2013 Air Quality Progress Report for Maldon District Council In fulfillment of Part IV of the Environment Act 1995 Local Air Quality Management April 2013 Maldon District Council Local Authority Officer Shirley Hall Department Environmental Services Maldon District Council Princes Road Address Maldon CM9 5DL Telephone 01621 875817 e-mail [email protected] Report Reference MAL/PR2013 number Date 30th April 2013 Written by Tim Savage Approved by Karunakar Nagula Scientific Team Public Health & Protection Services Chelmsford City Council Duke Street, Chelmsford Essex Cm1 1JE LAQM Progress Report 2013 1 Maldon District Council Executive Summary Part IV of the Environment Act 1995 places a statutory duty on local authorities to review and assess the Air Quality within their area and take account of government guidance when undertaking such work. The fifth round of Review and Assessment began with the Updating and Screening Assessment (USA), which was completed in May 2012. This report assessed monitoring data for 2011 and confirmed that all monitoring locations with relevant exposure were meeting the annual mean NO 2 objective. This Progress Report is the latest report in this round and covers the monitoring data for 2012. Maldon District Council monitored at 10 locations using diffusion tubes supplied by Environmental Scientifics Group Limited using 20% TEA in Water analysis method for January, February and March. From April 2012, the diffusion tubes were supplied by Gradko International using the same analysis method. The results from the monitoring data confirm that all monitoring locations with relevant exposure as meeting the annual mean NO 2 objective with the exception of one location(MD2) where increased monitoring is proposed. A review of other activities in the Council area has confirmed that there are no new pollution sources that may have detrimental effect on the Air Quality within the area. Hence this report confirms that there is no requirement to conduct a Detailed Assessment and the next Progress Report will be delivered in April 2014. LAQM Progress Report 2013 2 Maldon District Council Table of Contents 1 Introduction 5 1.1 Description of Local Authority Area 5 1.2 Purpose of Progress Report 5 1.3 Air Quality Objectives 5 1.4 Summary of Previous Review and Assessments 7 2 New Monitoring Data 8 2.1 Summary of Monitoring Undertaken 8 2.2 Comparison of Monitoring Results with Air Quality Objectives 12 3 New Local Developments 15 4 Planning Applications 16 5 Air Quality Planning Policies 17 6 Local Transport Plans and Strategies 18 7 Climate Change Strategies 19 8 Conclusions and Proposed Actions 20 8.1 Conclusions from New Monitoring Data 20 8.2 Proposed Actions 20 9 References 22 LAQM Progress Report 2013 3 Maldon District Council Appendices Appendix 1 QA/QC data Appendix 2 Maldon District Council raw diffusion tube data 2012 Appendix 3 Maldon District Council Prescribed Processes 2012 List of Tables Air Quality Objectives included in Regulations for the purpose Table 1.1 of Local Air Quality Management in England. Table 1.2 Summary of Previous Reviews and Assessment Table 2.1 Details of non automatic monitoring sites Table 2.2 Results of NO 2 diffusion tubes 2012 Table 2.3 Results of NO 2 diffusion tubes 2008 to 2012 Annualisation and Bias Adjustment calculations for diffusion Table A.1 tubes for Maldon District 2012 List of Figures Figure 2.1 Maldon District Council diffusion tube locations in 2012 Figure 2.2 Maldon District Council new diffusion tube location; The Street, Latchingdon from June 2012 Figure 2.3 Trends in annual mean NO 2 concentrations measured at diffusion tube monitoring sites 2008-2012 LAQM Progress Report 2013 4 Maldon District Council 1 Introduction 1.1 Description of Local Authority Area Maldon District Council is predominantly rural in character with over 70 miles of coastline, located on the East Coast, approximately 60 miles from London The area encompasses the Dengie Peninsula and an area to the north of the Blackwater Peninsula over 36,000 hectares. The main towns are Maldon, Heybridge, Southminster, Burnham-on-Crouch and the District has a population of 63,200 (ONS, 2010). 1.2 Purpose of Progress 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 Local Air Quality Management (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 exceedances 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. Progress Reports are required in the intervening years between the three-yearly Updating and Screening Assessment reports. Their purpose is to maintain continuity in the Local Air Quality Management process. They are not intended to be as detailed as Updating and Screening Assessment Reports, or to require as much effort. However, if the Progress Report identifies the risk of exceedance of an Air Quality Objective, then the Local Authority (LA) should undertake a Detailed Assessment immediately, and not wait until the next round of Review and Assessment. 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 exceedances in each year that are permitted (where applicable). LAQM Progress Report 2013 5 Maldon District Council Table 1.1 Air Quality Objectives included in Regulations for the purpose of LAQM in England Air Quality Objective Date to be Pollutant Concentration Measured as achieved by Running annual 16.25 µg/m 3 31.12.2003 Benzene mean 5.00 µg/m 3 Annual mean 31.12.2010 Running annual 1,3-Butadiene 2.25 µg/m 3 31.12.2003 mean Running 8-hour Carbon monoxide 10 mg/m 3 31.12.2003 mean 0.50 µg/m3 Annual mean 31.12.2004 Lead 0.25 µg/m 3 Annual mean 31.12.2008 200 µg/m 3 not to be exceeded more 1-hour mean 31.12.2005 Nitrogen dioxide than 18 times a year 40 µg/m 3 Annual mean 31.12.2005 50 µg/m 3, not to be exceeded more Particulate Matter 24-hour mean 31.12.2004 (PM 10 ) than 35 times a (gravimetric) year 40 µg/m 3 Annual mean 31.12.2004 350 µg/m 3, not to be exceeded more 1-hour mean 31.12.2004 than 24 times a Sulphur dioxide year 125 µg/m 3, not to be exceeded more 24-hour mean 31.12.2004 than 3 times a year LAQM Progress Report 2013 6 Maldon District Council 1.4 Summary of Previous Review and Assessments Table 1.2 Summary of Previous Reviews and Assessment Round Date Review Type Summary 1999 – 2000 Review and The first round assessments concluded that Air Quality objectives for all pollutants would 1 Assessment be achieved by their target date, and that no AQMA’s would be declared. 2003 – 2005 Review and The USA concluded that objectives would be met by their target dates with no Assessment exceedances; however the diffusion tube monitoring programme would be expanded to include receptors close to busy road junctions in order to confirm the findings of the USA. 2 2005 Progress Report The Progress Report identified that air quality objectives would be met for all pollutants and that a Detailed Assessment would not be required. 2006 USA The USA identified that air quality objectives would be met for all pollutants and that a Detailed Assessment would not be required. 2007 Intermediate Study Short term NO 2 monitoring study at Beckingham Business Park. NO2 diffusion tubes 3 deployed at the site illustrate concentrations well below the annual mean objective, therefore continued monitoring was considered unnecessary and diffusion tubes were removed at the end of the 2007 financial year. 2008 Progress Report The Progress Report identified that air quality objectives would be met for all pollutants. 2009 USA The USA identified that air quality objectives would be met for all pollutants and that a Detailed Assessment would not be required. 4 2010 Progress Report The Progress Report identified that air quality objectives would be met for all pollutants. 2011 Progress Report The Progress Report identified that air quality objectives would be met for all pollutants. 2012 USA The USA identified that air quality objectives would be met for all pollutants and that a 5 Detailed Assessment would not be required. LAQM Progress Report 2013 7 Maldon District Council 2 New Monitoring Data 2.1 Summary of Monitoring Undertaken 2.1.1 Automatic Monitoring Sites Maldon District Council currently has no Automatic Monitoring Sites. 2.1.2 Non Automatic Monitoring Sites Maldon District Council undertook monitoring at 10 NO 2 diffusion tubes sites in 2012. In addition to the existing 9 locations, location MD11 was a new site and monitoring started in June 2012. The locations are shown in figure 2.1 and 2.2. Details are presented in table 2.1. Raw monthly mean data for 2012 can be found in Appendix 2. In 2012 two laboratories were used for the analysis of diffusion tube data: • The diffusion tubes for January to March 2012 were supplied and analysed by Environmental Scientific Groups (UKAS Testing Laboratory number 0023) with a preparation method of 20% triethanolamine (TEA) in water.