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Air Monitoring...Norco

The combination of routine and event sampling provides a comprehensive picture of air quality in the Norco community. Sampling throughout 2004 and 2005, provides a strong indication that no Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality standards were exceeded for 52-targeted compounds. The on-going monitoring program indicates the air quality in Norco to be comparable to other cities in the United States and in some cities, ambient concentrations, were lower than some United States cities.

About the Phase 1 Report

April 2005 Air Monitoring Newsletter (PDF, 105KB, opens in new window) (PDF, 105 KB) - opens in new window

In March of 2002, a Communications Team and Technical Team was formed to work on the project. Members of these teams include staff from   Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ), independent third-party technical experts from Tulane and Southern University, community residents and Shell and Motiva employees.

The Communications Team is charged with delivering timely, accurate, and meaningful quality information and data to the community. The Technical Team is charged with determining the location of the air monitors, frequency of monitoring, list of compounds to monitor, and selecting independent third-party vendors to install the air monitors and to collect samples.

Assessment and Siting were the main focuses for Phase I. This included a set of six monitors that were installed at selected locations around the town of Norco where air samples were taken on a regular basis. During Phase I , these sampling stations monitored for 148 compounds that were typical of industrial , transportation, and natural emissions. The samples were analyzed by URS, a third-party independent contractor and the results were shared with the community.

In addition, Shell and Motiva formed a "SWAT" team in November 2002 comprised of environmental engineers to help members understand how air monitoring results relate to operational activities, with daily logs kept of operations including unusual activities such as flaring or odors.

Phase I demonstrated that the monitoring program was able to reliably measure the “footprint” of Norco’s industrial emissions by detecting even very low levels of compounds present in Norco air resulting from routine emissions.  The data also provided information to help identify some non-routine sources of emissions.

According to Phase I data no compounds exceeded LDEQ standards. It was determined the measured levels were fairly uniform throughout Norco, with the exception of one sampling location. Phase I began September 23, 2002 and ended November 17, 2002.

"The Air Monitoring program is telling the rest of the world that Norco is a safe place to live and work... The program has increased the already strong bond the company has with the community." -- Sal Digirolamo, President, Norco Civic Association


"The air monitoring project provides great information about the air quality and has been conducted very well." -- Dr. LuAnn White, Tulane Center for Applied Environmental Public Health, Tulane University New Orleans

Download the Phase 1 Air Monitoring Reports (pdf)

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Phase 2 Report

Phase 2 of the project involved long-term monitor sampling and began on March 16, 2003. The basic steps of this phase included collecting air samples at regular time intervals from four air monitors in the Norco community. These samples were collected by contractors and analyzed at an offsite laboratory in Austin, Texas. The results were compared to measured levels from other cities within Louisiana and other states.

As a part of Air Monitoring Norco, Shell and Motiva installed a continuous hydrocarbon analyzer and an automated sampler to help better understand the air quality in Norco. Wind speed and direction are also tracked, to help identify sources causing increases in compound concentrations., The samplers can also be activated to gather additional information in the event of an emergency.

Phase II data determined Norco's air quality was good and uniform. 

Among the samples no compounds were detected at concentration levels above LDEQ ambient air standards. Phase II data provided evidence that Norco's air is similar to the air quality measured elsewhere in Louisiana and other states.

Download the Phase 2 Reports (pdf)

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