, resulting in the pollutants settling in the foothill communities. Below 1,200 feet amsl, the inversion puts a tight lid on pollutants, concentrating them in a shallow layer over the entire coastal basin. Usually, inversions are lower before sunrise than during the daylight hours. Mixing heights for inversions are lower in the summer and inversions are more persistent, being partly responsible for the high levels of O 3 observed during summer months in the Basin. Smog in Southern California is generally the result of these temperature inversions combining with coastal day winds and local mountains to contain the pollutants for long periods, allowing them to form secondary pollutants by reacting in the presence of sunlight. The City of Santa Clarita is susceptible to air inversions, which trap a layer of stagnant air near the ground where pollutants are further concentrated. These inversions produce haziness, which is caused by moisture, suspended dust, and a variety of chemical aerosols emitted by trucks, automobiles, furnaces, and other sources. Elevated particles less than 10 microns in diameter (PM 10 ) and PM 2.5 concentrations can occur in the Basin throughout the year but occur most frequently in fall and winter. Although there are some changes in emissions on a daily basis and on a seasonal basis, the observed variations in pollutant concentrations are primarily the result of seasonal differences in weather conditions. CRITERIA AIR POLLUTANTS Criteria pollutants are those for which the federal and State governments have established ambient air quality standards (AAQS), or criteria, for outdoor concentrations of such pollutants in order to protect public health. Criteria pollutants include O 3, nitrogen dioxide (NO 2), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO 2), PM 10 , PM 2.5 , and lead. These pollutants, as well as toxic air contaminants (TACs), are discussed in the following paragraphs. 3 In California, sulfates, vinyl chloride, hydrogen sulfide, and visibility-reducing particles are also regulated as criteria air pollutants. Ozone Ozone (O 3) occurs in two layers of the atmosphere. The layer surrounding the earth’s surface is the troposphere. The troposphere extends approximately 10 miles above ground level, where it meets the second layer, the stratosphere. The stratospheric (the “good” ozone) layer extends upward from about 10 to 30 miles and protects life on earth from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays (UV-B). “Bad” ozone is a photochemical pollutant and needs volatile organic compounds (VOCs), 3 The descriptions of each of the criteria air pollutants and associated health effects are based on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA) Criteria Air Pollutants and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) Glossary of Air Pollutant Terms. Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Master Plan Second Amendment City of Santa Clarita Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report November 2020 4.2-2 4.2 AIR QUALITY nitrogen oxides (NO X), and sunlight to form; therefore, VOCs and NO X are O3 precursors. VOCs and NO X are emitted from various sources throughout the City. Significant O3 formation generally requires an adequate amount of precursors in the atmosphere and several hours in a stable atmosphere with strong sunlight. 4 Carbon Monoxide Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odorless, colorless toxic gas that is emitted by mobile and stationary sources as a result of incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons or other carbon-based fuels. In cities, automobile exhaust can cause as much as 95 percent of all CO emissions. CO is a non- reactive air pollutant that dissipates relatively quickly. Therefore, ambient CO concentrations generally follow the spatial and temporal distributions of vehicular traffic. CO concentrations are influenced by local meteorological conditions—primarily wind speed, topography, and atmospheric stability. CO from motor vehicle exhaust can become locally concentrated when surface-based temperature inversions are combined with calm atmospheric conditions, which is a typical situation at dusk in urban areas from November to February. The highest levels of CO typically occur during the colder months of the year, when inversion conditions are more frequent. At high concentrations, CO can reduce the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood and cause headaches, dizziness, and unconsciousness. 5 Nitrogen Dioxide Nitrogen oxides (NO X) are a family of highly reactive gases that are a primary precursor to the formation of ground-level O 3 and react in the atmosphere to form acid rain. NO 2 (often used interchangeably with NO X) is a reddish-brown gas that can cause breathing difficulties at high levels. Peak readings of NO 2 occur in areas that have a high concentration of combustion sources (e.g., motor vehicle engines, power plants, refineries, and other industrial operations). 6 NO 2 can irritate and damage the lungs and lower resistance to respiratory infections, such as influenza. The health effects of short-term exposure are still unclear. However, continued or frequent exposure to NO 2 concentrations that are typically much higher than those normally found in the ambient air may increase acute respiratory illnesses in children and increase the incidence of chronic bronchitis and lung irritation.