CANMORE – A portable air monitoring lab will be temporarily stationed in the Bow Valley in October as part of a four-year program to monitor the air quality in the region.
The air monitoring lab will be set up for a period of six months rotating between four locations over four years in Cochrane, the Okotoks-High River area, the Bow Valley and the Chestermere-Strathmore Wheatland corridor.
It’s expected to return to the Bow Valley in April 2021 and will remain in place for six months until September 2021.
“At the end of the those four years we will have a year’s worth of seasonal variable data from all of those four areas,” said Jill Bloor, director of the Calgary Region Airshed Zone.
Currently residents in the Bow Valley rely on three air-monitoring stations in Calgary, which is more than 100 kilometres away.
Bloor acknowledged this isn’t an ideal situation, particularly during wildfire season, however a technical committee, which includes representatives from Alberta Environment and Parks and Alberta Health, will review the data after the study is done in September 2022 and make recommendations to the government.
“Ultimately we would love to have more continuous monitoring in our region, however there are financial constraints,” said Bloor.
She said her organization has not yet picked a location in the Bow Valley to set up the portable station, however they intend to have a meeting with Parks Canada as well as all Banff, Canmore and the Municipal District of Bighorn to find a suitable location.
“It is considered regional monitoring, so we have to find a spot that will represent the region as best as we can,” said Bloor, adding all four government bodies are members of her organization as well as Lafarge and Graymont, which conduct their own air quality monitoring.
When the portable air monitoring station is deployed it will produce a local reading for the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI), a scale designed to help the public understand how the air quality impacts their health.
“It’s a very important tool for the public to be aware of, especially out in the Bow Valley where being outside and doing activities is part of life out there,” said Bloor.
According to Environment Canada, a rating of three or less constitutes a low health risk for people at high risk and it shouldn’t impede their ability to enjoy their usual outdoor activities.
As the air quality becomes worse, Environment Canada suggests people who are at risk should reduce or reschedule strenuous outdoor activities, especially children and elderly people. An air quality rating of 10 or higher is considered “very high” and people that are at risk should avoid strenuous activities outdoors all together.
To get up to date air quality information Bloor strongly encouraged residents to download the AQHI app.
