Topic/Discussion Title:
Electric Bus Air Quality Monitoring Project update and Donation Acceptance
Description: Michael Shea will brief the Council on the status of the Electric Bus Initiative. The Council will also need to consider two donations to the project from Rocky Mountain Power and UCAIR. Project Proposal: The project goal is to use an emission less mobile platform (Ebus) to provide real time air quality monitoring data for criteria pollutants PM2.5, ozone, and nitrogen oxides. The data collected from this project will inform strategies used to improve air quality. Project Background: Air quality monitors have been used in SLCo since 1963 to help scientists, policy makers, and the public better understand the types and various levels of particulates in the air that are unhealthy to breathe. In the past, air quality monitors were only at fixed locations. In December 2014, the University of Utah partnered with UTA to place air monitoring equipment on electric powered TRAX trains that cover 45 miles of rail lines. This created the first mobile non emission platform in the United States that collected real time air quality data with research grade sensors. The research yielded valuable insights into the complex nature of how harmful particulates interact with the Wasatch Front airshed across Salt Lake County. This has led to a better understanding of which areas in the Salt Lake Valley are at a greater risk of breathing unhealthy air that has high levels of particulates. Project Summary: Building on success of the TRAX monitoring platform, the project is proposing to place air monitors on 3 electric buses within the Salt Lake City Business Unit UTA fleet. This project is being conducted as a proof-of-concept model which can be scaled up to increase coverage to provide real time air quality monitoring.
Requested Action: Informational
Presenter(s): Michael Shea, Environmental Manager, Regional Development
Time Needed: 15 min
Time Sensitive: No
Specific Time(s): n/a
Requesting Staff Member: Michael Shea
Will You be Providing a PowerPoint: Yes
Please attach the supporting documentation you plan to provide for the packets. Agenda items must be approved by Wednesday at 11:00 am. While not ideal, if PowerPoint presentations are not yet ready, you can submit them by 10 am the Friday morning prior to the COW meeting. Items without documentation may be withheld from consideration for that COW meeting.