Background:
AB 617 requires the California Air Resources Board (CARB), with input from air districts including Sac Metro Air District, to identify the communities throughout the state with the highest air pollution burden in which to deploy new community air monitoring. Community air monitoring is intended to measure localized community exposure to criteria air pollutants and toxic air contaminants. For the first year of implementation, air districts with identified communities will be required to deploy monitoring systems by July 1, 2019. All data collected from community monitoring is required to be shared with the state and public.
The District already has a robust air monitoring network with multiple sites across the county to assess regional air quality and to demonstrate compliance with federal and state health standards for criteria pollutants. To complement our existing regulatory network, we are exploring additional monitoring approaches and emerging technologies based potentially on a mobile monitoring laboratory and low-cost sensors to provide us with a much greater understanding in determining local concentrations of ambient pollution. Community air monitoring will also be used to produce data to support decision-making and track progress of community emission reduction programs.
