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Best Management Practices to Mitigate Road Dust from Winter Traction Materials

Best Management Practices to Mitigate Road Dust from Winter Traction Materials. April 2005 BC Clean Air Forum. Outline of the Presentation. The Issue How did we develop the BMP? The layout of the BMP Implementation Where will it be available?. The Issue.

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Best Management Practices to Mitigate Road Dust from Winter Traction Materials

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  1. Best Management Practices to Mitigate Road Dust fromWinter Traction Materials April 2005 BC Clean Air Forum

  2. Outline of the Presentation • The Issue • How did we develop the BMP? • The layout of the BMP • Implementation • Where will it be available?

  3. The Issue • Many interior BC communities experience elevated concentrations of PM10 during the late winter/early spring months. • The majority of this particulate comes from winter traction materials (sand and gravel) that have become re-suspended by vehicles or street cleaning. • Apart from being a general nuisance road dust can substantially impair air quality and visibility.

  4. 98th %ile 95th %ile 75th %ile mean median 25th %ile 5th %ile National Library of Canada Cataloguing in Publication Data, Suzuki, Natalie M. Particulate matter in BC : a report on PM10 and PM2.5 mass concentrations up to 2000.

  5. The Issue cont’d… • Traction dust mitigation procedures vary across BC communities and are generally resource constrained. • Municipal planners and highway contractors face the dilemma of having to protect the traveling public while at the same time address air quality issues associated with traction materials. • A BMP was needed to provide a common standard/guideline for all communities and highway contractors and to provide appropriate perspective on this dilemma.

  6. The BMP Process • Started November 2004 with discussions between WLAP and MOT. • Rough Draft submitted to stakeholders (primarily municipal public works staff and highway maintenance contractors) • Stakeholder workshop in Feb 2005 to hear comments and advice on BMP. Approximately 45 attended. • Survey given out to attendees and non-attendees to evaluate the draft BMP. • BMP finalized April 2005.

  7. The Layout of the BMP Background: The Winter Traction - Road Dust Problem Air Quality Issues Legislation and Performance Standards Best Management Practices: Material Selection, Application and Clean-up Key Information Sources Checklist for Environmental Protection Requirements

  8. Other Useful Features • Detailed real-world example • Text boxes with detailed information • Prince George’s Example • Through material and technique choices, the City of Prince George has been successful in addressing road dust concerns arising from the use of winter traction materials. • Material Selection • The City of Prince George uses winter sand as a primary winter traction material. In 1997 they began to use a coarser winter fracture product in their downtown area and on arterial roads. The coarse fracture aggregate contains virtually no silt (0% passing through a 1.2 mm screen) but comes with an increased cost (approximately three to five times that of winter sand). This cost is partially balanced by savings seen in the reduced volume of material needed, as the coarser fracture product has greater durability on icy winter roads. • Material Application • Coarse fracture material and winter sand is applied with standard spreaders equipped with spray equipment to pre-wet the traction Washed or Screened Aggregate Several northern municipalities currently use washed and screened aggregate as winter traction material throughout their jurisdiction or in higher density areas such as downtown cores. Selecting a material that has been cleaned to remove fines, or simply one that has been screened to limit the percentage of fine particulate, can lead to a reduction in generated dust.

  9. Other Useful Features • Cross-references to related regulation Road Salt Use Because of the potential for environmental harm to result from salt use, road salt is considered a scheduled substance under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. Several documents, provide direction on the legislative standards that apply to road salt use; two of these are: Roadsalt and Winter Maintenance for British Columbia Municipalities – Best Management Practices (Warrington, 1998)and the Federal Code of Practice for Environmental Management of Road Salts (Canada, 2004). http://canadagazette.gc.ca/partI/2004/20040403/pdf/g1-13814.pdf. • Annotated bibliography (North America and Europe) Montana Department of Transportation. 2004. Recommendations for Winter Traction Materials Management on Roadways Adjacent to Bodies of Water. Final Report, August 11, 2004. The report focuses on the impact of winter traction materials on water bodies adjacent to roadways; however, numerous best management practices are presented that would minimize fugitive dust impacts of winter traction materials, including: street sweeping, improved anti-icing and de-icing practices, improved sanding practices, appropriate application rates and snowplow technologies. The report focuses on cold regions and rural transportation.

  10. Implementation • The BMP is not regulation or legislation. • Will be rolled into MOT’s current BMPs for road maintenance. • Municipalities can implement the BMP as part of an airshed management plan (e.g. Prince George). • Foundation for municipal bylaws on road dust management.

  11. Where can I find it? • Available at WLAP and MOT websites soon. • For more information contact: Mark Graham: Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection (250)387-9941 or mark.graham@gov.bc.ca Al Planiden: Ministry of Transportation (250) 387-7771 or al.planiden@gov.bc.ca

  12. Project Team Paul Schaap, Dillon Consulting Limited Janet Scott, Dillon Consulting Limited Maria Furberg, RWDI AIR Inc. Seton Stiebert, RWDI AIR Inc. Al Planiden, Ministry of Transportation Mark Graham, Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection

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