Sustainable Sandhills is pleased to announce the launch of our supplementary air quality sensor program, the Community Level Environmental Air Review (C.L.E.A.R.).
We have partnered with Omega Air NC and the NC Department of Health and Human Services to purchase, place, monitor and maintain supplementary air quality sensors in Bladen, Cumberland and Hoke Counties.
Sustainable Sandhills’ air quality program involves monitoring regional air quality and advising transit, manufacturing and municipal planning administrators on best management practices to stay within “attainment” of National Ambient Air Quality Standards and The Clean Air Act.
Currently, there is one regulatory Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM 2.5) monitor and two seasonal ozone monitors in the North Carolina Sandhills region. The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NC DEQ) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) use data from only these regulatory sensors and a few case-by-case temporary sensors to gather insights about the regional air quality, create reports and inform the public, sanction source polluters and ensure attainment of the Clean Air Act.
One regulatory and two seasonal sensors are not adequate to accurately represent our region’s actual air quality, ascertain attainment, and defend air-vulnerable populations. After many discussions with NCDEQ and EPA, Sustainable Sandhills staff learned that the hypothesis was heard but would not be entertained without quantitative data. Thus, the C.L.E.A.R program was created.
The supplementary air quality sensors (PurpleAir Flex) will augment the three regulatory sensors in the Sandhills that are maintained by the NC Department of Environmental Quality. The additional sensors collect non-regularly PM 2.5 data and will provide more local, accurate and comprehensive air quality information so our residents can protect their health. Sustainable Sandhills will monitor air quality trends over time; study the correlated impacts of activities such as prescribed burns and agricultural operations; and eventually use the data to bolster public education efforts, enhance community awareness of air quality impacts across the region and inform policy decisions within local and state governments.
Sustainable Sandhills plans to add more sensor host sites in other counties in the near future. If you are interested in hosting an air sensor, contact program manager Trinity Vetere or complete the INTEREST FORM.