Category Archives: Air monitors

Air Monitoring, Air monitors, Air pollution, Air Quality, Benicia Community Air Monitoring Program (BCAMP), Keeping Watch on Earth News

Benicia Community Air Monitoring – Meeting Moved to March 3

City of Benicia Announcement, February 22, 2022
[Editor: See also: Save these dates for important meetings on Air District charges against Valero for continued air pollution violations – R.S.]

Air Monitoring Meeting Moved to March 3

The Benicia Community Air Monitoring Program meeting mentioned in the 02/14/22 edition of City of Benicia This Week has been moved to Thursday, March 3 at 7 p.m.  Original details below…

Air Monitor Now Operational

Following recent news of Stipulated Order between Bay Area Air Quality Management District and Valero Benicia Refinery, the City Manager shares the following information:

The Benicia Community Air Monitoring Program (BCAMP*) air monitoring station is now operational.

Real-time air quality data can be accessed at this website: http://beniciacommunityairmonitoringprogram.org/.

The website provides real time and historical air quality data for the following pollutants: particulate matter, black carbon, sulfur dioxide, ozone, benzene, toluene, and xylene. A new hydrogen sulfide monitor will soon be added. The website also provides additional information including:

    • A map showing the location of the monitoring station relative to potential sources and current wind speed and direction.
    • A tab for “How to Report a Problem” with important links and phone numbers
    • A “Resource” tab that provides some background about BCAMP and Argos Scientific. Argos is the main contractor for BCAMP that provides the technical support for the instruments and data transfer to the website. This page also has links to relevant community organizations as well as local elected officials and regulators.
Learn more at BCAMP’s Unveiling Webinar:
February 24 Thursday, March 3, 7 p.m.
Register in advance for this webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_IThYBb9JTRuj-ChO79TAxA
*BCAMP is a non-profit established for the benefit of the community to monitor ambient air quality in Benicia. BCAMP’s mission is to sample and measure local air in real time; report and archive raw data on the website; and provide education on health risks as related to air quality.
Air Monitoring, Air monitors, Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), Benicia CA, Benicia Community Air Monitoring Program (BCAMP), Keeping Watch on Earth News

At long last! Getting closer to an Air District monitoring system in Benicia

     Click here for background

ALERT!  Please mark your calendar and plan to attend on Wednesday, June 30.  See  the Air District ANNOUNCEMENT (with Zoom link) below.

First, here are links to important documents about the meeting:


Virtual Meeting on Benicia
Community Air Monitoring Site Selection

Dear Benicia Community and Stakeholders,

You are invited to attend a virtual community meeting to learn about air quality monitoring and help shape the future of community air monitoring in the Benicia area.

In a joint effort with the City of Benicia, the Air District identified candidate locations in Benicia for a new community air monitoring station. At this meeting, Air District staff will share the sites under consideration and information about how the sites were selected. Community members and stakeholders will have the opportunity to inform final site selection.

When:

The workshop will be held using Zoom and will take place on Wednesday, June 30, 2021, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM.

Zoom Link:

https://kearnswest.zoom.us/j/91068701818?pwd=WVR5d3JwVVFRUmpuaUQxWWpOVGFnZz09

Why:

The Air District monitors air quality as part of ongoing efforts to inform and protect public health. One of the ways the Air District does this is by collecting fees to install, operate, and maintain air monitoring stations in communities near refineries. These air monitoring stations will provide additional information about the levels of pollution experienced by these communities.

The Air District invites you to participate in this community meeting to discuss and review the site selection process and provide feedback on a community air monitoring station within the Benicia community.

Air District staff want to ensure a fair and equitable virtual workshop experience and provide opportunities for all interested parties to participate. Workshop materials are available on the Air District’s Workshop web page.

Simultaneous language interpretation can be provided upon request at least 72 hours before the event. Contact Brian Butler at bbutler@baaqmd.gov or 415-603-7721 to request interpretation.

Questions may be sent by e-mail to iperkins@baaqmd.gov.

Para información en español, llame al 415-749-4609
中文聯絡電話 415-749-4609
Nói Tiếng Việt xin gọi 415-749-4609

Working to protect public health, air quality, and the global climate,
Your Air District

Bay Area Air Quality Management District
375 Beale Street, Suite 600, San Francisco, CA 94105, United States
(415) 749-4900 | 1-800-HELP-AIR | Email: feedback@baaqmd.gov

Air monitors, Air pollution, Air Quality, Air quality violations, Benicia Emergency Operations Plan, Emergency Readiness & Response, Flaring, KQED, Public Health, Refinery shutdowns, Valero Benicia Refinery

KQED: Coverage of Valero Benicia Refinery emergency releases

Repost from KQED California Report

Problems at Valero’s Benicia Refinery Increase, Prompt Health Advisory

By Ted Goldberg, Mar 24, 2019, updated at 10:05am
Problems began at the refinery on March 11 when a malfunction involving one of the refinery’s units led to the release of petroleum coke dust. (Sasha Khokha/KQED)

Benicia city officials are urging residents with respiratory issues to stay inside because a two week old problem at the Valero refinery has intensified.

“Go inside your home, workplace, or the nearest building that appears to be reasonably airtight and stay there,” reads an advisory sent out by the city of Benicia Sunday morning.

The problem began on March 11 when a malfunction involving one of the refinery’s units led to the release of petroleum coke dust.

A Valero representative said then that refinery’s flue gas scrubber was “experiencing operational issues.”

The releases prompted local air regulators to issue seven notices of violation against the refinery. 

Those problems eased after a few days but continued intermittently, air district officials said.

On Saturday several Benicia residents posted comments on the social media site, Nextdoor, expressing concerns about what appeared to be more black smoke coming from Valero’s stacks.

On Sunday that intensified.

“(The) City of Benicia has issued (an) advisory notice for all residents with respiratory issues due to particulate matter from an ongoing incident at the Valero Benicia Refinery,” the city’s statement reads.

City officials are telling local residents with weakened respiratory systems to close all doors, windows and fireplace dampers, urging them to put tape or damp towels around doors and windows to seal them.

The advisory also recommends that healthy people limit their outdoor activity.

“The concentration of particulate matter has become significantly higher over the past day. The emissions contain coke, a by-product of the refining process that is made up primarily of carbon particles,” the city’s statement says.

Benicia officials said testing of the coke dust released so far did not show heavy metals at harmful levels but warned that breathing in air from the releases could worsen underlying respiratory conditions like asthma.

In a statement, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District said inspectors are at the refinery investigating the cause of this heavy smoke. The Air District also deployed a monitoring van to drive throughout Benicia to “gather ground level emissions data.”

Air Monitoring, Air monitors, Air pollution, Air Quality, Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), Bay Area Refineries, Particulate matter, PurpleAir, Transportation emissions

MUST SEE: All about particulate matter air pollution in the Bay Area

From James Leach of Lafayette, CA, on YouTube
[Editor: This is a really important, really helpful, informative and challenging video. I thought I knew all about air pollution, but I learned a lot here.  It’s 38 minutes, so get comfortable or bookmark and come back when you have a little time.  – R.S.]

Clearing the air

By James Leach, published on Aug 19, 2018
Solving the particulate matter air pollution problem in Lafayette, California and the San Francisco Bay Area Region.