16 EXCEEDANCES – Air Quality in the Richmond Airshed Got Worse This Winter!

Not the best statistic to have when the Council is about to review the Richmond Airshed strategy but one that, with a bit of basic planning by home owners, could be reversed.

Most people are well aware that air pollution has adverse effects on people’s health and well-being. There are national standards for air quality that the Government makes the Council responsible for meeting. The standard set is 50ug/m3 (particulate matter smaller than 10 microns per cubic metre of air). By 2016 Tasman must not exceed this more than three times in a year - not the 16 we recorded this year.

Most of the air pollution in the Richmond Airshed comes from wood burners not the often blamed industrial and rural sectors. More than 80% of the particles in the air during winter come from domestic heating smoke.

The Council adopted an air quality strategy in 2007. It also introduced new rules preventing installation of new wood burners in the Richmond Airshed and the upgrading of wood burners upon the sale of a house. A good practice guide to managing wood burners was produced and sent to all houses using wood burners to assist people in operating their wood burners to reduce smoke (it is still available from the Council’s service centres and on the Council’s website).

Good Practice Guide for Operating Wood Burners

Initially there was a significant improvement in air quality. It dropped from exceeding 80ug/m3 between 30 and 40 times during winter to exceeding the limit around 10 times during winter. Then this year; over 16 exceedances over winter. Even accounting for the cold weather, this result shows wood and coal burners are not being used properly.

The way in which burners are operated has a big impact on the amount of smoke it produces. All burners can be operated in a way that minimises smoke.

If all existing wood burners and open fires in the Richmond Airshed are replaced by properly operated clean air compliant wood burners, modelling shows that the Airshed would have clean air.

The Council has also worked closely with wood suppliers through its Good Wood scheme to ensure that only properly dry wood is being sold for heating homes.

Everybody loves a fire and wood burners have many benefits over open fires to heat homes, however unless air quality is improved to meet the national standards, the Council may have no choice but to impose more stringent controls on wood burners in Richmond.

The Council wishes to discuss this problem with wood burner owners in Richmond and people concerned about air quality before carrying out any revision of its air quality strategy.

Council will be holding a public meeting on 27 November 2012 to provide information about the issues and what we can do as a community to improve air quality.