Winter air quality improves

This winter’s cleaner air in Invercargill and Gore is a win for our community’s health, but lasting change requires ongoing commitment.

Environment Southland’s winter air quality monitoring season ended on 31 August with just one exceedance of the National Environment Standards for Air Quality recorded for Invercargill, and none for Gore.

The national standards require airsheds to stay below a PM10 concentration of 50 micrograms/m3 threshold over a 24-hour average.

Invercargill’s exceedance was 54.3 micrograms/m3, while Gore’s highest recording was for 42.8.

Environment Southland science investigations and operations manager Ash Rabel said wind patterns may be a factor.

“In recent years, we have seen more easterly winds than usual which might be driving some of the changes in PM10.

“However, we’re hopeful that the choices people are making like burning dry wood, upgrading to cleaner heating systems, phasing out open air fires, and being more mindful of how they use their burners are also contributing to the improved air quality for the Invercargill and Gore airsheds this year.

“Whatever the cause, fewer exceedances and cleaner air are great news for our community’s health, and we want to see that continue.”

This year Environment Southland introduced a pilot programme to send out Antenno alerts in the Invercargill airshed when air quality was likely to reach high pollution levels.

“We hope this was helpful to our community and gave them a tangible understanding of how poor air quality can impact us all.”

Alongside the permanent monitoring stations in Invercargill, Gore and Winton, temporary sites were placed in Te Anau, Mataura and Riverton.

These towns are part of an on-going study in which air quality monitoring is rotated to identify areas with elevated particulate matter values during winter months.

Earlier this year, Environment Southland also commissioned NIWA to study the distribution of air pollution across Gore. It indicated the Council’s monitoring station is not in the ideal location to capture the town’s poorest air quality, as required by the National Environmental Monitoring Standards.

As a result, we have installed a temporary testing site in West Gore for two years to measure the air quality through the winter and better understand where the monitoring site should be located.

While home heating is one of the biggest contributors to poor air quality in Southland, it’s also an area where people can make the biggest difference.

The Regional Air Plan includes rules to help improve air quality. Open fires are now prohibited in the Invercargill and Gore airsheds, and non-compliant burners are being progressively phased out from 2019.

Environment Southland operates a Good Wood approved suppliers scheme which firewood retailers voluntarily agree to be part of.

For further information on the Good Wood suppliers and what else you can do to improve air quality, go to www.BreatheEasySouthland.co.nz.

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