Requirements for the Establishment of Mercury Monitors in Mexico as a Pilot Project

1. Requirements for the Establishment of Mercury Monitors in Mexico as a Pilot Project Identification of the Technical Design of the Monitoring Pilot Project for Wet Deposition of Mercury in Mexico ANNE M. HANSEN, MANFRED VAN AFFERDEN

2. General Project Objective Identify the requirements for the establishment of mercury monitors in Mexico as a pilot project in collaboration with key agencies in Mexico and liaising with appropriate Canadian and US authorities as well as private sector contractors.

3. What is the big idea?

4. Extension of Mercury Deposition Network Integration of Mexican sampling stations into the existing network Intensification of future collaboration in prevention of exposure

5. Installation of two wet-deposition monitors MDN requires two different instruments for the collection and measurement of precipitation: An electrically powered collector that automatically collects precipitation samples for mercury analysis A raingage that mechanically measures and records the amount of precipitation Raingage Collector

6. Sample and data handling Weekly precipitation samples should be collected every Tuesday and mailed to the Mercury Analytical Laboratory at Frontier Geosciences (USA) for analysis by cold vapor atomic fluorescence spectrometry. The MDN provides data for total mercury, but will include methylmercury if desired by a site sponsor. Field bucket Event recorder trace

7. Why install mercury monitors in Mexico?

8. Deposition of Mercury

9. General NADP Monitoring Objectives To characterize geographic patterns and temporal trends in biologically important chemical deposition. To support research activities related to: The productivity of managed and natural systems; The chemistry of surface and ground waters, including estuaries; The health of domestic animals, wildlife, and fish; Human health. (Dossett and Bowersox, 1999)

10. General Mexican Objectives Assess mercury exposure rates to ecosystems and human populations through mercury wet deposition in Mexico; Evaluate the effects of emissions reduction and control on a long term basis; Identify main mercury transport routes; Fulfill international commitments; Increase Mexican capacity in the assessment of mercury deposition and effects.

11. Who will be responsible?

12. Responsibilities in Mexico

13. Responsibilities in Mexico The responsibilities of monitoring mercury in wet deposition is not clearly defined Potential future responsible institutions: Semarnat: Has the principal responsibility CNA: National Water Commission National Meteorological Service (SMN) INE: National Institute of Ecology CENICA

14. Where to install the monitors?

15. Strategy of site selection • Far from Mercury point sources in order to measure background levels On or close to the site of already existing meteorological stations or observatories Automatic Hydro- meteorological Stations (AHSs)(60) Meteorological Observatories (82)

16. NADP/NTN site selection criteria Regional Local On-site (modified according to Bigelow et al. 2001)

17. Specific Mexican Site selection criteria • Accessibility and infrastructure (courier mail service, electricity, telephone, laboratory) • An operator lives on or very close to the site

18. Site selection procedure • 1st step: Application of regional requirements (20 and 50 km) From the 142 sites (AHS, MO) 108 stations were excluded 2nd step: Application of Mexican requirements (operator) From the AHSs only 16 fulfill the condition of potential operators living close to the site 3rd step: Application of local and on-site requirements (telephone) From these 16 sites only 6 do not fulfill these requirements 4th step: Presence of chemical lab for major ions Among the final 10 stations, only 4 have a chemical laboratory close by 5th step: On-site verification and evaluation of 2 sites

19. Location of the preselected sites Cd. Constitución Huejutla Tecamachalco Puerto Ángel

20. On-site evaluation of Huejutla-site

21. On-site evaluation of Puerto Ángel-site

22. Who will participate?

23. Project Coordination Steering Committee NADP, INE, NACEC (Mercury, M&A Task Forces) Technical Project Management IMTA Equipment and Analysis NADP, Frontier Geosciences among others

24. On-site Institutions Huejutla: SMN-CNA, Instituto Tecnológico Agropecuario (operator Biol. Alejandra López Mancilla) Cd. Puerto Angel: SMN-CNA (operator Ing. Ulises López Rodríguez) Constitución: SMN-CNA (operator Javier Martínez Arreola) Tecamachalco: SMN-CNA, Universidad Tecnológica (operator M.C. Ofelia Araceli López Mejía)

25. Capacity building US / Canadian Institutions Training courses: On-site: Installation, initial sampling phase, maintenance US/Canada: Wet deposition, sampling and maintenance, interpretation of results US/Canada: Clean - Lab analysis On-site supervision: Routine operation and quality control

26. How much will it cost?

27. Costs for an extended, subsidized pilot project (US$)Equipment 9,100Balance, conductance meter and electrode, pH meter and electrodes, lab-material Installation 12,000 Site preparation and modification, platform, shipping, custom liberation Operation 38,220 Shipping, personnel, communication, office supply, maintenance and materials Capacity building 16,100 Training courses, on-site supervision Analysis 43,680Mercury (free), methylmercury, major ions Technical project management 67,300 Personnel, per diem, transportation, telephone Total 186,400

28. When may it start?

29. Steering committee Ing. José Luis Razo Quvedo Ing. Gloria Herrera Ing. Orlando Quintero Martínez Ing. Ángel Barrera Morteo Javier Martínez Arreola Ing. Ulises López Rodríguez Biol. Alejandra López Mancilla M.C. Ofelia Araceli López Mejía Right now? Heavy rain