National Core (NCore) Network Planning and Implementation

1. National Core (NCore) Network Planning and Implementation National Air Quality Conference – Addison, TX March 4, 2009 Gases Particles Meteorology

2. NCore Implementation Timeline – the Formal Process

3. NCore Station Approval • §58.10 Annual monitoring network plan and periodic network assessment • Provides for annual monitoring network plans • The plan for establishing required NCore multipollutant stations shall be submitted to the Administrator not later than July 1, 2009 • Approval of NCore plans has been delegated to: • Richard (Chet) Wayland) - Division Director of Air Quality Assessment Division, EPA – Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards • EPA is developing an approval template to help guide approval

4. NCore Timeline – What’s happening? • Most State or local agencies and Regional Offices have been coordinating implementation of NCore over a multi-year period • Examples of good coordination at State and local level with other monitoring agencies – Tribal, NPS, CAMD – CASTNET, University Research Programs • Most candidate NCore stations are either in place or actively being developed • OAQPS has been having calls with Regions and applicable monitoring agencies to go over siting and other issues in advance of this years annual monitoring network plan • If your agency has issues, please get with your Regional Office

5. NCore Tools – • NCore Self-Assessment • Example Annual Monitoring Network Plan • Guidance at: http://www.epa.gov/ttn/amtic/ncore/guidance.html • SOP’s • Technical Assistance Document • Training Video’s (trace CO and SO2 available now) • NCore web site on AMTIC • http://www.epa.gov/ttn/amtic/ncore/index.html }available through Regions

6. What are the Successes so far in NCore Implementation? • Urban design looks in great shape • Largest population cities are covered • Variety of lower population coverage in less populated States • Rural design has as many stations as envisioned in October 2006 monitoring rule (~20), but perhaps not as many as needed to cover some broad areas of the country. • Several States have already requested NCore approval in previous Annual Monitoring Network Plans • Methods are maturing for most measurement needs • SOP’s in place • Participation in training has been excellent • Advances in vertical meteorological measurements

7. Candidate NCoreMarch 2009 Rural Stations Urban Stations

8. NCore Implementation Successes… • QA capacity to audit NCore trace gases being developed • East Coast (Region 4) has been out on audits already • West Coast (Las Vegas) developing capacity • Most agencies have equipment in place or on the way • Digital data systems • Data Reporting • AIRNow • AQS • Value of collocated measurements continues to be validated in scientific papers, NAAQS reviews, and forums with health and atmospheric scientists • i.e., collocated measurements of gases, PM2.5 mass, and speciation

9. What Issues Remain to Successfully Implement NCore? • Location of NCore stations • Urban • In a small number of cases (2) EPA has requested the NCore station be located at a site different than originally envisioned by the monitoring agency • EPA (Regions and OAQPS) will continue to engage monitoring agencies in advance of the annual monitoring network plans • Rural - Getting partnerships between State and local monitoring agencies and Federal monitoring programs such as CASTNET and the NPS, where appropriate for additional coverage

10. NCore - Additional Rural Coverage Needs • Northern FL, Southern GA/AL • Eastern TX • Western KY/TN • Mountain West? • CA/AZ • Pacific Northwest Rural Stations Urban Stations Examples of possible additional rural coverage needs; other rural coverage needs may exist

11. What Issues Remain… • Methods/Measurements • Coarse Speciation methods - not expected to be fully developed for 1/1/2011 start • February CASAC Subcommittee consultation • Plans for pilot being developed • Priorities for coarse speciation may not be at NCore • Fine Speciation – getting 1:3 speciation at every NCore station • Can use CSN or IMPROVE • Some existing CSN stations cannot support gases (e.g., a shelter cannot be installed); therefore NCore station is proposed for a new location • Some areas do not have speciation or existing CSN site is 1/6 – this will add costs to the speciation program. • Ammonia/Nitric Acid • Not required, but part of the long term plan • Ammonia pilot taking concrete steps to move forward • Nitric acid likely to take much longer

12. NCore Measurements Blue = mature measurements Green = new or enhanced measurements Red = measurements being developed or need to be developed

13. What is EPA doing to evaluate candidate NCore Stations? • EPA Regions • Site visits • Coordination with Agencies and OAQPS • Looking at network and consistency within Region • EPA OAQPS • Project to assess station characteristics • Developing approval template • Have accompanied Regions/State/locals on a number of site visits • Looking at network and consistency across Regions

14. What are some of the things EPA is looking for to Recommend Approval of a Candidate NCore Station? • Support from Stakeholders • Monitoring Agency - State, local, Tribal • Regional Office • Scientific Input • Others? • Good location • Scale of representation • Urban – neighborhood to urban scale, representative of area-wide population • Rural – regional scale • Not influenced by unique local sources • Meets siting criteria • Sufficient space to support all the measurements

15. What are some of the things EPA is looking for… • Existing Stations • Highly leveraged with other programs • CSN, NATTS, PAMS, IMPROVE, CASTNET… • Long-term data record and use of data in important assessments • Commitment by the Agency • Is the agency investing in the Station? • Leveraging multiple programs/resources • Long-term plan to be at the station

16. NCore Site Characterization Project? • To support NCore approval, a consistent characterization of the proposed NCore stations is needed • Currently in the process of developing the prototype site characterization report for one NCore location (Raleigh, NC). All candidate stations to be evaluated. • Site reports will include… • Written summary including… • Site photographs • Site descriptions • Wind roses and summaries of prevailing winds • Global transport influences • Climatological summary • Air quality trends • Maps depicting… • Land cover • Topography • Major point sources • Annual average daily traffic counts • Pollution transport corridor • Population density • Fuel use characteristics • Locations and sites of other measurements within 100km of the NCore site

17. Site map Annual average daily traffic map Site photo Population density map NCore Site Characterization ExamplePrototype site: Raleigh, NC

18. Population Density map

19. NCore Assessment Tools • Google Earth (KML files) Site coordinates and metadata have been saved as a KML file to allow review of network on a National to Regional to Local basis.

20. Looking at NCore across an Urban area Raleigh, NC

21. Looking at NCore siting across a neighborhood Raleigh, NC

22. NCore Implementation Summary • Most agencies are on track for NCore implementation • Assessment on each candidate station being developed • Communicate issues with Regions • Most, but not all methods ready to go • Approvals to start this year