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Protecting Air Quality

Community air quality has improved in many areas of the province in recent years and the B.C. government is committed to seeing that trend continue. Maintaining clean and healthy communities is a high priority. The Ministry of Environment is currently focussing on developing a framework for airshed planning. This framework can be applied to degraded airsheds throughout the province to develop actions for ensuring air quality protection.

The ministry is building airshed-management partnerships with federal, regional and local governments and Washington State. Partnership funding assists communities to initiate or further develop their airshed plans. Funding for academic institutions, regional and local governments and contractors will improve understanding of local air quality, sources of concern and factors that contribute to air quality improvements.

Protecting Air Quality Province-wide

The province has made very significant progress on measures to reduce emissions of air pollutants and real progress to improve the quality of the air we breathe. Here are some examples:

Key participation in provincial Energy Policy, with the target of producing 50% of all new electricity from clean and renewable sources, and incentives and rate structures to drive energy efficiency and conservation.
The province has invested over $4 million in clean energy and fuel cell research in the past two years, promoting the development of clean energy sources.
Under the Western Economic Partnership Agreement, the provincial and federal governments committed a total of $13 million for the hydrogen and fuel cell industry. The province contributed $6.5 million towards demonstration projects with Fuel Cells Canada, BC Transit, Ballard, BC Hydro and others.
A key priority in the New Era document is the opposition to Sumas II, the natural gas-fired electricity generating facility proposed on the Washington State side of the border in the Lower Fraser Valley. It is opposed by the province and many Fraser Valley residents that feel it is a threat to the valley's airshed.
The Environmental Management Act, brought into force in July 2004, provides a legislative framework for area-based planning and administrative monetary penalties.
The provincial air protection program has been strengthened through:
- An investment of $1.1 million over the past three years to enhance the air quality monitoring network by establishing new stations in eleven communities and replacing or upgrading existing stations across the province.;
- Over $300,000 towards community-based air quality research, and direct financial support to community based airshed planning initiatives;
- Support for alternative and cleaner forms of transportation through:
  - A new rapid transit line improving public transportation and air quality in the Lower Mainland, through partnership with TransLink, the Government of Canada and the Vancouver International Airport Authority
  - Provincial fuel tax exemption for ethanol and biodiesel portions of fuels blended with gasoline and diesel
- The development of new modeling tools, guides on air quality and airshed planning for local governments; and
- Updating the provincial inventory of emissions of criteria air contaminants and a report on residential wood burning emissions in the province, and
- In partnership with woodstove manufacturers and retailers, the ministry has promoted regional woodstove change-out programs whereby retailers provide a cash incentive for citizens to replace their old, dirty woodstove for a modern, cleaner model;
Airshed planning processes have been initiated in a dozen communities or regions across the province: Golden, Nelson, Bulkley Valley/Lakes District, Port Alberni, Williams Lake, Capital Regional District, Quesnel, Kamloops, Whistler, Sea-to-Sky Corridor, North Okanagan Regional District and the Okanagan-Similkameen Regional District. Community based airshed plans are key to meeting our obligations under the Canada-Wide Standards for Particulate Matter and Ozone, two contaminants that adversely affect human health.
The Greater Vancouver Regional District has an Air Quality Management Plan, which is currently being updated.
See http://www.gvrd.bc.ca/air/
The Fraser Valley Regional District's airshed management plans can be viewed at:
http://www.fvrd.com/calendar/index.php?cmd=search&SUID=786cd3299873f808b42c747025103518&id=96
Phase I of the Prince George Air Quality Management Plan can be accessed at: http://www.city.pg.bc.ca/pages/news/pgairquality.pdf
AirCare tests vehicle emissions on the Lower Mainland. Information on this program can be found at: http://www.aircare.ca/.
The city of Golden is an example of the benefits of community led airshed planning. A comprehensive partnership is in place to conduct a source apportionment study that will identify which sectors are the most important sources of air pollution in the airshed. City Council is fully engaged, and there is a good relationship with local industry.
The Georgia Basin / Puget Sound International Airshed Strategy is a multi-agency, international co-operative effort to address shared air quality management concerns. Amongst other objectives, this strategy also aims to improve our relationship with neighbouring jurisdictions and provide a better framework for dealing with future projects that have the potential to contribute to the deterioration of air quality in the shared airshed.

Air Quality Programs and Services

Clean Air Research Fund
The BC Clean Air Research Fund (CARF) has been set up to promote research into air quality issues. This website includes the following documents:
- Status Reports (1997 - 2010)
- Project-Eligibility Guidelines
- Templates for Applications
- Progress Reports
State of Environment Reporting Office, B.C. Ministry of Environment
The B.C. State of Environment Reporting Office provides timely and accurate information on environmental conditions and trends, through its environmental indicator series and comprehensive reports

Web Sites

Air Quality Unit, Skeena Regional Headquarters, Ministry of Environment
This website is hosted by the ministry's Skeena Region, which is in the northwestern part of British Columbia. It provides thorough information on regional air quality and weather, as well as government actions and legislation to reduce air pollution (e.g. the phaseout of beehive burners).
Pollution Prevention Regulations & Applications / Air Quality, Cariboo Region, Ministry of Environment
This website is hosted by the ministry's Cariboo Region, in the central interior of British Columbia. It offers information on regional air quality and monitoring results.
Pollution Prevention and Remediation, Ministry of Environment
This site provides information on the environmental laws, policies and programs of British Columbia . including regulations, criteria, codes of practice, guidelines, noncompliance reports and appeal decisions.

Reports/Studies

Scientific and Policy Issues

Emission Inventories

Air Quality / Airshed Management Plans and Reports

Guide to Airshed Planning in British Columbia
March 2004

Airshed planning is the process of coordinating activities in an airshed, and ensuring that federal, provincial and local air quality goals are achieved. This guide is written for local authorities, community leaders and staff interested in local and regional air quality. It is divided into two parts: Chapters 1 to 6 provide a general overview of what is involved in developing and implementing an airshed plan. Chapter 7 contains detailed appendices, and a glossary of terms. PDF: 388KB / 63 pages

Particulate Matter in British Columbia: A Report on PM10 and PM2.5 Mass Concentrations up to 2000
May 2003

This report summarizes ambient concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5 in British Columbia, in an effort to guide the implementation of the Canada-wide Standard (CWS) for particulate matter. It was co-produced by the Ministry of Environment; and Environment Canada, Pacific and Yukon Region. For more information about particulate matter, and its health and environmental impacts, visit our Particulates site.

Report in HTML

PDF: 7.7MB / 143 pages

Note: This is a large report. If you have printing difficulties, print it out in sections (e.g., 1-20, 21-30, etc.).

Air Quality Report for British Columbia: Ground-Level Ozone Concentrations (1986 - 1997)
July 1998

Ground-level ozone concentrations measured at various sites in British Columbia have been summarized for 1986 - 1997.

Full Report PDF: 1MB / 122 pages
Executive Summary HTML

Air Quality Report for British Columbia: Fine Particulate Levels (1990 - 1995)
March 1997

The Ministry of Environment has monitored PM10 levels at almost 100 sites in British Columbia since the mid-1980s. This report is the first overview of PM10 levels measured in various communities across the province.

Meteorological Data and Weather

Modelling

Use of High Resolution Numerical Fields with the CALPUFF Modelling System: An Analysis of RAMS and MC2 Fields over Kamloops, B.C.
June 2004

This report describes a test to determine how well computer-forecast models can produce meteorological data in areas where there are no measurements available. It assesses the potential of using models instead of setting up new monitoring stations to obtain meteorological data.
PDF: 2.2MB / 64 pages

Mesoscale Meteorological Model (Three Reports)
January - May 2003

"Mesoscale meteorological models" are complex computer programs that produce predictions of meteorology, such as winds and temperature, over large areas and different heights in the atmosphere. Such information is extremely valuable in understanding the meteorological factors that influence air quality.

The next two reports provide the results of limited investigations that were intended to test different models with the goal of improving their performance. The third report is an earlier effort, which assesses the different mesoscale meteorological models used to model air quality dispersion in B.C.

Scroll over this "thumbnail" picture, or click here to see an animation example of mesoscale meteorological model output.

Report 1: South-Central B.C. Air Quality Ensemble Research
Jan. 1 - March 31, 2003 (Research Period)

The Canadian Mesoscale Compressible Community Model (MC2) was run at the University of British Columbia to produce high-resolution (4 and 2 km grid) weather forecasts for the Okanagan and Kamloops regions. Comparisons to observed surface and upper air soundings were made. Research was also conducted towards developing an even higher-resolution model called the Weather-Fire Integrated System (WFIS) coupled with MC2. PDF: 1.6MB / 47 pages

Report 2: Hind-casting of High Resolution Atmospheric Fields over Complex Terrain: Model Initialization Issues
May 2003

PDF: 933KB / 76 pages

The Regional Atmospheric Modelling System (RAMS) was run at the University of Northern British Columbia to produce high resolution (1 km) simulations over the Thomson-Okanagan area using different intialization (hindcast vs. forecast) approaches. Comparisons to observed surface and upper air soundings were made.

Report 3: Using Mesoscale Modelling to Support Regulatory Dispersion Modelling
March 2002

This report is an assessment of the different mesoscale meteorological models used for air quality dispersion modelling in British Columbia.

PDF: 164KB / 21 pages

Guidelines for Air Quality Dispersion Models
Critical Review & Recommendations
May 2003

An air quality dispersion model is a set of equations that relate emissions to the resulting impacts on air quality. Regulatory agencies use them to determine the contribution of emission sources (existing or future) to air quality, thus providing a basis for air management decisions.
The choice and application of dispersion models is not a simple matter. Therefore, a model guideline is needed in order to promote quality and consistency. This report is the first step in developing such a guideline.

PDF: 585KB / 87 pages

For Guidelines for Regulatory Air Quality Dispersion Modelling in British Columbia, the report on which the above document is based, contact the Water, Air and Climate Change Branch.

Air Monitoring Guidelines

Air Quality Objectives and Standards

Regional Air Quality Information Web Sites

General Information

A Primer on Air Quality Issues in British Columbia
April 2004
This primer explains the terms used in discussing air quality, the the activities and sources that degrade air quality in B.C. communities, and how air quality can be maintained and improved. Supported by Environment Canada, it was developed by the Ministry of Environment, the B.C. Environmental Assessment Office and the municipalities of Kamloops, Kelowna and Prince George.

REVEAL II, Air Quality Study of Lower Fraser Valley, British Columbia
During 1993, the Water, Air and Climate Change Branch (then the Air Resources Branch) conducted the REVEAL study (Regional Visibility Experimental Assessment in the Lower Fraser Valley). Analysis of the REVEAL data has provided valuable insights on the nature and sources of fine particulates. In 1994-5, the Fraser Valley Regional District conducted a subsequent monitoring study (REVEAL II). This website, hosted by author Sara Pryor provides data derived from REVEAL II, and references for REVEAL.

Residential Wood Burning Emissions in British Columbia
April 2004
PDF: 496KB / 43 pages

Backyard Burning: Smoke Gets in Your Eyes...and Lungs!
February 2002
This fact sheet explains why backyard burning is a backwards step in the fight against air pollution, and a waste of a valuable resource.

Fine Particulates, What They Are and How They Affect Us
February 2002
The Provincial Health Officer has identified fine particulates as the most serious form of air pollution in BC, when it comes to direct impacts on people's health. This document explains what fine particulates are, their sources and impacts, and how we can control this form of pollution.

Reducing Wood Stove Smoke: A Burning Issue
February 2002
Inefficient wood stoves and improper burning can result in a lot of smoke pouring out the chimney and into your neighbourhood. Find out how to reduce wood stove smoke by choosing a low-emission stove, and using it correctly so that smoke is kept to a minimum.

Where There's Fire, There's Smoke: Reducing Smoke in British Columbia
February 2002
This brochure provides a thorough summary of the sources and impacts of smoke in British Columbia. It describes what the B.C. Government is doing to reduce smoke and suggests ways we can reduce smoke at home.

Legislation
A summary of the main B.C. laws relating to air quality. Please note that other B.C. and federal laws deal with air quality and emissions management, too.

Waste Discharge Authorizations

Links

Water, Air and Climate Change Branch
   Air Quality
      Clean Air Research Fund
      Clean Air Research Fund Status Report - 2003
   Particulate Matter in British Columbia
      Is it Safe to Burn?
Environment Canada
   Clean Air: The Clean Air Picture
   Clean Air: Who is Responsible for Clean Air
AirCare
Independent Power Producers Association of B.C.

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