Ambient Air Monitoring
Ambient (long-term) air monitoring is used to show that the surrounding community is not adversely impacted from the CDF emissions, and to confirm that the CDF is being operated efficiently to minimize emissions.
Five air sampling stations collect ambient air monitoring data every six days during the dredging period, and every twelve days during the non-dredging period. Four monitors are located around the perimeter of the CDF, and one monitor is located at East Chicago High School.
The long-term air monitoring program is establishing a continual air monitoring database of ambient air quality at and around the site: before, during, and after construction activities; and during and between dredging events. Long-term monitoring is used to show that the surrounding community is not adversely impacted from the CDF emissions, and to confirm that the CDF is being operated efficiently to minimize emissions.
Purpose of Ambient Air Monitoring
The primary goals of ambient air monitoring are to:
- Establish a long-term air quality database
- Monitor and evaluate trends in ambient air quality at the CDF and the nearby East Chicago Local High School
- Assess the impact of weather conditions on air quality measurements
- Obtain data on seasonal variations in air quality in and around the CDF site
- Quantitatively assess the impacts of potential CDF emissions on the surrounding community
- Obtain data on the occurrence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), particulate matter (PM), and metals, in air samples at the CDF site
Status
Ambient air monitoring at Indiana Harbor and Canal has been occuring since 2001. In May 2004, the construction phase of the ambient air monitoring program was implemented. In October 2012, the CDF operation phase of the ambient air monitoring program started and is ongoing.
As of the latest air monitoring data evaluation, there is no indication that activities at the site are causing degradation of the ambient air at the high school. This data is re-evaluated on an annual basis.
