The project area is located within the jurisdiction of the SOUTH COAST AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT DISTRICT (SCAQMD), which is the agency responsible for stationary source permitting and CEQA air quality review within the South Coast Air Basin (SOCAB). The applicable ambient air quality standards are the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) promulgated by the U.S. EPA and the California Ambient Air Quality Standards (CAAQS) promulgated by CARB.
Particulate matter (PM2.5) is the pollutant of primary concern for wildfire smoke events. The NAAQS annual PM2.5 standard was revised in February 2024 from 12 µg/m³ to 9 µg/m³. California maintains its own CAAQS standard of 12 µg/m³ (annual) and 25 µg/m³ (24-hour), which are more stringent than the NAAQS 24-hour standard of 35 µg/m³.
| Standard | Pollutant | Averaging Period | Threshold | Promulgated By |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAAQS (revised Feb 2024) | PM2.5 | Annual arithmetic mean | 9.0 µg/m³ | U.S. EPA |
| NAAQS | PM2.5 | 24-hour (98th pct) | 35.0 µg/m³ | U.S. EPA |
| CAAQS | PM2.5 | Annual arithmetic mean | 10.0 µg/m³ | CARB |
| CAAQS | PM2.5 | 24-hour | 25.0 µg/m³ | CARB |
Ground-level PM2.5 observations are sourced from OpenAQ monitoring stations near the project area (multiple local stations). The following summary covers the observed period (2026-05-06 – 2026-06-08).
The TROPOMI Absorbing Aerosol Index (AER AI) from Sentinel-5P is used as a satellite-derived smoke/dust proxy. Values greater than 1.0 indicate the presence of smoke or mineral dust aerosols. This dataset provides daily spatial coverage of the California Floristic Province at approximately 11 km resolution.
No active wildfire perimeters currently mapped in California, or fire perimeter data has not yet been fetched by the daily pipeline.
Based on observed PM2.5 data from the monitoring period, the following compliance status is assigned relative to applicable ambient air quality standards.
| Standard | Threshold | Observed | Exceedances | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAAQS Annual PM2.5 | 9.0 µg/m³ | — µg/m³ | — | NO DATA |
| CAAQS Annual PM2.5 | 10.0 µg/m³ | — µg/m³ | — | NO DATA |
| NAAQS 24-hr PM2.5 | 35.0 µg/m³ | — | 0 day(s) | NO EXCEEDANCES |
| CAAQS 24-hr PM2.5 | 25.0 µg/m³ | — | 0 day(s) | NO EXCEEDANCES |
| Dataset | Source | Period | Lag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ground-level PM2.5 | OpenAQ API · multiple monitors | 2026-05-06 – 2026-06-08 | D-0 / D-1 |
| Absorbing Aerosol Index (AER AI) | TROPOMI / Sentinel-5P OFFL L3 · via GEE | 2026-05-06 – 2026-06-08 | D-1 to D-5 |
| Fire perimeters | NIFC Current Wildland Fire Perimeters (ArcGIS REST) | Real-time (daily) | Same-day |
| Spatial temperature anomaly | PRISM Climate Data · Oregon State University · 4km | 2026-05-06 – 2026-06-08 | D-2 provisional |
PM2.5 exceedances are counted as any day where the daily mean PM2.5 reading from available OpenAQ stations exceeded the applicable standard. A smoke event is defined as any day where the TROPOMI AER AI point sample at CIMIS Station 174 exceeded 1.0 (unitless threshold indicating absorbing aerosol present).