Air Quality Monitoring Station

​Project updates – February, 2021

Listening to your feedback

After gathering public input from our virtual open house and discussions with our CLC, EPCOR assessed how this feedback could be incorporated into the design of the project. Most of what we heard from the community related to the AAQMS building, which is shown on the conceptual rendering below and is approximately 3 m x 5 m x 2 m in size. The majority of participants thought EPCOR could incorporate educational information into the façade of the building.

After also discussing the project with several Indigenous communities, EPCOR thought the AAQMS provided an opportunity to share part of the history and culture of the Indigenous Peoples who used these lands and adjacent waters long before Edmonton became incorporated as a city. Our history is interwoven with the development of Edmonton, the histories, and legacies of interaction between settlers and Indigenous peoples, and the siting of our facilities within Edmonton. The banks of the North Saskatchewan River, where our two water treatment plants and our wastewater treatment plant are located, have been gathering places since time immemorial.

We respect the histories, languages, and cultures of First Nations, Metis, Inuit, and all Indigenous peoples across North America, whose presence continues to enrich our vibrant community. We also recognize that we need to work collaboratively and in the spirit of reconciliation with Indigenous governments and peoples as long as we continue to operate in areas that hold these significant ties.

In support of recognizing these important Indigenous ties to this area, EPCOR will be issuing a request for proposals to adorn the site with Indigenous art and landscaping that will enhance the site and inform those who use the area.

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Schedule

EPCOR will begin constructing the AAQMS in early summer 2021. The AAQMS must be installed and operating by December 31, 2021 to be compliant with EPCOR's Approval to Operate under the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act. Incorporating Indigenous art and landscaping will likely occur after the in-service date, but will also depend on the proposal process. EPCOR will continue to provide updates to the community throughout construction.

​Overview

In alignment with EPCOR's long-term plans and commitment to continued investment in odour mitigation and reduction, we plan to install an ambient air quality monitoring station near the Gold Bar Wastewater Treatment Plant. During previous public engagement activities, community members told us that they supported additional air monitoring, and that the air monitor should be located in between the edge of the plant and nearest residences. Our operating approval from Alberta Environment and Parks also requires that an Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station is installed between the Gold Bar Wastewater Treatment Plant fenceline and the Gold Bar community.  

The proposed Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station will allow us to:

• Continuously monitor emissions from site.
• Use the data measured to make future changes at site to further reduce odours.

We are at the conceptual design stage for this project, which means we'd like feedback about the specific site selected (as shown below) and the different features the community would like incorporated into the design of the Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station. Amenities such as seating, educational information / signage, bike rack, etc. could be built into this station to suit community interests. 

Conceptual renderings of Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station

These renderings are conceptual in nature and could change as the project continues to evolve throughout design, further engagement and engineering. Two different designs options are shown for the community to provide input and feedback.

A bird eye's view of the conceptual Air Quality Monitoring Station, showing approximate size and location.

Site plan

We provided information and gathered feedback from the Community about the Odour Monitoring Station in 2019 through workshops, newsletters and our open house.  We've also shared different options for the location of the AAQMS and gathered additional input from the Community Liaison Committee (CLC) in 2019 and 2020. Find out more about these initiatives.

Air quality monitoring stations in the Edmonton area

Project design

The Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station is composed of two main structures. The ambient air quality monitoring trailer houses the analyzers, air sampling equipment, and equipment for data handling and calibrations. The meteorological tower, an antenna-like structure, will be located next to the trailer and will have meteorological instrumentation located at the top of the tower and approximately 2 meters from the ground surface. The meteorological instrumentation will provide data that will help identify the source of any odours. The siting, construction, operation, and data handling of the Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station must comply with the Alberta Air Monitoring Directive. The general design requirements that comply with the Alberta Air Monitoring Directive for each structure are outlined below.

 Location

The station will be located just north of the roadway to the west of the existing City of Edmonton maintenance yard.  We can still make minor refinements to the location of the Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station.

EPCOR's Approval to Operate from AEP indicates that the Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station must be installed between the Gold Bar Wastewater Treatment Plant and surrounding Community. The proposed location was also considered the preferred site based on community feedback and the assessments of a third party consultant specializing in odour dispersion modeling.

 Size

The footprint for the station including fence is currently proposed to be approximately 7 m (23') by 10 m (32.8'), which, for comparison, is about the same size of a fifth wheel trailer.

 Height

The station is approximately 3 m (9.8') tall with a meteorological tower and will be between 10 m (32.8') and 25 m (82'). The tower itself is approximately 0.5 m (1.6') wide.

The meteorological tower height for the Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station is dependent on the requirements in the Alberta Air Monitoring Directive standard set by AEP. The acceptable height of the meteorological tower, without the removal or trimming of the trees within 100 m (328.1') of the tower, is being verified by AEP.  

 Impact to surrounding trees

The station is being designed to minimize any impacts on surrounding trees. AEP will approve the final design, which may require some trees be removed or pruned to maximize the effectiveness of the station's operations.

If AEP directs us to remove any trees (as a result of the tower height approved by the regulator), we would replace them with plantings nearby in alignment with our Vegetation Plan. 

 Meteorological equipment

Whether the meteorological equipment is separate from the station will depend on the height of the tower. A 10 m tower can be secured to the air monitoring trailer. A taller tower will potentially require a separate base and guy wires for the additional support.

 What the station is measuring

• Several air quality particles will be measured so that the station complies with EPCOR's operating approval:
• Oxides of Nitrogen (NO_x)
• Sulfur Dioxide (SO₂)
• Hydrogen Sulfide (H₂S)
• Wind Speed
• Wind Direction
• Temperature
• Relative Humidity
• Barometric Pressure

The data collected from the Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station will be submitted to AEP to comply with the Gold Bar Wastewater Treatment Plant operating approvals. This data (which represents the hourly average) becomes publicly available from the AEP Air Data Warehouse every month. We're in discussions with the Strathcona Industrial Association (SIA) to eventually incorporate the station into their monitoring network, which would allow the data to be publically available in real time.

Project details

• Schedule: AEP requires that installation be completed by Dec 31 2021.  We plan to initiate construction in 2021.
• Hours of construction: We anticipate the hours of construction to be Monday to Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and will comply with City permits and bylaws. Occasional evening and weekend work may be required.
• Length of construction: Construction will include pouring a cement pad; installing the station that will be built off-site, building a fence, and landscaping. Depending on weather, construction should take two to three months.
• What you may see during construction: Company vehicles, crews, equipment, a tandem truck, hydrovac trucks, excavators and flatbed trucks would be used during construction. We don't anticipate any long-term traffic impacts to the roads located near the Gold Bar Wastewater Treatment Plant.
• Trail closures: Although contractors would be working in proximity to the multi-use trail located south of the Gold Bar Wastewater Treatment Plant , no trail closures will be required.
• Road closures: No road closures are anticipated as a result of this work.
• Noise: Installing the station will create typical noise associated with construction. We will comply with the City of Edmonton's Community Standards Bylaw for Noise Control. During operations, you should not hear noise from the station unless you are right at the fenceline, where you might hear fans or other instrumentation. 
• Workspace: We'll be locating laydown sites on grassed areas adjacent to the Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station. All construction activities will be in accordance with City of Edmonton's bylaws, occupational health and safety requirements, as well as EPCOR's health, safety and environment procedures and guidelines. No impacts to park users are anticipated.
• Reclamation: Once construction is complete, excavations will be backfilled, compacted, and new sod put down on the area directly disturbed by construction.
• Permits: All required approvals will be obtained from the City of Edmonton prior to construction.
• Environmental considerations: We anticipate that minimal shrub removal will be required to accommodate the project. Trees located along the perimeter of the fenceline and in Gold Bar Park will not be impacted. The amount of vegetation removal required for the project has been reduced as much as possible. The project will not impact any watercourses, wetlands or other waterbodies. The shrubs removed will be replaced on site in alignment with our Vegetation Plan.