St Bernard Parish Air Quality
UNLESS ................................................
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
Nothing is going to get better. It's not.”
Nothing is going to get better. It's not.”
― Dr. Seuss, The Lorax
Sulfur Dioxide Status
The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality recommended EPA designate St Bernard Parish air quality non-attainment for sulfur dioxide (SO2). EPA is expected to make its official designation on June 3, 2013. LDEQ must submit a State Implementation Plan (SIP) by mid-2014; the SIP must demonstrate the area will reach attainment by 2017. Ambient air monitors display hourly averages for sulfur dioxide. It is a health violation when the one-hour average is 75 parts per billion (ppb) SO2 or higher. An area is considered non-attainment when the 3 year average of the 99th percentile of hourly average readings is 75 ppb or higher. According to EPA's AirData website, St. Bernard's current SO2 3 year average of the 99th percentiles is 255 ppb (two hundred fifty-five) and it needs to be 75 ppb or lower. Clearly there is alot a work ahead to bring sulfur dioxide pollution levels down.
BUT that is not the whole picture. Complete perimeter monitoring and more stringent pollution controls are paramount to the goal of reducing sulfur dioxide emissions. The readings in the EPA data bank are samples or readings when the wind is just right to make a direct hit or "air strike" on the monitor. There is a real need for perimeter or fenceline monitoring. We should demand more air monitors, perhaps placing additional monitors back on Mehle Avenue and back in Algiers on the west bank. Maybe adding monitors on the east side of ExxonMobil's refinery, perhaps around Lloyds Ave, sort of in-line with the Chalmette Vista monitor that is on E Chalmette Circle, and another one on the east side of Valero Energy's refinery, but not as far east as the Meraux monitor at Joe Davies School.
As an example:
From the Chalmette High School monitor data 2007 - 2011, the maximum hourly readings for each year were 95, 116, 54, 80, and 85 ppb SO2. Although the SO2 standard back then was a 24-hour average of 140 ppb and an annual limit of 30 ppb, the 3 year average was 64 ppb, approaching the current one-hour average 75 ppb limit. (The three year average of the last three available annual 99th percentiles is 64 parts per billion).
From the Meraux monitor data 2008 - 2012, the maxmium hourly readings for each year were 161, 36, 29, 58, and 59 ppb SO2. There seems to be an upward trend in sulfur dioxide concentrations in Meraux. In 2009, Murphy Oil installed interm, temporary pollution controls while in settlement talks with Concerned Citizens. The resultant EPA consent decree requires the new owner, Valero Energy, install a Flare Gas Recovery System by 2017, operate an air monitor on Ventura Drive in Chalmette, reduce various pollution emissions, increase on-site monitoring, and provide for public forums. In the meantime, Murphy Oil installed a benzene saturation unit without state-of-the-art pollution controls, adding to both the sulfur concentrations and VOC emissions. There is pending citizen enforcement action on the benzene unit. Valero Energy recently received a "minor" modification permit to revamp and expand the hydrocracker unit to increase production without more stringent pollution controls; this will result in even more sulfur dioxide pollution. In 2013, the EPA will require "Tier 3" Mandate compliance for even lower sulfur content in gasoline products. Both Valero Energy and ExxonMobil refineries will have to modify their plants to comply. If those modifications do not require more stringent pollution controls, the result will be increased sufur dioxide and VOCs.
The Valero Energy Ventura Drive monitor is not part of the EPA databank, and does not provide maxium reading data, although that information is available in the public forums. Valero Energy's Ventura monitor has its own share of sulfur health violations.
So, the problem is all over, and not just in Chalmette Vista.
.
From the Chalmette High School monitor data 2007 - 2011, the maximum hourly readings for each year were 95, 116, 54, 80, and 85 ppb SO2. Although the SO2 standard back then was a 24-hour average of 140 ppb and an annual limit of 30 ppb, the 3 year average was 64 ppb, approaching the current one-hour average 75 ppb limit. (The three year average of the last three available annual 99th percentiles is 64 parts per billion).
From the Meraux monitor data 2008 - 2012, the maxmium hourly readings for each year were 161, 36, 29, 58, and 59 ppb SO2. There seems to be an upward trend in sulfur dioxide concentrations in Meraux. In 2009, Murphy Oil installed interm, temporary pollution controls while in settlement talks with Concerned Citizens. The resultant EPA consent decree requires the new owner, Valero Energy, install a Flare Gas Recovery System by 2017, operate an air monitor on Ventura Drive in Chalmette, reduce various pollution emissions, increase on-site monitoring, and provide for public forums. In the meantime, Murphy Oil installed a benzene saturation unit without state-of-the-art pollution controls, adding to both the sulfur concentrations and VOC emissions. There is pending citizen enforcement action on the benzene unit. Valero Energy recently received a "minor" modification permit to revamp and expand the hydrocracker unit to increase production without more stringent pollution controls; this will result in even more sulfur dioxide pollution. In 2013, the EPA will require "Tier 3" Mandate compliance for even lower sulfur content in gasoline products. Both Valero Energy and ExxonMobil refineries will have to modify their plants to comply. If those modifications do not require more stringent pollution controls, the result will be increased sufur dioxide and VOCs.
The Valero Energy Ventura Drive monitor is not part of the EPA databank, and does not provide maxium reading data, although that information is available in the public forums. Valero Energy's Ventura monitor has its own share of sulfur health violations.
So, the problem is all over, and not just in Chalmette Vista.
.
From the Chalmette Vista site, 2007 - 2012 the air quality in that neighborhood had a total of 298 sulfur health violations, just in 2011 alone. Maximum hourly average readings for each year (2007 - 2012) were 477, 363, 373, 378, 375, and 242 SO2. Residents residing in Chalmette Vista are suffering the health effects and "unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,Nothing is going to get better. It's not."
It is imperative our community take action to reduce sulfur dioxide concentrations. Perimeter monitoring and more stringent pollution controls are paramount to this goal.
Two of the oil refinery plants in St Bernard Parish operate under an EPA consent decree, both results of Citizen Enforcement Action by residents of St Bernard Parish. Any State Plan to reduce sulfur emissions in St Bernard Parish, will be reviewed by EPA. The other plant, the coke plant, operates on a variance for up to 500 hour bypass and recently applied to LDEQ to permanently increase that bypass to 836 hours. SBPG recently requested a public hearing on that permit (for Rain CII Carbon) and that will be an excellent opportunity for the HRQL an other government officials to submit public comments to the LDEQ.
Mehle Avenue, Arabi
2000 through 2005: Total
number of sulfur health violations 102
(Number of sulfur health
violations 15, 19, 7, 12, 34, and 15 for each respective year)
Annual 99th percentiles
sulfur dioxide 108, 141, 89, 93, and 161, and 177 ppb for each respective year.
Maximum hourly average readings 124, 191, 127, 138, 305, and 184 ppb for each respective year. The 3 year average based
on the last annual 99th percentiles would have been 143 ppb, well
over the current 75 ppb standard.
Algiers (Orleans Parish) "Entergy" site
2006 - 2007 : Total
number of sulfur health violations not counted by LDEQ because the Algiers site was part of a special monitoring project.
Maxium hourly average readings 154 ppb
and 306 ppb SO2. There is a clear need for monitoring in these west bank
communities.
Monitoring information
for the Algiers "Entergy" site on the westbank of the Mississippi River is
not included in the EPA databank. It is available in the LDEQ Air Quality 2009
Report (link below). This Algiers air monitor was located on property owned by Entergy Corporation. The "Entergy" site, along with the
Chalmette Vista and Chalmette High School air monitors were made possible
through the hard work and dedication of Mr. Ken Ford, founding president of St
Bernard Citizens for Environmental Quality, his neighbors, and the Louisiana Bucket Brigade. http://www.deq.louisiana.gov/portal/Portals/0/AirQualityAssessment/Analysis/Data/Chalmette-Report--Final,%202009.pdf
The EPA website does not
include data for the Chalmette High School and the Chalmette Vista sites for
2005 and 2006 due to insuffient number of readings because of down time from
Hurricane Katrina. More information on these sites is included in the LDEQ Air
Monitor Report 2009 at the link above.
Chalmette High School
2007 through 2011: Total
number of sulfur health violations 7 The EPA website does not include the 2005 and 2006 data due to insufficient number of readings because of down time in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. More information is included in the LDEQ 2009 Report .
( Number of sulfur
health violations 2, 3, 0, 1, and 1 for each respective year)
Annual 99th percentiles
sulfur dioxide 67, 73, 49, 57, and 85 ppb for each respective year. Maximum hourly average
readings 95, 116, 54, 80, and 85 ppb for each respective year. Maximum hourly average reading in 2006 was 95 ppb, per the LDEQ 2009 Report .
The 3 year average based on the last available annual 99th percentiles would have been 64 parts per billion. This was a sign that we were approaching non-attainment. If a monitor could be added east of ExxonMobil, but not as far as Chalmette High School, there would be a clearer indication of sulfur concentrations in that area.
Chalmette Vista E.
Chalmette Circle
2007 through 2012: Total
number of sulfur health violations 1,321 The EPA website does not include the 2005 and 2006 data due to insufficient number of readings because of down time in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. More information is included in the LDEQ 2009 Report .
( Number of sulfur
health violations 211, 233, 284, 206, 298, and 89 for each respective year)
Annual 99th percentiles
sulfur dioxide 349, 330, 314, 248, 300, and 217 ppb SO2 for each respective
year. Maximum hourly average readings 477, 363, 373, 378, 375, and 242 ppb SO2 for each respective
year. Maximum reading in 2006 was 271, per LDEQ 2009 Report
The current 3 year
average (of the 99th percentile) at Chalmette Vista is 255 ppb. We need to get the sulfur concentrations to
below 75 ppb to be in attainment for sulfur dioxide.
Meraux Mistrot Drive Joe
Davies School
2008 through 2012: Total
number of sulfur health violations 2
(Number of sulfur health
violations 2, 0, 0, 0, and 0 for each respective year)
Annual 99th percentiles
sulfur dioxide 49, 24, 24, 30, and 29 ppb SO2 for each respective year. Maximum
hourly average readings 161, 36, 29, 58, and 59 ppb SO2 for each respective year.
The current 3 year
average (of the 99th percentile) at Meraux is 28 ppb SO2, and trending upward, with increasing maximum hourly averages each year.
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