6.6 Air Quality 6.6 AIR QUALITY 6.6.1 Introduction This section describes the existing air quality conditions within the City of Simi Valley Planning Area. The regulatory agencies responsible for managing and improving air quality within the Simi Valley Planning Area are discussed along with the laws and plans that have been adopted to improve regional air quality. Information for this section was obtained from the California Air Resources Board, the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District (VCAPCD), the 1991 Simi Valley Air Quality Element and the Simi Valley Municipal Code. 6.6.2 Existing Conditions Regional Climate Simi Valley is located within Ventura County, which is part of the South Central Coast Air Basin (the Basin). This area includes all of Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties. Ventura County is divided into two airsheds for air quality planning purposes: the Ojai Valley Airshed and the Oxnard Plain Airshed. The regional climate within the basin is dominated by the intensity and location of the semi-permanent Pacific high pressure zone, which, from spring to fall, induces regional subsidence and temperature inversion layers. The region is characterized by warm summers, mild winters, infrequent seasonal rainfall, and moderate humidity, with the predominate wind patterns follow a diurnal land/sea breeze cycle, with typical daytime winds from the west. Local Climate Simi Valley is located within southeastern Ventura County, the inland portion of the Oxnard Plain Airshed, approximately 25 miles from the coast of the Pacific Ocean, and experiences the mild Mediterranean climate typical of Southern California. The City is surrounded by the Santa Susana Mountains to the north and northeast, Big Mountain to the north and the Simi Hills to the south. Simi Valley extends west to east and varies in elevation from approximately 700 feet to the west to approximately 1,200 feet at the northeast. Average temperatures in the valley are an 88.2°F high and a 40.7°F low. Precipitation averages 14.37 inches per year, with the majority of rainfall occurring from late October through early April. Prevailing daytime winds are from the west to west-southwest with average wind speeds of approximately eight miles per hour (mph). Predominant nighttime winds are from the east to east- southeast and average three to four mph. This general flow of winds in the valley is occasionally interrupted by warm and very dry Santa Ana winds, which originate from the deserts located northeast of California and occur between September and March. Santa Ana winds blow through the valley from the north to northeast with velocities in excess of 17 miles per hour, including gusts in excess of 30 miles per hour. Simi Valley General Plan Update Technical Background Report 6.6-1 Chapter 6 Natural Resources The vertical dispersion of air pollutants in the Oxnard Plain Airshed is limited by the presence of persistent temperature inversions. Because air cools under decreased atmospheric pressure, temperatures typically decrease with altitude. A reversal of this state in the atmosphere, where temperature increases with height, is known as an inversion. The base of the inversion, or the mixing height, represents an abrupt change in the density of the atmosphere so that the air below the inversion base does not mix with the air above the base. Two types of temperature inversions (warmer air on top of colder air) are created in the area: subsidence and radiational (surface). The subsidence inversion is a regional effect created by the Pacific high in which air is heated as it is compressed when it flows from a high pressure area to the low pressure areas inland. This type of inversion generally forms at about 1,000 to 2,000 feet and can occur throughout the year, but is most evident during the summer months. Surface inversions are formed by the more rapid cooling of air near the ground at night, especially during winter. This type of inversion is typically lower and is generally accompanied by stable air. Both types of inversions limit the dispersal of air pollutants within the regional airshed. Ozone (O3) is the primary air pollutant of concern during the subsidence inversions, while carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen oxides (NOX) are of greatest concern during winter inversions Air Quality Background Air pollutant emissions within the air basins are generated by stationary, mobile, and natural sources. Stationary sources can be divided into two major subcategories: point and area sources. Point sources occur at an identified location and are usually associated with manufacturing and industry. Examples are boilers or combustion equipment that produce electricity or generate heat. Construction activities such as excavation and grading also contribute to point source emissions. Area sources are widely distributed and produce many small emissions. Examples of area sources include residential and commercial water heaters, painting operations, portable generators, lawn mowers, agricultural fields, landfills, and consumer products such as barbeque lighter fluid and hair spray. Mobile sources refer to emissions from on- and off-road motor vehicles, including tailpipe and evaporative emissions. On-road sources may be legally operated on roadways and highways. Off-road sources include aircraft, trains, and construction vehicles. Mobile sources account for the majority of the air pollutant emissions within the air basin. Air pollutants can also be generated by the natural environment such as when fine dust particles are pulled off the ground surface and suspended in the air during high winds. Both the federal and State governments have established ambient air quality standards for outdoor concentrations of various pollutants in order to protect public health. The federal and State ambient air quality standards have been set at levels whose concentrations could be generally harmful to human health and welfare and to protect the most sensitive persons from illness or discomfort with a margin of safety. Applicable ambient air quality standards are identified later in this section. The Ventura County Air Pollution Control District (VCAPCD) is responsible for bringing air quality within the South Central Coast Air Basin into conformity with the federal and State standards. The air pollutants for which federal and State standards have been promulgated and which are most relevant to air quality planning and regulation in the air basins include ozone, carbon monoxide (CO), 6.6-2 Simi Valley General Plan Update Technical Background Report 6.6 Air Quality fine suspended particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and lead. In addition, toxic air contaminants are of concern in the air basins. Each of these is briefly described below. ■ Ozone is a gas that is formed when volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOX), both byproducts of internal combustion engine exhaust, undergo slow photochemical reactions in the presence of sunlight. Meteorological conditions that are needed to produce high concentrations of ozone are direct sunshine, early morning stagnation in source areas, high ground surface temperatures, strong and low morning inversions, greatly restricted vertical mixing during the day, and daytime subsidence that strengthens the inversion layer. ■ Carbon Monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas produced by the incomplete combustion of fuels. CO concentrations tend to be the highest during the winter morning, with little to no wind, when surface-based inversions trap the pollutant at ground levels. Because CO is emitted directly from internal combustion engines, unlike ozone, and motor vehicles operating at slow speeds are the primary source of CO in the Basin, the highest ambient CO concentrations are generally found near congested transportation corridors and intersections. ■ Respirable Particulate Matter (PM10) and Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) consist of very small liquid and solid particles floating in the air, which can include smoke, soot, dust, salts, acids, and metals. Particulate matter also forms when gases emitted from industries and motor vehicles undergo chemical reactions in the atmosphere. PM10 and PM2.5 represent fractions of particulate matter. Inhalable particulate matter (PM10) refers to particulate matter 10 microns or less in diameter, about one/seventh the thickness of a human hair. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) refers to particulate matter that is 2.5 microns or less in diameter, roughly 1/28th the diameter of a human hair. Major sources of PM10 include crushing or grinding operations; dust stirred up by vehicles traveling on roads; wood burning stoves and fireplaces; dust from construction, landfills, and agriculture; wildfires and brush/waste burning; industrial sources; windblown dust from open lands; and atmospheric chemical and photochemical reactions. PM2.5 results from fuel combustion (from motor vehicles, power generation, and industrial facilities), residential fireplaces, and wood stoves. In addition, PM2.5 can be formed in the atmosphere from gases, such as SO2, NOX, and VOC. ■ Sulfur dioxide is a colorless, extremely irritating gas or liquid. It enters the atmosphere as a pollutant mainly as a result of burning high sulfur-content fuel oils and coal, and from chemical processes occurring at chemical plants and refineries. ■ Lead occurs in the atmosphere as particulate matter. The combustion of leaded gasoline is the primary source of airborne lead in the Basin. The use of leaded gasoline