HomeMy WebLinkAboutbocc.packet.ws.01-19-2021 p'r K I N Board of Commissioners
COUNT1 Work Session Agenda
TUESDAY,JANUARY 19,2021, 10:30 AM
Q/D. G BOCC Meeting Room, 1st Floor
530 E Main St,Aspen,CO 81611
A work-session agenda is structured to give the Board of Commissioners an opportunity to touch base with each other,staff,and
invited community members and organizations to discuss and work through issues the County is facing,but not ready to take official
action on at a regular board meeting. Work sessions are open to the public(with exception of executive session). However,public
input is typically not taken during a work session unless specifically asked for by the Board.
10:30 AM Staff/Community Presentations
10:30 AM COVID-19 Update, Jon Peacock (1 hour)
11:30 AM Board Membership Reports (30 minutes)
Board members to report on the activities of other boards, commissions and entities they have been
appointed to as representative of Pitkin County.
Kelly-APCHA, CCAT, 1177 Round Table
Patti-ACRA, Economic Dev.,NWCCOG,RRR Workforce Dev., Basalt Vista, ITPR
Steve-CCI,Regional Trans.,Vintage,Club 20, Senior Council,
Greg-CCCA,CORE,QQ,BoH,RFTA,RWPA,BLM,USFS
Francie- CO River Water Conservation Dist.,West Elk Loop SBC
12:00 PM Lunch Break
1:00 PM Staff/Community Presentations(continued)
This is time set aside for staff and community partners to formally present community or organizational
issues that may lead to future Board action.
1:00 PM Air Quality Study, Cindy Houben(1 hour)
2:00 PM Upcoming Regular Meeting Items
This portion of the agenda is intended to: 1)Provide the Board and Staff an opportunity to discuss items
that will come before the Board and public for formal adoption at a future Regular Meeting/Public
Hearing, 2) To review the calendar of business for future Board Work Sessions and Regular Meetings
2:00 PM Review of Future Agenda Calendars-Work Session/Regular Meeting(15 Minutes)
2: 15 PM Discussion Items/Open Discussion
No formal written materials
2:15 PM Board Open Discussion(15 Minutes)
2:30 PM Adjourn for Executive Session
2:45 PM SPECIAL MEETING-EXECUTIVE SESSION
AGENDA and TIMES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
1
Sale of Cougar Canyon
Yule Creek Mine Clean Water Act Permit Application
Aurora-Bureau of Reclamation-Pitkin County MOU
Extension of Airport Service and Occupancy Contracts
C.R.S. 24-6-402 (4)(b)
4:45 PM Adjourn Executive Session
AGENDA and TIMES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
2
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY
WORK SESSION MEETING DATE: January 19, 2021
AGENDA ITEM TITLE: Air Quality Study
STAFF RESPONSIBLE: Cindy Houben, Pitkin County Community
Development Director
ISSUE STATEMENT: The purpose of today's work session is to present the Air Quality(AQ)data
that that was taken in June/July and in September of 2020 at the N 40 Fire Station in the Airport Business
Center. This is also an opportunity for the BOCC to review the attached reports and ask questions of the
Air Quality(AQ) consultants and experts who conducted the study. The following individuals will be at
the meeting in addition to Rich Englehart from the Airport.
Howard Gebhart-Air Resource Specialist(ARS) Consulting Firm,Fort Collins;
Rob Beckius and Patrick Dixon-APIS Consulting Firm
Andrea Holland—Local Air Resource Specialist(Volunteer) formally with the USFS as an Air Resource
Manager and Contractor with the USFS on wildfire events as an Air Resource Advisor.
Greg Harshfield—Gaseous and Meteorological Monitoring Group Supervisor, Colorado Air Pollutants
Control Division, Colorado Department of Public Health
Kurt Dahl-Pitkin County Environmental Health
Jannette Whitcomb-Aspen Environmental Health
Also a special thanks to the Aspen Fire District for allowing us to place the monitors on the roof of the
North 40 Fire Station where there was no concern regarding harm to the equipment. Additionally, a big
thank you to the staff at the Airport along with Caroline Boynge and Chris Padilla as well as Brian Pawl
for climbing the fire tower to operate the VOC canisters daily.
BACKGROUND: In the spring of 2020,the BOCC authorized an Air Quality(AQ) study be done in
the vicinity of the Pitkin County Airport. The study was done in order to help determine if AQ concerns
exist in that area,primarily from the Pitkin County Airport operations. Air quality sensors and VOC
(Volatile Organic Compounds) canisters were located on top of the N 40 Fire Station. The study was a
"screening"approach meant to inform the BOCC if there is a need for further,more in depth, studies. In
particular,this study analyzed a number of AQ parameters relative to potential health concerns based on
the Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) standards.
Two test periods were analyzed:
ARS VOC Canisters June 10-15 and September 13-20
APIS Monitors June 10-July 10 and September 1- September 21
Two types of monitors were used and compared:
Air Resource Specialist(ARS)deployed 12 specially designed canisters to sample for approximately 60
different Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC). Duration of each canister sampling was for 24-
3
hours(midnight to midnight)providing 6 discrete sampling days in June and 6 in September. The
final report(Attachment A)was done by ARS.
APIS, an AQ monitoring company out of Oregon,used air quality sensors to estimate Particulate Matter
(PM2.5 and PM10),nitrogen dioxide(NO2),Volatile Organic Compounds(VOC's), Ozone and wind
directions;APIS provides raw data and does not analyze their data. Other experts reviewed the APIS data
and will present the summary of findings at the meeting(Attachment B).In addition an in depth analysis
was done for Benzene(Attachment C)that will be discussed at the meeting.
Additional data were considered from the City of Aspen measuring stations at the Aspen Golf Course
(Ozone)and on the yellow brick school house(PM);
Additional factors measured included air operations counts and Highway 82 traffic counts. It is also
important to know that the Pitkin County Airport was closed from September 14-18,2020 for restriping
purposes. The reason for selecting this date for the study was to see if there were measurable AQ
variances from other dates when the airport was open. Unfortunately,wildfire smoke affected AQ during
days within the September monitoring period.
Location: The APIS monitor and ARS canisters were located on top of the N 40 fire station.
In summary:
1. No exceedances of EPA or State CDPHE Health standards were detected;
2. The study is a snapshot of two different times during the year but is by no means a full study. It is
meant to determine if further analysis is needed.
LINK TO STRATEGIC PLAN: The Natural and Built Environment: This study sought to understand
the AQ in the vicinity of the Pitkin County Airport concerning health impacts on a residential and commercial
area.
KEY DISCUSSION ITEMS:
• The county's air quality monitoring effort was prompted by a desire to obtain background data
representing current air quality and by odor complaints by residents in the North 40 who were
concerned about current and future impacts of the airport to their health.
• A subset of volatile organic compounds (VOCs)was estimated using specially prepared canisters
and following EPA method TO-15. Canisters,placed on the roof of the North Forty fire station
collected 24-hr samples for one week in June and one week in September.
• Air quality monitoring sensors placed on the roof of the North Forty fire station estimated the
following criteria pollutants (as regulated by EPA and CDPHE)between June and September of
2020:
o particulate matter less than 2.5 microns(PM2.5)
o particulate matter less than 10 microns (PM10)
o nitrogen dioxide(NO2)
o ozone(03)
• Air monitoring sensors are not federally calibrated reference monitors. Rather they provide a low
cost estimate of air pollutant concentrations. Sensors models used in this study have been found
to generally overestimate air pollutant concentrations.
• Weather related data also collected in this project included wind direction and wind speed to help
determine sources of elevated air quality parameters. And information taken at the airport o wind
direction was also used.
4
• Because ozone is already monitored by a reference monitor located within 3 miles of the airport
the data from the sensor placed at the fire station are not included in the data summary report.
This is because the sensor has been shown to overestimate ozone and because ozone is not an
emission but a pollutant formed by a complex photochemical process.
• No exceedances of NAAQS for PM2.5,PM10,NO2 or ozone were indicated for June or
September.
KEY QUESTIONS:
1) Was there a difference in the AQ during the days that were monitored when the airport was
closed?
2) Why were the OZONE levels taken by the APIS monitor dismissed?
3) Are there other studies that should be done that would more specifically identify what the odor
issues are and if anything can be done relative to the quality of life at the AABC/N 40 area?
4) What further studies should be done?
5) Are the EPA standards good enough or just minimal health protection standards?
BUDGETARY IMPACT: None unless further studies are conducted
RECOMMENDED BOCC ACTION: No action is required by the BOCC today. The BOCC may
want to provide direction on further potential AQ studies.
Staff sees that further studies may be warranted(given jet fuel research) at the up valley end of the
runway; Specifically, a winter study may show different AQ parameters given inversions where air is
trapped closer to the ground before dispersing. It is likely that more specific AQ parameters would be
used than were used for this initial scoping study.
Staff further recommends, in order to track the goals established in the Airport Vision Committee
common ground recommendations ,that an AQ program be designed which employees two or three
methodologies. These include methods such as: Modeling, Calculating and Monitoring.
A program where calculating the emissions generated by various sources at the airport is an industry
standard that would be effective and is more site specific than modeling.
Long-term monitoring on site for specific AQ parameters,while potentially expensive, should be
considered in order to verify reduction in emission being generated and to help track the success with the
30%reduction goal adopted by the BOCC the common ground recommendations.
Priority projects could be established in conjunction with the Airport Advisory Board as to timing and
cost/benefit approaches to systematically make positive changes at the Airport.
ATTACHMENTS:
A. AQ Report by ARS
Al. ARS Presentation Materials
B. Summary Report on APIS data
C. Benzene Analysis
5
Attachment A
Air Resource
SP -EC AL STS
AIR MONITORING DATA REPORT
PITKIN COUNTY(ASPEN AIRPORT)
Phase 1: JUNE 2020 Phase 2: SEPT 2020
Prepared for:
Pitkin County Community Development Department
520 East Main Street, Suite 205
Aspen, CO 81611
Prepared by: Air Resource Specialists,Inc.
1901 Sharp Point Drive, Suite F
Fort Collins,CO 80525
Updated December 2020
970 . 484. 7941 A wwwair-resource.com
1901 Sharp Point Drive A Suite F A Fort Collins A Colorado A 80525
6
1.0 INTRODUCTION &BACKGROUND
This document provides a summary of the air quality monitoring data collected in Aspen, Colorado
during the community health pandemic of 2020. The monitoring data were collected by Air Resource
Specialists, Inc. (ARS)on behalf of the Pitkin County Community Development Department(PCCDD).
The monitoring location was at Aspen Fire Protection District Station 62, located at
43 Sage Way Road, Aspen, CO 81611. Monitoring equipment was located on the roof of the Fire District
building. The approximate monitoring location latitude/longitude coordinates as determined using a
Lat/Long cellphone app were: 39.22 deg N and 106.86 deg W.
Figure 1 shows the monitoring location.
Figure 1
Pitkin County Monitoring Location—Aspen, Colorado
Pitkin County TO-15 Air Monitoring Study \ Legend
,A \ 1 Aspen Pitkin County Airport
S a ctr —K rt e
f
..i. Cooradop nuntair.CoIIGge��_
- � ... \ As en Co nsolldatcd Sanitat on Dt,trlot
tEi
•0 .-o -er c- it.> :
ad tet `l ion.
@ q 6
'I / x
a .. P t c County irpp `F
. r �t
I Li
\ J a 4� -�, -+..
,t. 821 1 . r' ' ,' . ......1 -_ -
, ..,,,„
��L
o ‘ s.,d.,.•k, A
W, •
' S\,' .
a
Google Earth r . 1o...., 'i 1-r `\
+ Tto. Aspe City Cemt-'# 1 ',It ` Q \ N
2iz oaplF » - —.r...:.-1 r7l rtip' - I[1,1,
Pitkin County TO-15 Air Monitoring Report, Page 1
By Air Resource Specialists, Inc.,January 2021
7
The selected monitoring site was immediately across Colorado State Highway 82 from the
passenger terminal at Aspen Pitkin County Airport (KASE). Air emissions from airport operations were a
focal point of the study. Residents in neighborhoods located adjacent to KASE have complained about
odors believed to be associated with airport operations and the presence of odors have also generated
concerns about potential health effects associated with airport-related emissions. The Fire Station
monitoring location is closer to KASE comparted to neighboring residential neighborhoods and as such, it
is believed that the Fire Station location would experience airport-related air pollution impacts which would
generally exceed any air pollution exposures that would affect the neighborhood.
Other potential emission sources (besides KASE Airport) that are near the monitoring station and
are believed to potentially affect air quality at the monitoring site were surveyed by ARS and are
summarized below. These locations are also identified in Figure 1.
• Traffic-related emissions would be present on Highway 82, which runs adjacent to the
monitoring site to the west. Colorado Highway 82 is the main access route for traffic
entering and leaving Aspen. Highway 82 is generally oriented in a north-south direction at
this point and the Fire District building is about 275 feet east of the highway median. A
signalized intersection exists to the southwest of the Fire District Building and queuing of
traffic occurs for short periods at this intersection. Traffic counts for Highway 82 during the
monitoring period are provided elsewhere in the report. Based on our survey of local
emissions near the monitoring site, ARS' opinion is that the traffic-related emissions from
Highway 82 are likely the dominant local emissions source near the monitoring station.
• A gasoline service station is present immediately to the south of the Fire District building.
• The Aspen campus for Colorado Mountain College (CMC) is located to the north of the
Fire District Building. However, during the June 2020 Phase I study, the campus appeared
to be closed due to the health pandemic and ARS observed very little traffic entering and
leaving the campus. As such, CMC likely had minimal effect on air quality conditions
during the Phase I study.
• Roaring Fork Transportation Authority (RFTA) has a service center for housing and
performing maintenance on public transit busses which is located about 1,000 feet to the
north of the Fire District building. Also, Aspen Consolidated Sanitation District (ACSD)
operates a municipal wastewater treatment facility along the Roaring Fork River about
1,500 feet to the east of the Fire District building. Given the longer distance to these
locations, both the RFTA service center and the ACSD wastewater facility likely have less
effect on air quality conditions at the monitoring site compared to the other emission sources
listed above.
The monitoring occurred over 24-hour periods (Midnight-to-Midnight) spanning six days. Phase 1
occurred in June (June 9 — 14, 2020) and Phase 2 occurred in September (September 15 —20, 2020). The
days of the week for the Phase 1 monitoring were Tuesday through Sunday in both Phase 1 and Phase 2.
Pitkin County TO-15 Air Monitoring Report, Page 2
By Air Resource Specialists, Inc.,January 2021
8
Pitkin County also contracted with APIS, Inc. to provide additional air monitoring data to
supplement the ARS TO-15 measurements. APIS provides low-cost air quality monitors that measure the
levels of selected gasses,odors, and toxic pollutants in the air. However,the APIS sensors are not currently
recognized by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as either a Federal Reference Method
(FRM) or Federal Equivalent Method (FEM). EPA designates monitoring equipment as an FRM or FEM
method when the monitoring equipment has demonstrated that it can reliably and accurately measure
air quality concentrations for the selected pollutants. The APIS data have been reviewed and evaluated by
others and have not been discussed in ARS' report.
Pitkin County TO-15 Air Monitoring Report, Page 3
By Air Resource Specialists, Inc.,January 2021
9
2.0 SUMMARY OF SAMPLING METHODS
The sampling method used was EPA Compendium Method TO-15 - Determination of Volatile
Organic Compounds (VOCs) in Air Collected In Specially-Prepared Canisters and Analyzed by
Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry(GC/MS).
Following Method TO-15, samples were collected by introducing air into a specially-prepared
stainless steel canister. The laboratory provided ARS with pre-evacuated and passivated canisters. All
canisters were also provided with a unique identification tag. The ARS Field Technician transported the
canisters to the field for sampling. At the sampling location, the ARS Field Technician deployed the
equipment and set the automatic timer for each canister. In the field, an orifice controlled the sampling flow
rate. For this sampling program, the duration for sampling was 24-hours, from midnight to midnight the
next day. The pre-set electronic timer controlled the start and stop times for each sample.
In the field, each canister was mounted to a tripod such that the sample intake was approximately
four or five feet above the Fire Station building roof. All sampling equipment was fully portable and
operated on battery power. The equipment set-up allowed for maximum flexibility in selecting appropriate
monitoring locations.
After the sample was collected each day, the timer automatically closed the canister valve. At the
conclusion of the 6-day sampling event, the ARS Field Technician retrieved the canisters, logged relevant
data such as start/stop times, air flows, etc., and then prepared the canisters for shipment to the laboratory,
which was Pace Analytical Services LLC (Pace), located in Minneapolis,MN. Pace prepared the evacuated
canisters and provided the GC/MS analysis for quantification of speciated VOCs.
Upon receipt at the laboratory, the canister tag data was recorded and the canister was stored until
analysis. A known volume of sample was directed from the canister and dried to prevent analytical
interferences. The sample was then routed to a high resolution gas chromatograph coupled to a mass
spectrometer(GC/MS) for identification of the target VOCs.
The procedure allowed for quantification of air concentrations for approximately 60 different VOC
compounds. Table 1 lists the different TO-15 compounds available from the testing method along with the
minimum reporting limit provided by Pace (reporting limits are given in micrograms per cubic meter). The
TO-15 HAPs that have been quantified are generally associated with pollutants designated under the
Clean Air Act as hazardous air pollutants(HAPs).
Pitkin County TO-15 Air Monitoring Report, Page 4
By Air Resource Specialists, Inc.,January 2021
10
Table 1
Listing of TO-15 Analytical Compounds and Minimum Reporting Limits
(Reporting Limits in micrograms per cubic meter)
Reporting Limit
1,1,1-Trichloroethane 71-55-6 1.1
1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane 79-34-5 0.70
1,1,2-Trichloroethane 79-00-5 0.56
1,1,2-Trichloroflouromethane 75-69-4 1.6
1,1-Dichloroethane 75-34-3 0.82
1,1-Dichloroethene 75-35-4 0.81
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene 120-82-1 7.5
1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene 95-63-6 1.0
1,2-Dibromoethane 106-93-4 0.78
1,2-Dichlorobenzene 95-50-1 1.2
1,2-Dichloroethane 107-06-2 0.41
1,2-Dichloropropane 78-87-5 0.94
1,3,5-Trimethylbenzene 108-67-8 1.0
1,3-Butadiene 106-99-0 0.45
1,3-Dichlorobenzene 541-73-1 1.2
1,4-Dichlorobenzene 106-46-7 3.1
2-Butanone (MEK) 78-93-3 3.0
2-Hexanone 591-78-6 4.2
2-Propanol 67-63-0 2.5
Benzene 71-43-2 0.32
Bromodichloromethane 75-27-4 1.4
Bromoform 75-25-2 5.2
Bromomethane 74-83-9 0.79
Carbon Disulfide 75-15-0 0.63
Carbon Tetrachloride 56-23-5 1.3
Chlorobenzene 108-90-7 0.94
Chloroethane 75-00-3 0.54
Chloroform 67-66-3 0.50
Chloromethane 74-87-3 0.42
cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene 156-59-2 0.81
cis-1,3-Dichloropropene 10061-01-5 0.92
Dibromochloromethane 124-48-1 1.7
Dichlorodifluoromethane 75-71-8 1.0
Dichlorotetrafluoroethane 76-14-2 1.4
Ethanol 64-17-5 1.9
Ethyl Acetate 141-78-6 0.73
Ethylbenzene 100-41-4 0.88
Hexachloro-1,3-butadiene 87-68-3 5.4
m,p-Xylene 108-38-3, 106-42-3 1.8
Pitkin County TO-15 Air Monitoring Report, Page 5
By Air Resource Specialists, Inc.,January 2021
11
Methyl Isobutyl Ketone 108-10-1 4.2
Methyl tert-Butyl Ether 1634-04-4 3.7
Methylene Chloride 75-09-2 3.5
n-Heptane 142-82-5 0.83
n-Hexane 110-54-3 0.72
Napthalene 91-20-3 2.7
o-Xylene 95-47-6 0.88
Propylene 115-07-1 0.35
Styrene 100-42-5 0.87
Tetrachloroethene 127-18-4 0.9
Toluene 108-88-3 0.77
trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene 156-60-5 0.81
trans-1,3-Dichloropropene 10061-02-6 0.92
Trichloroethene 79-01-6 0.55
Trichlorofluoromethane 75-69-4 1.1
Vinyl acetate 108-05-4 0.72
Vinyl chloride 75-01-4 0.26
Pitkin County TO-15 Air Monitoring Report, Page 6
By Air Resource Specialists, Inc.,January 2021
12
Figure 2 shows the deployment of the sampling equipment on top of the Fire District Building.
These photos were taken during Phase I of the study, but the monitoring locations during Phase 2 were the
same. The view in Figure 2 is generally looking toward the east away from the KASE Airport. The view
toward Colorado Highway 82 and KASE Airport is provided in Figure 3.
Figure 2
Pitkin County Air Monitoring-Deployment of TO-15 Canisters
Eastward View away from Highway 82 and KASE Airport
a PRE t a -
•
111
OP" dB
"PP
Pitkin County TO-15 Air Monitoring Report, Page 7
By Air Resource Specialists, Inc.,January 2021
13
Figure 3
Pitkin County Air Monitoring-Deployment
Westward View toward Highway 82 and KASE Airport
...C1 ' i r fit. •••• it
i
•
II
Pitkin County TO-15 Air Monitoring Report, Page 8
By Air Resource Specialists, Inc.,January 2021
14
3.0 MONITORING DATA AND DISCUSSION
This section describes the ambient air quality data collected at the Aspen Fire Protection District
monitoring site using USEPA Compendium Method TO-15. The TO-15 sampling methods were
summarized in the prior section and these methods were applied for the collected samples.
3.1 TO-15 Monitoring Data
The TO-15 concentration levels measured at the Fire Station monitoring site are summarized in
Table 2 (Phase 1) and Table 3 (Phase 2). Only those compounds which were detected in one or more of the
TO-15 samples have been listed in Table 2 and Table 3, i.e., if the specific compound was "Not Detected"
(ND) in all samples, it was not listed in Table 2 or Table 3. During both Phase 1 and Phase 2, only three
VOC compounds were detected in all samples: chloromethane, dichlorofluoromethane, and ethanol.
Acetone was collected in 3 of 6 samples during Phase 1 and in 5 of 6 samples during Phase 2. Other
detected compounds were only occasionally collected in the samples. Also, during Phase 2, the Aspen area
was being impacted by smoke from regional wildfires. The smoke impacts were most severe over the
period Sept 15-17 and some compounds were detected only on those days where the samples was believed
to be impacted by wildfire smoke.
Table 2
Pitkin County TO-15 Air Monitoring—June 2020
Concentrations for Detected Compounds (all data in micrograms per cubic meter)
Sample Day
VOC -
June 10 June 11 June 12 June 13 June 14 June 15 RfC
TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN
Acetone ND 13.7 ND 11.0 18.9 ND --
Chloromethane 0.90 0.9 0.93 1.0 0.99 1.2 90
Dichlorofluoromethane 2.4 3.1 2.8 2.4 3.1 2.5 --
Ethanol 5.9 7.9 7.2 7.0 6.9 18.2 --
n-Hexane ND ND ND ND ND 2 700
Tetrachloroethene ND ND ND ND 1.3 ND 40
Toluene ND ND ND ND ND 1.5 5000
Compounds not listed were below reporting limit on all sample days
ND=Not Detected on the sampling day,Not all compounds have a USEPA RfC.
Pitkin County TO-15 Air Monitoring Report, Page 9
By Air Resource Specialists, Inc.,January 2021
15
Table 3
Pitkin County TO-15 Air Monitoring-September 2020
Concentrations for Detected Compounds(all data in micrograms per cubic meter)
Sample Day
Sept 15 Sept 16 Sept 17 Sept 18 Sept 19 Sept 20 RfC
TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN
Acetone ND 27.5 16.5 33.7 49.6 11.0 --
Benzene ND 0.62 ND ND 1.6 ND 30
2-Butanone(MEK) ND 14.2 ND ND ND ND --
Chloromethane 2.2 1.8 1.8 0.86 1.6 ND 90
Cyclohexane ND ND ND ND 10.4 ND 6000
Dichlorofluoromethane 4.2 4.0 4.0 2.6 10.4 2.6 --
Ethanol 42.5 9.2 12.8 6.8 8.3 5.6 --
Ethylbenzene 5.3 ND ND ND ND ND 1000
n-Heptane ND 2.0 ND ND 7.5 ND --
n-Hexane ND 2.0 ND ND 8.9 ND 700
Propylene 1.8 2.3 1.4 ND ND ND --
Styrene 2.3 ND ND ND ND ND 1000
Tetrachloroethene ND ND 1.8 ND ND ND 40
Tetrahydrofuran 2.2 ND ND ND ND ND 2000
Toluene 6.0 ND 2.3 ND 8.7 ND 5000
Trichloroethene ND ND 1.3 ND ND ND --
m-p xylene 6.0 ND ND ND ND ND 100
o-xylene 1.9 ND ND ND ND ND 100
Compounds not listed were below reporting limit on all sample days
ND=Not Detected on the sampling day
Not all compounds have a USEPA RfC.
Pitkin County TO-15 Air Monitoring Report, Page 10
By Air Resource Specialists, Inc.,January 2021
16
Safe exposure levels via inhalation for the compounds of interest were assessed for those pollutants
where a "Reference Concentration" (RfC) has been established by the US Environmental Protection
Agency (USEPA). Where available, RfC concentrations also listed in Table 2 and Table 3 for the various
compounds sampled. According to USEPA, the RfC is "an estimate (with uncertainty spanning perhaps
an order of magnitude) of a continuous inhalation exposure to the human population (including sensitive
subgroups) that is likely to be without an appreciable risk of deleterious effects during a lifetime."
RfC concentrations for various chemicals are available via the USEPA Integrated Risk Information System
(IRIS)website. Only some of the compounds of interest have an established RfC.
Both chloromethane are dichlorofluoromethane are classified as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) which
were commonly used in the past as refrigerants and as propellants for consumer products such as aerosol
spray cans. Use of these compounds has been discontinued in the United States and other parts of the
developed world. However, CFCs are very stable and are unlikely to degrade in the atmosphere, so their
presence in the Aspen TO-15 air samples likely comes from residual concentrations caused by historical
emissions of these compounds and/or global transport of emissions from areas of the world where use of
these chemicals continues. ARS has also found the presence of CFCs in ambient air at other monitoring
sites in Colorado.
Chloromethane (also known as methyl chloride) has an RfC of 90 micrograms per cubic meter, but
ambient concentrations measured in the study were at or below about 1 microgram per cubic meter. An
RfC has not been developed by USEPA for dichlorofluoromethane.
Ethanol is a constituent of gasoline. The presence of ethanol in all of the Aspen TO-15 samples
could be from evaporative emissions occurring at the gasoline service station located adjacent to the
Fire Station monitoring location. Ethanol (also known as ethyl alcohol) is not listed as a toxic substance by
the USEPA IRIS website. Inhalation exposure to normal ambient concentrations of ethanol vapors are not
believed to result in harmful effects to the general public.
The occasional detection of compounds like cyclohexane, various n-alkanes, and BTEX (benzene,
toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene)may also be fuel related and/or associated with mobile source emissions
such as vehicle traffic. Although these markers for gasoline-related emissions were not consistently
detected in the TO-15 samples, the overall concentrations for all of these compounds were low. As such,
the other gasoline/mobile source markers could be present, but at concentrations which were below the
detection limits in most TO-15 samples.
Acetone was found in a majority, but not all, of the collected samples. Acetone is a solvent that
may be used for cleaning of plastic, metal, and composite products. Common uses include cleaning
materials for grease, oil, resin, ink,permanent marker, adhesive, and paint. Acetone may also be present as
a constituent of wildfire smoke and/or mobile source emissions. As noted previously, the Aspen area was
being impacted by wildfire smoke during the Phase 2 monitoring period, which could explain why higher
acetone concentrations were measured during Phase 2. Acetone does not have an RfC. Nevertheless, data
from the USEPA Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) website suggests that concentrations need to
be quite high, e.g., 100 ppm or higher, before adverse effects from inhalation of acetone would occur.
Measured concentrations of acetone in the Aspen TO-15 samples were substantially under these levels.
Pitkin County TO-15 Air Monitoring Report, Page 11
By Air Resource Specialists, Inc.,January 2021
17
For the other compounds measured (e.g., benzene, n-hexane, tetrachloroethene, toluene, etc.), the
RfCs, when present, are generally 100 micrograms per cubic meter or higher, except for benzene
(RfC = 30 micrograms per cubic meter) and tetrachloroethene (RfC = 40 micrograms per cubic meter).
All measured concentrations in the TO-15 samples were well below any applicable RfC, with measured
concentrations generally on the order of 10 micrograms per cubic meter or less for these compounds.
Benzene was measured only in two samples at concentrations of 1.6 micrograms per cubic meter or less and
tetrachloroethene occurred in only two samples at concentrations of 1.8 micrograms per cubic meter or less.
Overall, the measured concentrations of possible air toxics via Method TO-15 at the Aspen Fire
Station air monitoring site showed ambient concentrations were at safe levels and that no air toxics were
observed on sampling days at ambient concentrations that would generate potential adverse health effects
via inhalation.
3.2 Operational Data
Table 4 provides traffic count data for the Phase 1 June 2020 monitoring period and Phase 2
September 2000 monitoring period. Traffic counts are collected along Highway 82 at the intersection with
Cemetery Lane, which is about 2 miles closer to the Aspen Business District compared to the monitoring
location. The traffic counts were about 10% higher during Phase 2 compared to Phase 1. Also, traffic
counts are also listed for a comparable 6-day period is 2019 in order to provide a basis for comparison. The
2019 data are based on June 11-16 (Phase 1) and September 17-22 (Phase 2), in order to report the same
days of the week as the sampling period(TUE-SUN)and eliminate any possible day-of-the-week bias.
During Phase 1, the 2020 traffic during the sampling period were about 15-20% less than the
comparable period in 2019, with the larger decrease of about 20% occurring over the two weekend days
(Saturday and Sunday). Phase 2 traffic counts were about 15%t higher compared to the Phase 1 sampling
period and appeared to more closely match the historical norm for traffic. During Phase 2, the 2020 traffic
counts were generally comparable to the 2019 data for the same period, with the average being within
1.4%of the comparable 2019 period. Two days during Phase 2 had higher traffic counts compared to 2019,
and the other four days showed small traffic decreases,ranging between 0.6-4.4%.
Pitkin County TO-15 Air Monitoring Report, Page 12
By Air Resource Specialists, Inc.,January 2021
18
Table 4
Traffic Counts for TO-15 Sampling Days
Highway 82 and Cemetery Lane—Aspen, CO
Phase 1 2019 2020 Delta 2020 Decrease
(%o)
June 9 TUE 24513 19871 4642 18.9
June 10 WED 25140 21520 3620 14.4
June 11 THU 26287 21691 4596 17.5
June 12 FRI 25866 22207 3659 14.1
June 13 SAT 20498 16243 4255 20.8
June 14 SUN 18792 14839 3953 21.0
AVERAGE 23516 19395 4121 17.5
June Average 23259 20344 2915 12.5
Phase 2 2019 2020 Delta 2020 Decrease
(%o)
Sept 15 TUE 23054 22919 135 0.6
Sept 16 WED 23210 23596 (386) Increase
Sept 17 THU 24538 23808 730 3.0
Sept 18 FRI 25561 24890 671 2.6
Sept 19 SAT 21964 20991 973 4.4
Sept 20 SUN 17975 18194 (219) Increase
AVERAGE 22717 22400 317 1.4
Sept Average 22170 22402 (230) Increase
Note: 2019 dates were June 11-16& Sept 15-20 (TUE- SUN)in order to reduce any day-of-the-week bias
in the historical comparisons.
Pitkin County TO-15 Air Monitoring Report, Page 13
By Air Resource Specialists, Inc.,January 2021
19
Table 5 provides aircraft departures at KASE airport for two six-day monitoring periods. For
comparison, KASE aircraft departures are also listed for an equivalent 6-day period in 2019, which
provided a comparison based on the same days of the week as the 2020 sampling period(TUE-SUN). The
KASE aircraft departure records show that the 2020 monitoring period experienced aircraft activity levels
that were generally comparable to the same period in 2019. Over the period September 15-17, the airfield
was closed. This particular period was specifically selected for the monitoring study in order to capture
measurements with and without the influence of aircraft operations (see additional discussion below). The
daily counts over September 18-20 were likely influenced by the closure of the airfield earlier in the week
and there was likely some"catch-up"in aircraft departures after KASE reopened.
Table 5
KASE Aircraft Operations (Departures)
Phase 1 (2020) _ 2019 2020
TUE June 9 _ 20 15
WED June 10 36 48
THU June 11 42 31
FRI June 12 33 51
SAT June 13 37 41
SUN June 14 68 46
TOTAL 236 232
Phase 2 (2020) 2019 2020
TUE Sept 15 21 CLOSED
WED Sept 16 44 CLOSED
THU Sept 17 37 CLOSED
FRI Sept 18 46 84
SAT Sept 19 67 80
SUN Sept 20 78 107
TOTAL 293 271
2019: June 11-16 & Sept 17-22 (TUE-SUN)
2020: June 9-14& Sept 15-20 (TUE-SUN)
Pitkin County TO-15 Air Monitoring Report, Page 14
By Air Resource Specialists, Inc.,January 2021
20
The September 2020 monitoring period was deliberately chosen for the Phase 2 study to take
advantage of the KASE airfield closure. It was postulated that any significant differences in the measured
air quality concentrations between days with and without KASE operations would be theoretically
attributable to aircraft emissions or otherwise associated with KASE operations. However, the Phase 2
results did not show any significant increase in concentrations for any of the measured pollutants
(See Table 3). As such, it does not appear that airfield emissions significantly impact VOC concentrations
in the immediate area.
ARS also investigated whether a "marker" for aircraft emissions could be found in the TO-15
monitoring data. Published data on aircraft emissions are limited, especially for general aviation aircraft
that form the majority of KASE arrivals and departures. ARS did locate information on speciated VOC
emission profiles in the document Air Emissions Guide for Air Force Mobile Sources (January 2013),
published by the United States Air Force (USAF), Air Force Civil Engineer Center. The USAF report lists
speciated VOC emissions for various aircraft engine types, but the engines for which emissions data are
reported are skewed toward military aircraft. Fort this evaluation, ARS selected reported emissions data for
the F404-GE-F 1 D2 engine, which are engines used in various USAF jet fighter aircraft. ARS assumed
these data would be representative of the speciated VOC emissions present for the KASE aircraft fleet
given that jet fighter aircraft would be more similar to the general aviation fleet compared to heavier
USAF bomber and transport aircraft where emissions data were also available. ARS also feels the
assumption is reasonable given that the speciated VOC emission profile is more likely to be associated with
the fuel being combusted(e.g., Jet A-1, aka Jet Kerosene) and not the specific engine.
Based on the reported USAF emissions data, the most prevalent speciated VOCs in aircraft
emissions would be: acetone, benzoic acid, formaldehyde, and methylene chloride. Of these compounds,
both acetone and methylene chloride were among the compounds sampled by ARS using TO-15. The
TO-15 data did not report concentration data for benzoic acid or formaldehyde. In the Aspen TO-15
samples, ARS found the presence of acetone, but methylene chloride was not found in any individual
sample at levels above the minimum detection limit. As noted previously, acetone has many numerous
sources besides aircraft-related combustion emissions and the presence of acetone in the TO-15 samples by
itself does not conclusively indicate that aircraft emissions were the likely source. More importantly,
because methylene chloride was not found in combination with acetone, ARS concludes that the
TO-15 data most likely indicate that the aircraft-related emissions were not a significant contributor to the
measured pollutant concentrations adjacent to KASE. This finding is also consistent with the Phase 2 data
fmdings described previously where samples were collected when airport operations were open vs. closed.
The above finding does not discount the presence of odors which have in the past been attributed to
airfield emissions. However, odors are typically transient and usually of short duration. The presence of
odors does not necessarily indicate that VOCs associated with potential odors would also generate adverse
health impacts. Odors may be present, but the associated concentration can occurs at levels that do not
cause adverse health impacts. A basic finding of the ARS TO-15 monitoring study are that adverse health
effects in the vicinity of KASE airport did not occur during the sampling events, whether from aircraft
emissions or other emission sources.
Pitkin County TO-15 Air Monitoring Report, Page 15
By Air Resource Specialists, Inc.,January 2021
21
3.3 Meteorological Data
Figure 4 and Figure 5 are windroses based on meteorological observations collected at the KASE
Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) operated at the Aspen Pitkin County Airport by the
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Figure 4 is the windrose covering Phase 1 (June 2020) and
Figure 5 is the windrose covering Phase 2 (September 2020).
Over the monitoring period, winds were generally either from the north or south, which would be
the expected wind patterns based on the orientation of the Roaring Fork River Valley at the KASE airport
location. Winds blowing across Highway 82 from KASE toward the monitoring station and the local
neighborhood were infrequent. The meteorological conditions were generally the same during Phase 1 and
Phase 2, with the exception that average wind speeds during Phase 2 were less than Phase 1. These
differences in meteorology are normal in Colorado, with lower winds speeds being common during the
autumn months.
Pitkin County TO-15 Air Monitoring Report, Page 16
By Air Resource Specialists, Inc.,January 2021
22
Figure 4
KASE Airport Wind Rose: June 9-14,2020
WS Wind Rose
N
NNW NNE
NW 411111,40 NE
0%
WNW ENE
logCalm
0.00% E
1111
WSW ESE
SW 10111(11
SE
SSW SSE Key
Wind Speed(m/s)
S Calm<0.5
0.5-0.9
1.0-3.9
235 Collected/196 Valid(83.4%)
4.0-6.9
Collection Statistics Include:
WD,WS and Dependant Parameter 70-9'9
10.0-12.9
13.0-15.9
16.0-18.9
19.0+
Pitkin County TO-15 Air Monitoring Report, Page 17
By Air Resource Specialists, Inc.,January 2021
23
Figure 5
KASE Airport Wind Rose: September 15-20,2020
WS Wind Rase
N
N\W NNE
NW' NE
WNW `1 = . E'er
N Calm t E
;1r°
.00r{.
ESE
•
SE
— SSE Ke)
Wind SCleed f mh I
S alm<0S
aia9
Ia19
236 Collected/99 Valid 141.95E 1
Collection Statistics Include: taco
WI).WS and Dependant Parameter 7.099
IQ0-119
I10-1S"9
160-189
19.0+
Pitkin County TO-15 Air Monitoring Report, Page 18
By Air Resource Specialists, Inc.,January 2021
24
4.0 SUMMARY & CONCLUSION
This document provides a summary of the air quality monitoring data collected in Aspen, Colorado
during the community health pandemic of 2020. The monitoring data were collected by Air Resource
Specialists, Inc. (ARS)on behalf of the Pitkin County Community Development Department(PCCDD).
The monitoring location was at Aspen Fire Protection District Station 62, located at
43 Sage Way Road, Aspen, CO 81611. Monitoring equipment was located on the roof of the Fire District
building. The approximate monitoring location latitude/longitude coordinates as determined using a
Lat/Long cellphone app were: 39.22 deg N and 106.86 deg W.
The selected monitoring site was immediately across Colorado State Highway 82 from the
passenger terminal at Aspen Pitkin County Airport (KASE). Air emissions from airport operations were
a focal point of the study. Residents in neighborhoods located adjacent to KASE have complained about
odors believed to be associated with airport operations and the presence of odors have also generated
concerns about potential health effects associated with airport-related emissions. The Fire Station
monitoring location is closer to KASE comparted to neighboring residential neighborhoods and as such,
it is believed that the Fire Station location would experience airport-related air pollution impacts which
would generally exceed any air pollution exposures that would otherwise affect the neighborhood.
There were two separate six day monitoring periods, one in June 2020 and the other in
September 2020. During the Phase 1 sampling period (June 9-14, 2020), airport operations based on the
number of aircraft departures were roughly the same as an equivalent period in June 2019. During
Phase 2 (September 15-20, 2020), airport operations were closed for three days of the sampling period.
However, no significant differences occurred in the measured concentrations between times that the
airport was operational and when the airport was not operational. Also, for the Phase 1 study period,
traffic counts for vehicular traffic along Highway 82 entering/leaving Aspen were about 15 to 20%
lower than a comparable period in June 2019. The traffic counts at this location during the Phase 2
study were close to those from a comparable period during September 2019.
The TO-15 monitoring method provides data for about 60 different species of volatile organic
compounds (VOCs), generally focused on compounds rated as possible "air toxics", also known as
hazardous air pollutants (HAPs). Only three compounds were detected in all samples collected:
chloromethane, dichlorofluoromethane, and ethanol. Also, acetone was collected in a majority of the
samples. Other detected compounds occurred only in a few samples. A few VOCs were only detected in
Phase 2 samples when the Aspen area was influenced by wildfire smoke. Nevertheless, none of the
measured concentrations approached levels deemed to represent possible harmful effects to human health,
based on"Reference Concentrations"published in the USEPA IRIS database.
Given the low levels of VOC measured in the study, the airport operations at KASE do not appear
to cause any significant contribution to local air quality levels in residential areas located adjacent to the
Aspen Pitkin County Airport. ARS also did not find potential "markers" for aircraft-related emissions in
the TO-15 samples collected adjacent to the KASE airport. All measured impacts were also well below
"safe" concentration levels for inhalation exposure as defined by the applicable USEPA Reference
Concentration extracted from the USEPA IRIS database.
Pitkin County TO-15 Air Monitoring Report, Page 19
By Air Resource Specialists, Inc.,January 2021
25
Attachment Al
Pitkin County Air Quality
Monitoring Study
Air Resource Specialists, Inc.
Presentation to Pitkin County Board
of County Commissioners
26
Study Area
, _
Pitkin County TO-15 Air Monitoring Study ; liks � •r , Logend
• • �.. , f: ? Aspen Pidon County Airport
',.._-% ‘i. ,-.,4
\ 1%, ,,, & :.. .4„ `..,1/4,.. .-..'.4\IV,: . , ...,,, ..,.; • .4,,•e .....,...._..---.: •' . ,....
\ .1,
` ,Co orado PI.un am Col4._
• _, \ �' `.`< , - ` _ r' 'pen,w.:)g-a) c,. ed Sanitation D,strr:'
• f" -C:. 'SI -; . • .
: .• ''.. '
— '� , 1 ,c:d�,,."fin . �•
61
. ir• l‘li ‘
,,., Fir S tion , F. ,t r "
t if i ,e o ev. tall .a• , .,• —
:• � �.
sr ,; i nahied Intersection
4:4 tPh
y t
Nolio.
j. le;
14% li.' 1 • ` 1r,..k: , 8:ro.
•seen Pi kin Cou t 0[13(14...d a M. l -t� z.,1 7 glitz
I t ,�"I;,. 'ilt• . r ; A. TI �'
` . � c,n' N -07 ...• - .,fit p�
,,,,„," .
1 11 t+ . l ",-
-\,.,„.,: ,, ..
. .., IP ,e4*-: V '
+ M. mac:. = l i',��'''f
Google Earth k�� . . . t _ ; .4:60,, • _ j '�
TO. Aspe City Cente I it.. 27
ARS Study Method — T015
-,... : , ,..:„...e. _1,.....,.. ,. ,-....,,, - ..,.. . ,, . .,..,..5,
.. v„,..
........ .. ......„,•.,..... . . ...7:‘...- • .••• ".-: -..--.- -r---: --
_ . . _ ...,...., ... _ _ ,_ ____
• __, . .
....
_„,.."- -_-_,..,... _.„. ,,•. ?.__:., • .. .., . , .,
................ _..: ,,,,,,,,„„...,......„.1/4 .,......... _. . . , _
. ..,.., ...„ Ar..,,,,.. ,..e „..„....._:. -.,....,..,:•,, ..,_...,
• • ^'r�• • _� # r• R:mil* ♦ �
in c, ...
• .�. � +c '-i �. R `-- Al �y ♦, r %0 , '-, r
•
•
111j......Adve. . %..,:iell''''
4'4
��-�' f -..............
"pp. -...il
28
T015 Results — n 2020— June
Sample Day
June 10 June 11 June 12 June 13 June 14 June 15 RfC
TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN
Acetone ND 13.7 ND 11.0 18.9 ND --
Chloromethane 0.90 0.9 0.93 1.0 0.99 1.2 90
Dichlorofluoromethane 2.4 3.1 2.8 2.4 3.1 2.5 --
Ethanol 5.9 7.9 7.2 7.0 6.9 18.2 --
n-Hexane ND ND ND ND ND 2 700
Tetrachloroethene ND ND ND ND 1.3 ND 40
Toluene ND ND ND ND ND 1.5 5000
29
T015 Results - September2020
Sample Day
VOC iSept 15 Sept 16 Sept 17 Sept 18 Sept 19 Sept 20
MIL TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN RfC
Acetone ND 27.5 16.5 33.7 49.6 11.0 --
Benzene ND 0.62 ND ND 1.6 ND 30
2-Butanone(MEK) ND 14.2 ND ND ND ND --
Chloromethane 2.2 1.8 1.8 0.86 1.6 ND 90
Cyclohexane ND ND ND ND 10.4 ND 6000
Dichlorofluoromethane 4.2 4.0 4.0 2.6 10.4 2.6 --
Ethanol 42.5 9.2 12.8 6.8 8.3 5.6 --
Ethylbenzene 5.3 ND ND ND ND ND 1000
n-Heptane ND 2.0 ND ND 7.5 ND --
n-Hexane ND 2.0 ND ND 8.9 ND 700
Propylene 1.8 2.3 1.4 ND ND ND --
Styrene 2.3 ND ND ND ND ND 1000
Tetrachloroethene ND ND 1.8 ND ND ND 40
Tetrahydrofuran 2.2 ND ND ND ND ND 2000
Toluene 6.0 ND 2.3 ND 8.7 ND 5000
Trichloroethene ND ND 1.3 ND ND ND --
m-pxylene 6.0 ND ND ND ND ND 100
o-xylene 1.9 ND ND ND ND ND 100
30
EPA Reference Concentration ( RfC )
• "an estimate (with uncertainty spanning
perhaps an order of magnitude) of a
continuous inhalation exposure to the human
population (including sensitive subgroups)
that is likely to be without an appreciable risk
of deleterious effects during a lifetime ."
31
Operational Data — C082 Traffic
111Mliase 1 I 2020 9 2020 Decrease
June 9 TUE 24513 19871 4642 18.9
June 10 WED 25140 21520 3620 14.4
June 11 THU 26287 21691 4596 17.5
June 12 FRI 25866 22207 3659 14.1
June 13 SAT 20498 16243 4255 20.8
June 14 SUN 18792 14839 3953 21.0
AVERAGE 23516 19395 4121 17.5
June Average 23259 20344 2915 12.5
Phase 2019 2020 Delta 2020
Decrease (%)
Sept 15 TUE 23054 22919 135 0.6
Sept 16 WED 23210 23596 (386) Increase
Sept 17 THU 24538 23808 730 3.0
Sept 18 FRI 25561 24890 671 2.6
Sept 19 SAT 21964 20991 973 4.4
Sept 20 SUN 17975 18194 (219) Increase
AVERAGE 22717 22400 317 1.4
Sept Average 22170 22402 (230) Increase
32
KASE Aircraft Departures
Phase 1 (2020) �
TUE June 9 20 15
WED June 10 36 48
THU June 11 42 31
FRI June 12 33 51
SAT June 13 37 41
SUN June 14 68 46
TOTAL 236 232
Phase 2(2020) 2019 2020
TUE Sept 15 21 CLOSED
WED Sept 16 44 CLOSED
THU Sept 17 37 CLOSED
FRI Sept 18 46 84
SAT Sept 19 67 80
SUN Sept 20 78 107
TOTAL 293 271
33
KASE Wind Roses
_ ._
www ES
WNW
.__ .. . .. P#110„ ,
Id4 ,____.
, _....,
, ._... . ____
.,
, .. _.
ca.
1, , i W . , E
w E
1 _lor!
, __. 0 -___ i 1
•
WSW I FV"
WSW ESE _
SW SE PSE
SSW `--- _ _ SSE We SSW
SSWwKi w t1t e
l rhi
S (yti, ns S r
03-0.9 0109
1.al.r I.1•
235 Collel9td lloS Valid 183.401 4.W.r J6 CgYapd!#Vold 1111.941 109\9
Conectmo S1M0.10,91n.lo.
WP-W$tad Dtpandrt Pra.1t«9 7.049 CalA1u 91ou11ct loclade: n•9a
W wU, S atl l)gaadt Proton
100129
106129
11D 159
111S9
1nt/9
WO.
190•
34
Attachment B
AIR QUALITY MONITORING SUMMARY
PITKIN COUNTY AIRPORT
June and September, 2020
Prepared for:
Pitkin County Community Development Department
Prepared by:
Andrea Holland (Retired US Forest Service Air Resource Manager)
I. INTRODUCTION &BACKGROUND
This report summarizes relevant data collected this summer by low-cost sensors
deployed by APIS, Inc. to help characterize air quality impacts of the Pitkin County
Airport during a low use and normal use periods in June and September, 2020.
Because APIS provided Pitkin County only the raw data collected by their monitors,
the purpose of this report is to provide a brief overview and summary of the data
collected in this study as compared to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards
(NAAQS).
The APIS monitoring effort supplemented measurements of specific Volatile Organic
Compounds (VOCs) by Air Resource Specialists, Inc (ARS). The Air Monitoring Data
Report prepared by ARS provides more information related to the overall objectives
relevant to both air quality monitoring studies.
APIS sensors were deployed between June and September, 2020 on the roof of the
Aspen Fire Protection District Station 62 located at 43 Sage Way Road,Aspen, CO.
The following table identifies the sensors used in this study and the regulated air
quality parameters that were monitored.
Sensor Type Air Quality Measurements Obtained
APIS monitoring station • NO2 (nitrogen dioxide)
(real-time measurements) • 03 (ozone)
• PM2.5 (particulate matter less than 2.5
Purple Air microns)
(real-time measurements) • PM10 (particulate matter less than 10
microns)
Total VOCs, nitrogen oxide (NO), and nitrogen oxides (NOx) were also monitored
with the APIS sensor. These pollutants are not regulated as criteria pollutants.
35
Additionally APIS also provided meteorological data including winds speed,wind
direction, relative humidity, air temperature, dewpoint temperature and barometric
pressure.
National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)
Under the Clean Air Act,the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is required to
set National Ambient Air Quality Standards for pollutants considered harmful to
public health and the environment. These standards are periodically reviewed and
may be revised as new information warrants.
The following table identifies NAAQS for the pollutants monitored with APIS
sensors. Units of measure for the standards are parts per million (ppm) by volume,
parts per billion (ppb) by volume, and micrograms per cubic meter of air (µg/m3).
National Ambient Air Quality Standards
Pollutant Averaging Level Form
Time
98th percentile of 1-hr daily
NO2 1 hour 100 ppb maximum concentrations,averaged
over 3 yrs
1 year 53 ppb Annual Mean
03 8 hours 0.070 ppm Annual 4th highest daily maximum 8-
hr concentration,average over 3 yrs
1 year 12.0 1.tg/m3 annual mean,averaged over 3 yrs
PM2.5
24 hours 35 µg/m3 98th percentile,averaged over 3 yrs
Not to be exceeded more than
PM10 24 hours 150 µg/m3
once/yr on average of 3 yrs
Reference Monitors vs Sensors
Reference monitors are used in regulatory monitoring of criteria air pollutants.
These monitors are located at a fixed site, are expensive to operate, and require
highly trained specialists. They provide known and consistent quality data under a
variety of ambient conditions.
Low cost sensors, such as those deployed in this study by APIS, are relatively
inexpensive, portable and require little to no training to operate. The accuracy of
data may vary from sensor to sensor. This is one reason why sensors are not
currently suitable for regulatory monitoring. However, they do provide information
about local air quality that help determine areas where air quality may be a concern
and require more robust and accurate monitoring.
Several sensors, including the models of those used in this study,were co-located
with reference monitors in a comparison study conducted by California South Coast
Air Quality Management District. See http://www.agmd.gov/aq-spec/sensors.
2
36
Correlations with reference monitors indicate that the sensors used in the airport
air quality study tend to overestimate pollutant concentrations.
II. SUMMARY OF DATA AND DISCUSSION
This section summarizes data collected for NO2, PM2.5 and PM10. No exceedance of
the NAAQS was detected for any of these pollutants. Graphs of the data are provided
on pages 4-6. Due to a malfunction of the particulate matter sensor in September
only seven days of data are available covering September 22-28.
Ozone data is not summarized here for several reasons. One is that the sensor data
seemed to overestimate ozone concentrations when that data were compared to
data from a nearby reference monitor. Unlike other criteria pollutants, ozone is not
emitted directly into the air by any one source. Instead it is formed through
photochemical reactions with NOx and VOCs.Wind can affect these emissions and
result in ozone forming far from original emission sources. Ozone is already
monitored by a reference monitor located within 3 miles of the airport and fire
station.
Originally the design of this study assumed reduced airport activity in June due to
the impacts of Covid-19 to travel and greater activity from reduced travel
restrictions in September. Complicating the results of the airport air quality study
was wildfire smoke from fires in Utah and California in early and mid-September. In
addition, the airport was closed September 14-17.
3
37
NO2 Data Summary
NAAQS for hourly NO2: 100 ppb
Hourly NO2 (ppb) - June 2020
North 40 Fire Station
70.0
60.0
50.0
40.0
30.0 \LiktAis
20.0
10.0 ,V
1\
0.0
1 11L ., r .1 ,n �f► ' 11.AVt\k_
Jl
,,,,,co,, ,,, _,,,,,,,oti� �PcP�cQoti�v� ti���cQoticQ^N ti¢cQ��
4' �° �� 10 1' 1� �� ti� 1 1y 1b ." 1 �� 1°' 1°' do tit titi ti� ti ti ti by 1 ti� 1" ib
H 'o 'o\ � b� b� b� b� �� b� b� b� b� b\ � b� b� h� b1 � b� b� b� � � b� b� b�
Hourly NO2 (ppb) - Sept 2020
North 40 Fire Station
50.0 •
45.0
40.0
35.0 - I
t I
30.0 ;
25.0 + A 20.0 f P
4\ii"
15.0
10_o 111
'11/1114
5.0 rny� t I tT\ht(1!
l 1 it
0.0
�•C 0.�,��.r'1*�,��'1��,.ti�O,�1��'1�,��'4�C4',1�0.��,��'i�1��'1��,.��0.�,��'L��,�����
4
38
PM2.5 Data Summary
NAAQS for Avg Daily PM2.5: 35 µg/m3
Average Daily PM2.5 (ug/m3) - June
North 40 Fire Station
14 -
12
10 -
8
6 -
4
2
0 r T
4‘ e az) e 4.;) CtP:
Average Daily PM2.5 (ug/m3) - Sept 2020
North 40 Fire Station
30.0
25.0
20.0
15.0
10.0
5.0
0.0
9/22 9/23
5
39
PM10 Data Summary
NAAQS for Avg Daily PM10: 150 µg/m3
Average Daily PM10 (ug/m3) - June
North 40 Fire Station
16
14
12
10
g
6
4
2
0
Average Daily PM10 (ug/m3) - Sept 2020
North 40 Fire Station
35.0
30.0 -
25.0 —
20.0 -
15.0
10.0
S.0
0.0
9/22 _
6
40
North 40 Fire Station Benzene - Comparisons to Health Guideline Values
Hourly Benzene Concentration Estimates for 9/19/20 - (Acute HGV = 9 ppb)
200.00 0 SO
180.00 I
- 0.70
160.00
- 0.60
140-00
a
a
120.00 0.50 a
100.00 0.40
0
TVOC 1-Hour
v 80.00
0.30 c
a Bz Estimate(ppb)
m
60.00
- 0.20
40.00
-
20.00 0.10
0.00 0.00 I
\maticQ \`�\�oo� \�^\�oo� \��\�oocQ \��\�oocQ ocQ�o\�o \��\�oocQ
e
Date
ir - Health Guideline Values (HGV)
Benzene Concentration Average Interval
Acute HGV (9 ppb) 0.75 ppb (Max 1 -Hr Average Estimate) 9/9/2020 dil
Chronic HGV (3 ppb) 0.23 ppb (12 Day Average) »•:•.. ' C O L O R A D O
I. 4111P Air Pollution Control Dizersion
Department of Public Health b Environment
Future Agendas
‘pt1'K I N Board of Commissioners
COUNT1 Work Session Agenda
TUESDAY,JANUARY 26,2021, 11:00 AM
Q/D. G BOCC Meeting Room, 1st Floor
530 E Main St,Aspen,CO 81611
A work-session agenda is structured to give the Board of Commissioners an opportunity to touch base with each other,staff,and
invited community members and organizations to discuss and work through issues the County is facing,but not ready to take official
action on at a regular board meeting. Work sessions are open to the public(with exception of executive session). However,public
input is typically not taken during a work session unless specifically asked for by the Board.
11:00 AM Upcoming Regular Meeting Items
11:00 AM Airport Update/Discussion on Formation of Airport Advisory Board-Rich Englehart(1
hour)
12:00 PM Lunch Break
1:00 PM Upcoming Regular Meeting Items(continued)
This portion of the agenda is intended to: 1)Provide the Board and Staff an opportunity to discuss items
that will come before the Board and public for formal adoption at a future Regular Meeting/Public
Hearing, 2) To review the calendar of business for future Board Work Sessions and Regular Meetings
1:00 PM Climate Data and Economic Analysis for Growth Management- Cindy Houben,Ellen
Sassano,Zach Hendrix(30 minutes)
1:30 PM Short-term Rental Discussion-John Ely,Michaela Higgins (45 minutes)
2:15 PM Prep for Joint Meeting with City of Aspen on February 2, 2021 (30 minutes)
2:45 PM Review of Future Agenda Calendars-Work Session/Regular Meeting(15 Minutes)
3:00 PM Break
3:15 PM Discussion Items/Open Discussion
No formal written materials
3:15 PM Board Open Discussion(15 Minutes)
3:30 PM Staff/Community Presentations
This is time set aside for staff and community partners to formally present community or organizational
issues that may lead to future Board action.
3:30 PM COVID-19 Update-Jon Peacock(1 hour)
4:30 PM Adjourn
JANUARY 28-29,,2021A 9:00 AM
CCI Steering Committee Meetings
AGENDA and TIMES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
43
41)friCKIN Board of Commissioners
COUNT1 Regular Meeting Agenda
WEDNESDAY,JANUARY 27,2021, 12:00 PM
@ D• BOCC Meeting Room, 1st Floor
530 E Main St,Aspen,CO 81611
Additions/Deletions to Agenda
Public Comments(please limit to 3 minutes per speaker unless otherwise advised by the Chair)
A. Call in numbers for public comment:
929-205-6099 or 253-215-8782
Webinar ID:815 8316 3305
Passcode:510985
If you are calling to make a comment on a specific item listed on the agenda,you can watch the meeting on the Pitkin County
website(pitkincounty.com)and make public comment as the item is presented and acknowledged by the Chair.
Commissioner Comments
Consent Items: Consent items are generally perceived as non-controversial and allow the Board to spend its time on more
complex items elsewhere on the agenda.A Board member or member of the public may ask for a Consent item be removed for
individual consideration.Consent items typically have been discussed in work sessions with the Board and are approved by a single
motion.
Consent Items-Single Reading:
1. Minutes of
Individual Consideration Items:
Individual Consideration Items/First Readings set for Public Hearings on February 10, 2021:
2. Ordinance Approving Lease Agreements for the Phillips Mobile Home Park-Jeanette Jones
3. An Ordinance Amending Resolution No. 055-2008 Adopting the State of Colorado's Liquor License Fee
Schedule and Waiving Certain Liquor License Fees through December 7,2021 -Jeanette Jones
Individual Consideration Items/Public Hearing, One Reading:
4. An Application for a Medical Clinic Marijuana License Requested by Southwest Alternative Care Located at
24505 Highway 82,Basalt Colorado -Jeanette Jones (continued from January 13,2021)
5. A Resolution to Recommend Emma Store Building Future Use -Jessie Young
Individual Consideration Items/Public Hearing, 2nd Readings:
6. Resolution Establishing the Formula for Distribution of the Municipal Share of County Sales Tax Revenue
for the Year 2021 as Required by Resolution 78-121 -Ann Driggers
7. Resolution to Accept the Great Outdoors Colorado Resilient Community Grant-Gary Tennenbaum
8. Ordinance Approving a Lease Agreement with Response for Space at the Michael W. Schultz Health and
Human Services Building-Jodi Smith
9. Ordinance Approving a Lease Agreement with the Aspen Homeless Shelter for Space at the Michael W.
Schultz Health and Human Services Building-Jodi Smith
10. Ordinance Approving a Lease Agreement with Community Health Services for Space at the Michael W.
Schultz Health and Human Services Building-Jodi Smith
11. Ordinance Approving a Lease Agreement with Mind Springs Health for Space at the Michael W. Schultz
Health and Human Services Building-Jodi Smith
12. Ordinance Approving a Lease Agreement with Recovery Resources for Space at the Michael W. Schultz
Health and Human Services Building and the Pitkin County Courthouse-Jodi Smith
13. Ordinance Approving a Lease Agreement with Alpine Legal Services-Jodi Smith
14. Ordinance Approving a Lease Modification with Subway Real Estate, LLC-Jodi Smith
Individual Consideration Items/Emergency Ordinance and Resolution Confirmatory Reading:
AGENDA and TIMES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
44
15. A Resolution Ratifying the Pitkin County Manager's Action on A Declaration Implementing a Local
Emergency Disaster Due to the Black Hills Energy Gas Outage-Jon Peacock
Land Use Items:
Land Use Public Hearings:
16. Resolution Approving JCH LLC Subdivision Detailed Submission and Final Plat,Activity Envelope& Site
Plan-First Reading, Tami Kochen
17. Resolution Approving MM Rosemary Circle LLC Activity Envelope Review-cont PH from 6/24&9/9/20
& 10/28/20(TK)P096-19 pn 4/9/20
18. Redstone 2016 LLC 2020 Annual Review, S. Wolff
Land Use Actions:
Open Discussion
Adjourn Regular Meeting
AGENDA and TIMES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
45
trKIN Board of Commissioners
COUNT1 Work Session Agenda
TUESDAY,FEBRUARY 2,2021, 10:00 AM
Q/D. G BOCC Meeting Room, 1st Floor
530 E Main St,Aspen,CO 81611
A work-session agenda is structured to give the Board of Commissioners an opportunity to touch base with each other,staff,and
invited community members and organizations to discuss and work through issues the County is facing,but not ready to take official
action on at a regular board meeting. Work sessions are open to the public(with exception of executive session). However,public
input is typically not taken during a work session unless specifically asked for by the Board.
9:45 AM Convene Work Session
A. Vote to Adjourn for Special Meeting-Executive Session
Join public meeting via Zoom:
Phone: 312-626-6799
Passcode: 015105
Webinar ID: 875 6178 5626
9:55 AM Adjourn Work Session to Reconvene at 1:00 PM
10:00 AM SPECIAL MEETING-EXECUTIVE SESSION
10;00 AM HOLD for Joint Executive Session with the Healthy Rivers and Streams Board
11:55 AM Adjourn Executive Session
12:00 PM Lunch Break
1:00 PM Staff/Community Presentations
This is time set aside for staff and community partners to formally present community or organizational
issues that may lead to future Board action.
1:00 PM COVID-19 Update-Jon Peacock(1 hour)
2:00 PM Upcoming Regular Meeting Items
This portion of the agenda is intended to: 1)Provide the Board and Staff an opportunity to discuss items
that will come before the Board and public for formal adoption at a future Regular Meeting/Public
Hearing, 2) To review the calendar of business for future Board Work Sessions and Regular Meetings
2:45 PM Review of Future Agenda Calendars-Work Session/Regular Meeting(15 Minutes)
3:00 PM Discussion Items/Open Discussion
No formal written materials
3:00 PM Board Open Discussion(15 Minutes)
Facilities Update-Jodi Smith
AGENDA and TIMES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
46
3:30 PM Adjourn for Joint Meeting with City of Aspen
4:00 PM JOINT MEETING WITH CITY OF ASPEN-Pitkin County Hosting
AGENDA and TIMES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
47
‘pt1'K I N Board of Commissioners
COUNT1 Work Session Agenda
TUESDAY,FEBRUARY 9,2021, 10:00 AM
Q/D• G BOCC Meeting Room, 1st Floor
530 E Main St,Aspen,CO 81611
A work-session agenda is structured to give the Board of Commissioners an opportunity to touch base with each other,staff,and
invited community members and organizations to discuss and work through issues the County is facing,but not ready to take official
action on at a regular board meeting. Work sessions are open to the public(with exception of executive session). However,public
input is typically not taken during a work session unless specifically asked for by the Board.
1:00 PM Staff/Community Presentations
This is time set aside for staff and community partners to formally present community or organizational
issues that may lead to future Board action.
1:00 PM Application and Scoring for Healthy Community Fund-Lindsay Maisch(45 minutes)
1:45 PM COVID-19 Update-Jon Peacock(1 hour)
2:45 PM Upcoming Regular Meeting Items
This portion of the agenda is intended to: 1)Provide the Board and Staff an opportunity to discuss items
that will come before the Board and public for formal adoption at a future Regular Meeting/Public
Hearing, 2) To review the calendar of business for future Board Work Sessions and Regular Meetings
2:45 PM Review of Future Agenda Calendars-Work Session/Regular Meeting(15 Minutes)
3:00 PM Break
3:15 PM Discussion Items/Open Discussion
No formal written materials
Board Open Discussion(15 Minutes)
4:00 PM Department Updates
Department Updates provide an opportunity for staff to share accomplishments, trends, issues and
challenges with the Board. Board Membership Reports is time set aside for Board members to report on
the activities of other boards, commissions and entities they have been appointed to as representative of
Pitkin County.
4:45 PM Adjourn
AGENDA and TIMES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
48
41)friCKIN Board of Commissioners
COUNT1 Regular Meeting Agenda
WEDNESDAY,FEBRUARY 10,2021, 12:00 PM
@ D• BOCC Meeting Room, 1st Floor
530 E Main St,Aspen,CO 81611
Additions/Deletions to Agenda
Public Comments(please limit to 3 minutes per speaker unless otherwise advised by the Chair)
A. Call in numbers for public comment:
929-205-6099 or 253-215-8782
Webinar ID:815 8316 3305
Passcode:510985
If you are calling to make a comment on a specific item listed on the agenda,you can watch the meeting on the Pitkin County
website(pitkincounty.com)and make public comment as the item is presented and acknowledged by the Chair.
Commissioner Comments
Consent Items: Consent items are generally perceived as non-controversial and allow the Board to spend its time on more
complex items elsewhere on the agenda.A Board member or member of the public may ask for a Consent item be removed for
individual consideration.Consent items typically have been discussed in work sessions with the Board and are approved by a single
motion.
Consent Items-Single Reading:
1. Minutes of
Consent Items Set for Public Hearing on DATE:
Individual Consideration Items:
Individual Consideration Items/First Readings set for Public Hearings on February 24, 2021:
Individual Consideration Items/Public Hearing, One Reading:
Individual Consideration Items/Public Hearing, 2nd Readings:
2. Ordinance Repealing and Reenacting the Pitkin County Procurement Code-Chris Davis
3. Ordinance Approving Lease Agreements for the Phillips Mobile Home Park-Jeanette Jones
4. An Ordinance Amending Resolution No. 055-2008 Adopting the State of Colorado's Liquor License Fee
Schedule and Waiving Certain Liquor License Fees through December 7, 2021 -Jeanette Jones
Individual Consideration Items/Emergency Ordinance and Resolution Confirmatory Reading:
Land Use Items:
Land Use Public Hearings:
5. WSC Land LLC GMQS Exemption for Commercial Development with Insubstantial Growth Impacts, Site
Plan Review, Suzanne Wolff (Continued from 1/13/21)
6. Resolution Approving JCH LLC Subdivision Detailed Submission and Final Plat,Activity Envelope& Site
Plan, Second Reading,Tami Kochen
7. Resolution Approving Bear at Door LLC Amendment to Development Permit,Leslie Lamont
Land Use Actions:
Open Discussion
Adjourn Regular Meeting
AGENDA and TIMES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
49
p'fKIN Board of Commissioners
COUNT1 Work Session Agenda
TUESDAY,FEBRUARY 16,2021, 10:00 AM
Q/D. G BOCC Meeting Room, 1st Floor
530 E Main St,Aspen,CO 81611
A work-session agenda is structured to give the Board of Commissioners an opportunity to touch base with each other,staff,and
invited community members and organizations to discuss and work through issues the County is facing,but not ready to take official
action on at a regular board meeting. Work sessions are open to the public(with exception of executive session). However,public
input is typically not taken during a work session unless specifically asked for by the Board.
10:00 AM BOARD RETREAT on Feb. 16 & 17,2021 - Time and Location TBD
FEBRUARY 18- 19,2021 A 9:00 AM
CCI Steering Committee Meeting
AGENDA and TIMES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
50
trKIN Board of Commissioners
COU N T1( Work Session Agenda
TUESDAY,FEBRUARY 23,2021, 10:00 AM
Q/D.C\ BOCC Meeting Room, 1st Floor
530 E Main St,Aspen,CO 81611
(Commissioner Clapper not attending)
A work-session agenda is structured to give the Board of Commissioners an opportunity to touch base with each other,staff,and
invited community members and organizations to discuss and work through issues the County is facing,but not ready to take official
action on at a regular board meeting. Work sessions are open to the public(with exception of executive session). However,public
input is typically not taken during a work session unless specifically asked for by the Board.
1:00 PM SPECIAL MEETING-Board of Social Services (BOSS)
A. Board of Social Services(BOSS)4th Quarter 2020 Update,Nan Sundeen(90 minutes)
2:25 PM ADJOURN SPECIAL MEETING
2:30 PM Staff/Community Presentations
This is time set aside for staff and community partners to formally present community or organizational
issues that may lead to future Board action.
2:30 PM COVID-19 Update-Jon Peacock(1 hour)
3:30 PM Upcoming Regular Meeting Items
This portion of the agenda is intended to: 1)Provide the Board and Staff an opportunity to discuss items
that will come before the Board and public for formal adoption at a future Regular Meeting/Public
Hearing, 2) To review the calendar of business for future Board Work Sessions and Regular Meetings
3:30 PM Review of Future Agenda Calendars-Work Session/Regular Meeting(15 Minutes)
4:00 PM Break
4:15 PM Discussion Items/Open Discussion
No formal written materials
4:15 PM Board Open Discussion(15 Minutes)
4:45 PM Adjourn
AGENDA and TIMES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
51
41)1friCK IN Board of Commissioners
COUNT1 Regular Meeting Agenda
WEDNESDAY,FEBRUARY 24,2021, 12:00 PM
@ D• BOCC Meeting Room, 1st Floor
530 E Main St,Aspen,CO 81611
(Commissioner Clapper not attending)
Additions/Deletions to Agenda
Public Comments(please limit to 3 minutes per speaker unless otherwise advised by the Chair)
Call in numbers for public comment:
929-205-6099 or 253-215-8782
Webinar ID:815 8316 3305
Passcode:510985
If you are calling to make a comment on a specific item listed on the agenda,you can watch the meeting on the Pitkin County website
(pitkincounty.com)and make public comment as the item is presented and acknowledged by the Chair.
Commissioner Comments
Consent Items: Consent items are generally perceived as non-controversial and allow the Board to spend its time on more
complex items elsewhere on the agenda.A Board member or member of the public may ask for a Consent item be removed for
individual consideration.Consent items typically have been discussed in work sessions with the Board and are approved by a single
motion.
Consent Items-Single Reading:
1. Minutes of
Individual Consideration Items:
Individual Consideration Items/First Readings set for Public Hearings on March 10, 2021:
Individual Consideration Items/Public Hearing, One Reading:
Individual Consideration Items/Public Hearing, 2nd Readings:
Individual Consideration Items/Emergency Ordinance and Resolution Confirmatory Reading:
Land Use Items:
Land Use Public Hearings:
2. Resolution-Chaparral Aspen Homesteads 1-11 Parcels 1-10 Extension of Vested Rights and Minor
Amendment to a Development Permit, Suzanne Wolff
Land Use Actions:
Open Discussion
Adjourn Regular Meeting
AGENDA and TIMES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
52