Air Quality Modelling Update for 2009

by Barry
(Calgary)

Alberta Environment (AENV) has had a few official names over the years. Since 1971, this ministry has gone through a lot of revisions, integrations, and splits. Among their responsibilities are recycling, climate change, wildlife, and parks. Sometimes, the energy industry too.

They work closely with the energy board (Formerly ERCB, now AER for Alberta Energy Regulator) and a lot of industrial air quality work in the province falls under their regulations.

As of July 1, 2009, Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resources Development (AESRD as of in 2012) no longer accepts ISC modelling, and studies using AERMOD and CALPUFF will be the norm.

AESRD came up with their new Air Quality Model Guideline, the AQMG, in the spring. It took effect that July, and with that change, ISC modeling of any type has been decommissioned for regulatory purposes. So CALPUFF is now the model of choice within my current work at Calvin Consulting Group Ltd.

It is a bit more cumbersome (requires increased expertise and computer time to execute), but may provide more favourable results. As a result, all air modelling work will become more time-consuming than ever before.

The Alberta Ambient Air Quality Objectives (AAAQO) are also being revised and will get stricter over the upcoming years. Some SO2 and NO2 guidelines were reduced by more than 30% in 2011. Additional revisions are proposed for roughly 2025, with higher standards (lower concentrations) that will affect industry, air quality, and modeling procedures in various ways.

Therefore, we'll keep that in mind as we proceed with all the ongoing/upcoming projects, and maybe it's better to get our approvals sooner rather than later for the plants with the highest emissions.

Alberta Environment and Parks took over as the ministry title in 2015, then Alberta Environment and Protected Areas (AEPA).

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