NPS Photo / G. Purifoy The NPS does not operate an ambient air monitor within Valley Forge National Historical Park, however the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has operated an acid deposition monitor in the park for over 20 years, and a mercury deposition monitor since 1999. Representative data from outside the park can also be used to describe park air quality. The most comprehensive monitoring facility in the area is located at the state armory in Norristown, Pennsylvania. This facility monitors five criteria pollutants: carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and particulate matter. There is another ozone monitor at the New Garden Airport in Chester County. Both Chester and Montgomery County have been identified by the EPA as non-attainment areas for one-hour and eight-hour concentrations of ozone. These counties are within attainment for other criteria pollutants. Mitigation efforts are designed to improve eight-hour concentrations by 0.138 to 0.160 parts per million (ppm). Both counties’ concentrations of one-hour ozone have been classified as “severe 15.” This designation implies that the area must reach attainment within 15 years, an effort that requires mitigation efforts to be designed to improve conditions by 0.180 to 0.190 ppm (EPA 2004). |
Last updated: May 19, 2024