Noise and Air Quality - the City of Lompoc!

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City of Lompoc General Plan UpdateIssue Paper on Noise and Air Quality IssuesOther noise sources that contribute to the ambient level include agricultural production activities;noise from the Lompoc Airport or the Vandenberg Airport, depending on their approach andtake-off flight patterns, as well as the distance between the sensitive uses and the airports; localdiatomaceous earth mining operations; as well as the Union Pacific Railroad that bisects theCity in generally an east to west direction. Noise generated by the railroad is limited to a fewtrips per week that occur on this section of track since it primarily serves as a cargo rail thatdelivers to and from Vandenberg Air Force Base to the northwest of the City. The actual timingand volume of trains that use the tracks is confidential; therefore, actual noise levels cannot beestimated with any certainty. Sound walls or other barriers between the tracks and futureresidential development near the railroad can help abate noise issues.Table 1City Noise StandardsLAND USE CATEGORIESCNELCATEGORIES USES INTERIOR 1 EXTERIORResidentialSingle Family, Duplex, Multiple Family,Mobile Home45 60Commercial & Retail, Restaurant 55 65Industrial Motel 45 60CommunityFacilityProfessional Offices, Movie Theater, AuditoriumManufacturing, Utilities, Warehousing,AgricultureHospital, School, Nursing Home, Church,Library, Civic Offices, Parks45 6565 7545 65Open Space Passive Outdoor Recreation -- 60Air QualityBackground. Lompoc is part of the South Central Coast Air Basin (SCCAB), which includes allof San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties. The climate of the Santa Barbarafoothills and of the SCCAB is strongly influenced by its proximity to the Pacific Ocean and thelocation of the semi-permanent high pressure cell in the northeastern Pacific. With aMediterranean-type climate, the City is characterized by warm, dry summers and cool winterswith occasional rainy periods.Cool, humid marine air causes frequent fog and low clouds along the coast, generally during thenight and morning hours in the late spring and early summer months. The region is subject to adiurnal cycle in which daily onshore winds from the west and northwest are replaced by mildoffshore breezes flowing from warm inland valleys during night and early morning hours. Thisalternating cycle can create a situation where suspended pollutants are swept offshore at night,2City of Lompoc
City of Lompoc General Plan UpdateIssue Paper on Noise and Air Quality Issuesand then carried back onshore the following day. Dispersion of pollutants is further degradedwhen the wind velocity for both day and nighttime breezes is low.The region is also subject to seasonal “Santa Ana” winds. These are typically hot, dry northerlywinds which blow offshore at 15-20 mph, but can reach speeds of over 60 mph. Two types oftemperature inversions (warmer air on top of cooler air) are created in the area: subsidence andradiational. The subsidence inversion is a regional effect created by the Pacific high in which airis heated as it is compressed when it flows from the high pressure area to the low pressureareas inland. This type of inversion generally forms at about 1,000 to 2,000 feet and can occurthroughout the year, but it is most evident during the summer months. Surface inversions areformed by the more rapid cooling of air near the ground during the night, especially duringwinter. This type of inversion is typically lower (0-500 feet at Vandenberg AFB, for example)and is generally accompanied by stable air. Both types of inversions limit the dispersal of airpollutants within the regional airshed, with the more stable the air (low wind speeds, uniformtemperatures), the lower the amount of pollutant dispersion.The APCD is required to monitor air pollutant levels to assure that applicable air qualitystandards are met, and if they are not met, to develop strategies to meet the standards.Depending on whether the standards are met or exceeded, the air basin is classified as being in“attainment” or as “non-attainment”.Local Issues. Santa Barbara County is considered in attainment of the federal eight-hour ozonestandard, but does not meet the state one-hour ozone standard or the standard for particulatematter less than ten microns in diameter (PM 10 ). The County is in attainment for all otherstandards. Table 2 summarizes the annual air quality data for the local airshed.Table 2Ambient Air Quality Data at the S H Street Monitoring StationPollutant 2004 2005 2006Ozone, ppm – Worst Hour 0.084 0.064 0.056Number of days of State exceedances (>0.09 ppm) 0 0 0Number of days of Federal exceedances (>0.12 ppm) 0 0 0Particulate Matter 50 μg/m 3 ) 1 1 0Number of samples of Federal exceedances (>150 μg/m 3 ) 0 0 0Nitrogen Dioxide (ppm), Worst Hour 0.036 0.035 0.037Number of days of State exceedances (>0.25 ppm) 0 0 0Source: CARB 2004-2006Man-made sources of PM 10 include agricultural operations, industrial processes, combustion offossil fuels, construction and demolition operations, and entrainment of road dust into theatmosphere. Natural sources include wind blown dust, wildfire smoke, and sea spray salt. Dueto the County’s non-attainment status for state PM 10 standards, future development within theCity is required to implement the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District (APCD)best management practices intended to reduce PM 10 emissions.3City of Lompoc
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