Unlike many other parts of the province, the south western region of Alberta is not a part of an airshed zone. Creating an airshed zone would help with air quality management and would increase public awareness of air quality and health effects that poor air quality can have. An airshed zone would support local stakeholder to create their own management processes and support local air quality initiatives.
Due to the fluid nature of our atmosphere, assessing air quality in the local context is very difficult. A lack of monitoring data increases this challenge. We are fortunate to have good overall air quality in Lethbridge. However, there have been instances when Air Quality Objectives have been exceeded for specific air pollutants, particularly for ozone and fine particulate matter.
Recommendations:
1. That an airshed zone be created for southern Alberta to aid in the collaborative management of our air quality.
