Louisville City Wire

APCD has released its annual report, highlighting the work of Louisville’s local air quality professionals in 2023 and providing an update on local air quality.

“Beyond diligently implementing some of the most protective local air pollution regulations in the country, our staff continue to find innovative ways to advance our work,” said Rachael Hamilton, APCD Director. “I am proud to share this report and recognize the work of the scientists, engineers, technicians, compliance officers, environmental coordinators, and administrative professionals who spend each day protecting Louisville’s air.”

Highlights from 2023 include:

• Announcing a $1 million award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for Ambient Air Toxics and Health Action for the Rubbertown Area, a project to further examine and address air pollution impacts in west Louisville.
• Staff further expanding and refining the city’s air monitoring network, which collected over 55 million data points on Louisville’s air in 2023, including 50 million one-minute data points and 385,000 rigorously analyzed, legally defensible hourly data points, much of which is shared through real-time resources like Louisville Air Watch.
• Supporting low-cost air sensor research and use, including operating a new air sensor collocation shelter, continued research projects with US EPA, performing a sensor study at the site of a proposed Waterfront Park playground, and acquiring funding for an air sensor lending library that will lend equipment to community researchers.
• Signing up 29 businesses and organizations as Air Quality Action Partners, who made commitments to improve local air quality and provided air quality alerts to over 2,700 local employees.
• Celebrating the 20th full year of the Lawn Care for Cleaner Air program, which awarded its equipment grant to YouthBuild Louisville and issued over 450 rebates on electric lawn equipment in 2023, resulting in almost 18,000 pounds of avoided emissions.

The air quality update covers Louisville’s status with national air quality standards, the Air Quality Index, wildfire impacts, odors, local emissions of air pollution, and more.

Using the Air Quality Index, Louisville experienced 187 Good days, 157 Moderate days, 20 days that were Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups, and one Unhealthy day in 2023. An uptick in poor air quality days was seen compared to the past few years, primarily in June and July during periods of smoke impacts from Canadian wildfires.

Based on EPA’s Toxics Release Inventory, local emissions of toxic air pollution from industrial sources have dropped almost 80 percent since 2005, when the local Strategic Toxic Air Reduction (STAR) program was passed. Emissions of STAR’s highest-priority compounds have decreased by nearly 96%.

The report also included updates on the work of APCD staff, whose services include issuing and enforcing permits for sources of air pollution, monitoring the ambient air through its air monitoring network, investigating and addressing community reports of air quality issues, implementing programs that encourage improvements in local air quality, and communicating air quality information and news to the public, like air quality alerts, air quality forecasts, and more.

The APCD will provide an update on the annual report to the Air Pollution Control Board at its next regular meeting on February 21 at 10:00 a.m. The Board has a public meeting on the third Wednesday of each month, which can be attended virtually or in person.

The full annual report can be found at this link.

Original source can be found here.