BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Amid a summer of smoke in the Lehigh Valley, officials on Wednesday announced a new project aimed at measuring air quality from warehouses and traffic across the region.
- Officials from Lehigh and Northampton counties are hosting a news conference Wednesday to announce a new initiative to measure air quality
- The news conference is slated for 11 a.m. Aug. 1 at 100 W. Lehigh St. in Bethlehem
- The emphasis is on air quality from transportation, rather than smoke from Canadian wildfires
“The Lehigh Valley Breathes project findings will help determine how air pollutant concentrations from warehouses and truck traffic contribute to our poor air quality,” said Northampton County Executive Lamont G. McClure in a news release. “The great people of the Lehigh Valley deserve local government that cares about and protects their quality of life.”
McClure, along with other officials, are slated to gather at 11 a.m. Aug. 2 at 100 W. Lehigh St. for a news conference focused on the new project, “Lehigh Valley Breathes.” While leaders said the initiative aims to obtain and communicate localized information about particulate air pollution in the Valley, the emphasis isn’t on the smoke blowing into the region, but about emissions from truck traffic and warehouses.
“I think it’s very important that we can gather accurate data to know where and what the problems are."Lehigh County Executive Phillips Armstrong
“I think it’s very important that we can gather accurate data to know where and what the problems are,” Lehigh County Executive Phillips Armstrong said.
Speakers include Andrea Wittchen of iSpring, a sustainability consulting agency, and Lehigh University’s Breena Holland, associate professor of political science.
But what about the smoke?
Transportation and mobile sources are the second largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, making up about 27% of the Valley’s total emissions, according to a March study from the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission. About 35% of the Valley’s total emissions are attributed to industrial electricity and natural gas.
But, transportation pollution is only part of the problem when it comes to poor air quality — this summer, the Valley has been inundated with smoky days from Canadian wildfire smoke. The smoke, coupled with already existing pollutants from warehouses and truck traffic, can push air quality from bad to worse.
With peak Canadian wildfire season still weeks out, there is still little to no guidance from local officials about how residents and organizations should function on bad air quality days — and there’s no continuity or clear thresholds being imposed.
How will it work?
Improving air quality across the region by collecting information is the primary purpose of “Lehigh Valley Breathes,” according to a news release.
“The project is designed to enable and engage citizens to learn about air quality and participate in decisions that affect air quality,” officials said.
While not included in the release, Lehigh County does have a page dedicated to the project live on the county’s website. There, it lays out the project: 40 PurpleAir monitors will be placed across the Valley to measure particulate pollution over a year.
The monitors can measure concentrations of PM 2.5, which describes the size of the particles — 2.5 micrometers or less.
“These small and inexpensive air monitors can be easily positioned in different locations, providing a highly-localized understanding of air quality that the state’s two centralized air monitors cannot,” according to the website. “By increasing the locations where PM 2.5 pollution is measured, the data will provide a more accurate understanding of how PM 2.5 is impacting the health of citizens in different parts of the Valley.
“And because the data provided by the PurpleAir monitors are available 24/7 on an easily accessible and dedicated website, Lehigh Valley residents can check on the air quality in their own neighborhoods.”
There are already two air monitoring sites in the Valley, one in Freemansburg and another in East Allentown. Those are used by the state Department of Environmental Protection for compliance with the federal Clean Air Act.
The new air monitors have already been purchased, according to the website, and officials now need residents to host them.
“If you are interested in participating and in a location where we need an air monitor, we will ask that you allow us to install a PurpleAir monitor at your location,” according to the website. “ … The data collected from the air monitor at your location will be made publicly available in real time on the Shiny App.”
There is no cost to residents who want to participate, but each monitor – about the size of a softball – requires electricity and Wi-Fi connectivity.
“The quality of the air we breathe is important to all of us. As the saying goes, ‘If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it,’” according to a note on the website. “This is a first step to improving the air for all of us.
“We invite you to join us on our journey to improve how Lehigh Valley Breathes.”
