The Air Quality Division of Pinellas County’s Environmental Management Department is responsible for continuously measuring air samples from monitors throughout the county, resolving citizen concerns, inspecting permitted and unpermitted sources of air pollution, conducting air quality reviews and emission inventories, program development, public outreach to the citizens and publishing the daily Air Quality Index Report.

The Air Quality Division is organized into four areas.

Planning and Analysis

The Clean Air Act reemphasized the need for planning and coordination in order to achieve compliance with air quality standards. The Planning and Analysis Section is responsible for development reviews, policy analysis, air monitoring site analysis and coordination of the Division’s public education and outreach program which develops public information material [Air Quality Division Brochure(pdf) and Clean Air Brochure(pdf)] and provides public speakers. Other planning activities include projects such as preparing the Division’s annual air quality report (2005 Air Quality Report [AQD], Pinellas County), development of emission inventories and special research projects. Throughout the year, various air quality issues and policies come before our elected and appointed officials on the Board of County Commissioners and the Metropolitan Planning Organization . In these instances, the Division provides technical support and expertise at meetings, workshops and public hearings to provide a clear understanding of the issues and their potential impact on Pinellas County. This includes policy analysis and briefings regarding changes to federal, state, and county regulations, local air quality permitting issues and revisions to the Florida State Implementation Plan . Most of the pollution generated within Pinellas County comes from transportation-related sources . The most recent emission inventories indicate automobiles contribute approximately 46% of the total emissions of oxides of nitrogen and 28% of volatile organic compounds. The Planning and Analysis Section provides air quality transportation analysis with regard to county and regional transportation issues.

Administration

Administration supports key management functions and daily operational needs. Staff is responsible for the Division’s budget and general grant preparation and management, program and policy development, interagency coordination, media relations and clerical support.

Air Monitoring

The framework for a well-developed air quality management strategy begins with a balanced ambient monitoring network. A fully approved monitoring network must comply with uniform criteria for network design, measurement methodology, instrument siting and spatial representation, as defined in the Code of Federal Regulations . The County’s air monitoring network is a United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved program that has been in operation since 1975. The Air Monitoring Section is responsible for measuring pollutant concentration levels throughout the County. All monitoring data is subjected to a rigorous quality assurance program to ensure that the data are valid, representative, complete, and of known precision and accuracy. To view a table and figure displaying the monitoring station sites and pollutants measured at each site click here.
The EPA is responsible for establishing and maintaining the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for pollutants, to protect health and welfare. At this time, Pinellas County is within the standard for all of the criteria pollutants, including the new 8-hour ozone and fine particulate matter standards. To view a chart showing the percentage of each pollutant to its respective standard click here.

Title III of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 lists Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAP’s) and requires that source emissions of these toxic air pollutants be regulated. HAP’s are of interest not only because they may pose adverse health and environmental effects, but also because a great deal remains to be learned about these pollutants due to the limited amount of available ambient monitoring studies. A significant number of the pollutants monitored by Pinellas County’s Air Toxic Monitoring Program are HAP’s. Since 1995, volatile organic compound (VOC) samples have been collected and analyzed. The samplers are electronic and utilize a six liter specially treated stainless steel canister to collect one sample over a 24 hour period, every 6 days. Samples were analyzed with EPA method TO-14 using a gas chromatograph mass spectrometer (CG-MS) instrument. Forty different compounds were analyzed; most of which are from the list of compounds classified as HAP’s by EPA. Some of the non-HAP’s, such as various freon compounds, are significant “greenhouse gasses”. To view the latest air toxics information click here.

The Pinellas County Department of Environmental Management, in partnership with the Environmental Protection Commission of Hillsborough County , continues to conduct an ambient air-monitoring program for toxic air pollutants. The network consists of four sites, two in each county and is operated using EPA grant funding. The data collected focuses on urban air HAP’s that include such classes of pollutants as VOC’s (e.g. benzene), carbonyls (e.g. formaldehyde), airborne metals (e.g. arsenic), and particulate matter speciation. The study and subsequent toxic monitoring programs are part of the EPA National Air Toxics Trends Site (NATTS) Monitoring Program. To view a map indicating monitoring site locations and a table of pollutants of concern click here.

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