Air Quality Modelling Update for 2009

by Barry
(Calgary)

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

AESRD (previously AENV) came up with their new Air Quality Model Guideline, the AQMG, in the spring. It took effect July 1, 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 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.

I have also been informally notified that revisions to the air quality standards, the Alberta Ambient Air Quality Objectives (AAAQO) are pending and will become more stringent over the course of the next two years or so. This did take place in 2011: some of the SO2 and NO2 guidelines were reduced by as much as 33%. So we’ll keep that in mind as we proceed with all of the ongoing/forthcoming projects and might find that it should be preferable to get our approvals for the plants with greater emissions sooner rather than later.



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