Monitoring of PM₁₀ in New Zealand

• Foreword
• Acknowledgements
• Executive Summary
• 1 Introduction
• 2 Monitoring Methods for Particles in New Zealand
• 3 Auckland Region
• 4 Waikato Region
• 5 Bay of Plenty Region
• 6 Taranaki and Northland Regions
• 7 Gisborne and Hawkes Bay Regions
• 8 Wellington Region
• 9 Nelson, Tasman and Marlborough Districts
• 10 Canterbury Region
• 11 West Coast and Southland Regions
• 12 Otago Region
• 13 Trends in PM₁₀ Concentrations in New Zealand
• References
• About the Ministry

4 Waikato Region

Air quality monitoring for particles in the Hamilton region includes total suspended particulate monitoring since 1983 and since 1998, and PM₁₀ monitoring at the Peachgrove Road site. A permanent PM₁₀ air quality monitoring site was established in Tokoroa in 2001 following an initial investigation during 1999. Shorter-term PM₁₀ monitoring programmes have been undertaken in Taupo in 2001 and 2002 and in Te Kuiti in 1998. Figure 4.1 shows a decline in TSP concentrations measured in Hamilton since 1983. The extent to which this reflects reductions in the PM₁₀ component is uncertain.

4.1 Monitoring sites and methods

Details of the four ambient air quality PM₁₀ monitoring sites in the Waikato region are shown in Table 4.1. In addition to these sites, some PM₁₀ monitoring has been carried out by industry. These include continuous PM₁₀ monitoring using an Anderson FH62 BAM in Huntly and gravimetric sampling using a high-volume sampler south of Tokoroa.

Table 4.1: Ambient air quality monitoring sites for PM₁₀ in the Waikato region

Area	Location	Duration	Site classification	Monitoring method
Hamilton	Peachgrove Road	From June 1998	Residential peak	TEOM
Tokoroa (a)	South Waikato District Council	1999	Residential neighbourhood	MetOne GT640
Tokoroa (b)	Billah Street Reservoir	From January 2001	Residential neighbourhood	Met One 1020 BAM
Te Kuiti	Te Kuiti City Council Offices	April-November 1998	Residential neighbourhood	TEOM
Taupo	Gillies Street Reserve	2001 and 2002	Residential neighbourhood	Gravimetric partisol sampler

4.2 PM₁₀ concentrations

Table 4.2 summarises the PM₁₀ concentrations measured at each monitoring site in Waikato. The table shows that exceedences of the 24-hour average guideline value occurred at Hamilton, Tokoroa and Taupo in 2001. Extrapolations of this measured data show that if monitoring was undertaken every day during the winter months, more exceedences of the guideline value may have occurred. This table also shows that the annual average guideline value for PM₁₀ was exceeded in Tokoroa. Other areas are within the alert (66-100% of the guideline) category for the annual average PM₁₀ concentrations although it is possible given the low sampling regime in Taupo, that the annual guideline value was exceeded in this area also. Data for Tokoroa for 1999 are excluded because of uncertainties regarding the accuracy of the optical monitoring method.

Figure 4.2 shows that in the Waikato region, PM₁₀ concentrations are within the good and acceptable categories for most of the year. For a few days each year the 24-hour average concentrations approach (alert) or go above (action) the guideline value. This happens mostly in winter when wind speeds are low and temperature inversions restrict the dispersion of PM₁₀.

Table 4.2: Summary of PM₁₀ concentrations at ambient monitoring sites in the Waikato region

View table of PM₁₀ concentrations at ambient monitoring sites in the Waikato region (large table)

previous | next