Contents

• Introduction
• National Ambient Air Quality Standards
  • Table 1. Ambient Air Quality Standards
• Air Quality Monitoring Station Status for 1999
  • Table 2. Monitoring Station Parameter List – 1999
• Criteria Pollutant Summary
  • Table 3.   – Four Highest 1-Hour Ozone Concentrations for 1999
  • Table 4.   – Four Highest 8-Hour Ozone Concentrations for 1999
  • Table 5.A – Three Highest 1-Hour NO2 Concentrations for 1999
  • Table 5.B – Three Highest 1-Hour SO2 Concentrations for 1999
  • Table 5.C – Three Highest 1-Hour CO Concentrations for 1999
  • Table 6    – 1999 Particulate summary for PM10
  • Figure 1 – Location of Monitoring Stations in Santa Barbara County
  • Figure 2 – Ozone Exceedance Days
• New in 1999

Introduction

This annual report provides information on the air quality in Santa Barbara County for 1999.

In 1999, Santa Barbara County met state and federal standards for all pollutants except for ozone (O3) and particulate matter (PM10). The Federal 1-hour ozone standard was exceeded on one day in October at the Las Flores Canyon 1 (LFC 1) monitoring station.

The California standards for one-hour ozone (0.09 ppm) and 24-hour suspended particulate matter standard (50 ug/m3) were exceeded in 1999. The state ozone standard was exceeded on 3 days and the PM-10 standard was exceeded on one day during the year.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is in the process of establishing an averaged 8-hour ozone standard that provides a better guide to longer-term exposure and health risk than the one-hour standard. The standard is currently under review and has not been published as a law.

National Ambient Air Quality Standards

The Federal Clean Air Act (CAA) (Title 1, Section 109) requires the EPA to prescribe national primary ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for certain air pollutants where public health criteria (protecting sensitive populations such as asthmatics) have been established. These pollutant levels were chosen to protect the health of the most susceptible individuals in a population, including children, the elderly and those with chronic respiratory ailments. A secondary standard is also prescribed to protect human welfare (visibility, crop damage, building damage). These pollutants are known as criteria pollutants.

The EPA currently has NAAQS standards for six criteria pollutants. Ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), lead (Pb), and particulate matter (PM10). Table 1 lists the current NAAQS, along with the California standards. In addition to the EPA standards, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) has set air quality standards for sulfates, hydrogen sulfide (H2S), vinyl chloride (chloroethene, C2H3Cl), and visibility reducing particles.

Air Quality Monitoring Station Status for 1999

In 1999, there were 23 monitoring stations operating in Santa Barbara County (Figure 1) during the year. The stations are divided into State and Local Air Monitoring (SLAMS) and Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) sites. In 1999 there were seven SLAMS and 16 PSD stations operating in Santa Barbara County. Of these 23 stations, 17 stations were operated for the entire year. Six of the 23 stations were operated for less than 4 months during the year. The Las Flores Canyon Odor monitoring station began operation in April 1999.

Table 2 lists the monitoring stations operating in Santa Barbara County in 1999 and the pollutants measured at each station. A date in parenthesis indicates when a station began operation or was decommissioned.

Criteria Pollutant Summary

Table 3 lists the four highest 1-hour ozone concentrations measured during 1999. The highest hourly ozone concentration recorded in Santa Barbara County was 135 ppb at the LFC 1 station. This maximum hourly ozone value was slightly above the 130 ppb recorded last year in Santa Barbara County.

Table 4 lists the four highest 8-hour ozone concentrations measured during 1999. The highest 8-hour hour ozone concentration recorded in Santa Barbara County was 110 ppb at the LFC 1 station. The high value for 1998 was 120 ppb.

Table 5 lists the three highest 1-hour concentrations for NO2, SO2, and CO for 1999. The highest concentrations for these three pollutants were 96 ppb, 53 ppb, and 8.2 ppm respectively. No state or federal standards were exceeded for these pollutants in 1999.

Table 6 provides the 1999 Particulate summary for PM10. There were no samples over the federal 24-hour standard of 150 µg/m3. There were 2 stations that measured particulate levels over the state 24-hour California standard of 50 µg/m3 on one day during the year. The highest value (51 µg/m3) was recorded at both the Santa Barbara and the El Capitan stations.

Figure 1 is a Map showing the locations of all monitoring stations in Santa Barbara county during 1999.

Figure 2 shows Ozone Exceedance Days above the California State and Federal Standards for 1988 through 1999.

New in 1999

Regulatory changes: There were no changes in 1999.

Monitoring station changes in 1999:

The following changes were made to the SBCAPCD monitoring station network in 1999:

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