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Air quality data
Air quality is checked by looking at ambient air, the normal outdoor air. It's not the same as checking pollution from sources like smokestacks or the air inside buildings. New Brunswick has many stations across the province that constantly measure this outdoor air quality.
A cooperative approach
Air quality monitoring in New Brunswick is a partnership between the federal and provincial governments. The federal government provides the provincial Department of Environment and Local Government with monitoring equipment and a centralized national database for information collected. The department deploys and maintains the equipment, operates stations, performs necessary calibrations and ensures that the data is accurate. The operators of large industrial facilities are also required to participate in air quality monitoring as a condition of regulatory approval under the Clean Air Act.
Data quality assurance
Environment and Climate Change Canada plays an oversight role to ensure that the department monitors are appropriately maintained and data is accurate. Similarly, the department checks and audits the industry-run stations to ensure the accuracy of their data. Data quality problems are rare, but when issues do occur, they are addressed immediately.
Station locations
Station sites and locations are selected based on several factors, including geography, population distribution and the locations and types of major industrial emitters. Because of this, some areas of the province have more monitoring coverage than others and some areas are not monitored.
Provincial air zones
New Brunswick has been separated into three air zones, which are geographic areas that have similar air quality profiles and challenges. These zones help to guide management actions by highlighting regional issues and opportunities.
Northern air zone
The northern air zone includes New Brunswick’s northern coastline and most of the province’s border with Quebec. The area is largely rural but contains many towns and villages. The largest community is Bathurst, with a population of about 12,000.
Because there are no major urban centers in this zone, it does not experience many of the air quality issues associated with big cities, such as smog from heavy traffic.
The air zone is home to major industrial emitters in Atholville (AV Group Pulp Mill) and Belledune (NB Power Belledune Generating Station). These facilities emit a variety of air contaminants including sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and fine particulate matter, which can impact air quality in nearby communities and the broader region. The NB Power Belledune Generating Station is currently the province's second largest sulfur dioxide emitter.
Industry-run air quality monitoring stations operate in Atholville and Belledune and a department station operates in Bathurst. The following table provides details on the air quality monitoring stations located in the Northern air zone, including their operators, locations and the specific air pollutants they monitor:
| Station Operator | Station Name | Location | Monitored Parameters |
|---|---|---|---|
| AV Groupe, Atholville | Beauvista | Beauvista Drive, Atholville | SO2 |
| Boom Road | 9 Comeau Avenue, Atholville | SO2 | |
| NB Power, Belledune | Belledune East | 201 Main Street, Belledune | PM2.5, SO2, NO2 |
| Jacquet River | Highway 11, Belledune | SO2 | |
| Madran | Lagacy Road, Belledune | SO2 | |
| Municipal Hall | 2330 Main Street, Belledune | PM2.5, SO2, NO2 | |
| Pointe-Verte | 91 du Ruisseau Road, Belledune | SO2 | |
| Department of Environment and Local Government (DELG) | Bathurst | 1255 Rough Waters Drive, Bathurst | Meteorology, NO2, O3, PM2.5 |
Central air zone
The central air zone is the largest of the three zones. It includes five major population centers: Moncton, Dieppe, Fredericton, Miramichi and Edmundston. The largest of these is Moncton, with a population of about 79,000. These cities can experience air quality issues typical of those in larger urban centers – such as the combined impact from vehicles, homes, businesses, etc.
There are several major emitters in this area, including AV Group pulp mill in Nackawic, Twin Rivers Paper Company pulp mill in Edmundston and the Arbec Forest Products oriented strand board mill in Miramichi. Emissions from these facilities can include sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, fine particulate matter, reduced sulfur compounds and volatile organic compounds. These facilities can impact air quality at both the local and regional scale.
The department monitoring stations operate in Moncton, Fredericton, Miramichi and Edmundston to provide coverage to these major population centers. Industry-run stations operate in Edmundston, Nackawic and Miramichi. The following table provides details on the air quality monitoring stations located in the Central air zone, including their operators, locations and the specific air pollutants they monitor:
| Station Operator | Station Name | Location | Monitored Parameters |
|---|---|---|---|
| AV Groupe, Nackawic | Caverhill Site | 10720 Route 610, Nackawic | PM2.5, SO2, TRS |
| Arbec Forest Products | Fire Ponds | Water Street, Miramichi | PM2.5, TSP |
| Hay Lane | Hay Lane, Miramichi | PM2.5, TSP | |
| NB Power, Millbank | Lower Newcastle | 55 Highway 11, Miramichi | SO2, NO2 |
| Rockcliff | Black Eagle Street, Miramichi | SO2, NO2, TSP | |
| Twin River Paper Company | Rice Street | 27 Rice Street, Edmundston | PM2.5, SO2 |
| St Mary’s | 72 Marmen Ave, Edmundston | SO2 | |
| Department of Environment and Local Government (DELG) | Edmundston | 19 Queen St, Edmundston | Meteorology, NO2, O3, PM2.5, SO2 |
| Moncton | 5 Thanet Street, Moncton | Meteorology, CO, NO2, O3, PM2.5 | |
| Fredericton | 486 Needham Street, Fredericton | Meteorology, NO2, O3, PM2.5 | |
| Miramichi | 15 Gretna Green Drive (Gretna Green School), Miramichi | Meteorology, NO2, O3, PM2.5 |
Southern air zone
The southern air zone includes a large portion of New Brunswick’s southern coastline along the Bay of Fundy and borders the State of Maine in the west. It includes Saint John, the province’s second largest city with a population of about 71,000.
Saint John is a major industrial center for the province. It hosts a variety of industrial emitters, including Canada’s largest oil refinery (Irving Oil Ltd.), the Irving Pulp and Paper Ltd. mill and the Irving Paper Ltd. mill. The city also experiences air quality impact from ship traffic via its active industrial port and its cruise ship terminal. Together, these sources emit fine particulates, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, reduced sulfur compounds and volatile organic compounds. The air zone is also impacted by J.D. Irving Ltd.’s Lake Utopia Paper mill and New Brunswick’s largest sulfur dioxide emitter, the NB Power Coleson Cove Generating Station.
Air quality in the City of Saint John and the surrounding region is the most monitored in the province.
The city has four air quality monitoring stations and 10 industry-run stations. Notably, two stations in the city include routine monitoring for volatile organic compounds due to the presence of the oil refinery, associated infrastructure and industries. Additional industry-run stations operate near the Coleson Cove generating station and the J.D. Irving Ltd. paper mill in the Utopia area of Eastern Charlotte.
The department also operates a station in Saint Andrews as a means of tracking contaminants at a location without large nearby emitters. It provides a point of comparison for other stations in the network. It also helps track the influence of pollution from other parts of the world. The following table provides details on the air quality monitoring stations located in the Southern air zone, including their operators, locations and the specific air pollutants they monitor:
| Station Operator | Station Name | Location | Monitored Parameters |
|---|---|---|---|
| J.D. Irving Ltd – Lake Utopia Paper | Utopia Site | 600 Route 785, Lake Utopia | SO2 |
| Irving Oil Ltd | Champlain Heights Elementary School* | 111 Champlain Drive, Saint John | PM2.5, SO2, TRS, VOC |
| Expansion Avenue | 96 Expansion Avenue, Saint John | SO2 | |
| Forest Hills* | Mountain Road, Saint John | Meteorology, NO2, O3, PM2.5, SO2, TRS, VOC | |
| Grandview West | 730 Bayside Drive, Saint John | SO2, NO2 | |
| Midwood | 140 Midwood Drive, Saint John | SO2, TRS, W | |
| Silver Falls | 21 Champlain Drive, Saint John | SO2 | |
| Irving Pulp and Paper | Bridge Street | Bridge Street, Saint John | TRS |
| Milford | Milford Road, Saint John | TRS | |
| Sherbrook | Sherbrook Street, Saint John | TRS | |
| NB Power, Coleson Cove | Lorneville | 2700 Lorneville Road, Lorneville | PM2.5, SO2 |
| Manawagonish Road | 1874 Manawagonish Road, Saint John | PM2.5, SO2 | |
| Musquash | 35 Malcom Meehan Road, Musquash | SO2 | |
| Department of Environment and Local Government (DELG) | Castle Street | 8 Castle Street, Saint John | CO, Meteorology, NO2, O3, PM2.5, SO2 |
| Saint Andrews – Route 127 | Huntsman Marine Entrance, Saint Andrews | NO2, O3, PM2.5, VOC | |
| West Side | 476 Lancaster Avenue, Saint John | NO2, O3, PM2.5, SO2, TRS |
*Station co-operated by GNB and Irving Oil Ltd.
Common air quality challenges
In addition to the impact from major emitters, all New Brunswick air zones experience local scale air quality impact from various smaller industrial and commercial emitters (e.g., fish plants, commercial boilers, pits and quarries, paint shops, etc.).
New Brunswick’s large, forested areas can generate pollen events during warmer seasons and are also vulnerable to forest fires. Both can impact local and regional air quality.
Smoke from wood burning for residential heat can impact air quality during the colder seasons. Similarly, outdoor burning such as campfires in the summer can affect local air quality.
All New Brunswick air zones receive long range pollutants such as fine particulate matter and ozone from other parts of the world.