The Upper Hunter Air Quality Advisory Committee met in Singleton last Thursday and during their quarterly meeting the EPA’S summer 2016-2017 air quality reports were discussed.
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Along with these latest figures, a draft five-year report that according to current chair John Tate shows “steady progress” was also presented to the group. This document is expected to be finalised and released to the public in early July.
Mr Tate says the monitoring process is continually improving and that summer air quality in the region was generally good.
But work needs to be done when it comes to tackling ongoing issues like diesel emissions and he vowed to keep “hammering away”.
The reporting period he referred to spanned from December 1 2016 to February 28 2017.
The data shows levels of nitrogen dioxide, ammonia and PM2.5, or fine particulate matter, were below national benchmarks.
There was one sulfur dioxide spike recorded in Muswellbrook on December 23.
However, the Upper Hunter recorded 12 days where the average levels of PM10 were above benchmark concentrations – the most days recorded above the benchmark compared to the previous four years. The next highest number of days were in summer 2013–14 (nine days) and summer 2012–13 (six days).
EPA Director Hunter Karen Marler says the high particle levels in the region could be attributed to a particularly hot summer period and the influence of dry windy conditions on bush fires, controlled burning and dust generation.
“This summer we had periods with below average rainfall, above average temperatures, and high wind speeds. All these conditions tend to be associated with elevated PM10 levels, especially during bush fires and hazard reduction burning,” she explains.
“The results confirm the significant influence that weather conditions have on our air quality – and also that we need to maintain our strong focus on managing dust by ensuring stabilisation of exposed mining areas.”
“While we saw good air quality over the summer and generally low hourly PM10 levels, we will continue efforts with industry and community to reduce these spikes in particulate matter.”
The Upper Hunter Summer 2016-2017 report in full can be found at the Office of Environment and Heritage website’s: http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/aqms/uhaqmnmonitoring.htm
