Table A — What affects our regional air quality?
This table helps visitors see which emission sources are most closely associated with each air quality indicator.
Please scroll right and left in the table.
Table B — What do we know, and what information do we need?
This table helps AMS identify available information, potential data partners and reporting gaps.
Regional Air Quality Indicators
Understanding pollution sources, tracking air quality and identifying where better information is needed across the Boundary, Similkameen and Okanagan airshed.
1. What affects our regional air quality?
This assessment shows how strongly each emission source may be associated with the air quality indicator. It helps identify where regional attention and action may be most important.
| Air Quality Indicator | Open Burning |
Wildfire | Residential Wood Heat |
Transport & Road Dust |
Industry & Resource |
Commercial & Institutional |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 levels | ||||||
| PM10 levels | ||||||
| Air quality advisory days | ||||||
| Fall smoke levels | ||||||
| Winter smoke levels | ||||||
| Spring road dust levels | — | |||||
| Open burning events | — | — | — | — | ||
| Wildfire smoke exposure | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Woodstove use and exchange activity | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Industrial emissions and compliance | — | — | — | |||
| Vehicle emissions and idling | — | — | — | |||
| Cleaner heating and energy projects | — | — | — | |||
| Public education and participation |
Preliminary qualitative assessment for planning purposes. Ratings are not measured source contributions, emissions percentages or a regulatory ranking. Actual influence varies by location, season, weather and activity. Wildfire and planned burning are treated as separate sources.
2. What do we know, and what information do we need?
This table identifies potential information sources and where AMS may need to work with partners to improve regional reporting.
| Indicator / Information Needed | Potential Data Source | Availability | What AMS Should Report |
|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 levels | BC air monitoring, AQMap, PurpleAir | High | Annual average, seasonal patterns and exceedances |
| PM10 levels | BC air monitoring network | Medium | Annual and 24-hour results where monitored |
| Air quality advisory days | BC air quality advisories | High | Number of advisory days and reason |
| Open burning events | Local governments, fire authorities, industry | Low | Data to be reported: event counts, type and location |
| Wildfire activity | BC Wildfire Service | High | Fire occurrences, area burned and smoke impacts |
| Wildfire smoke exposure | AQMap, BC monitoring, smoke products | Medium | Smoke-affected days and regional PM2.5 patterns |
| Woodstove exchanges | AMS and program partners | Medium | Number of exchanges and participating communities |
| Residential wood heating | Community surveys, emissions inventory | Low | Data to be reported: usage estimates and trends |
| Industrial emissions and compliance | BC regulators, facility reporting | Medium | Data to be reported: available emissions and compliance summaries |
| Road dust and suppression | Local governments, road authorities | Low | Data to be reported: dust control activities and priority areas |
| Vehicle emissions and idling | Local governments, transportation partners | Low | Data to be reported: available projects and activity measures |
| Cleaner heating and energy projects | Utilities, municipalities, program partners | Medium | Projects completed, participation and estimated benefits |
| Public education and participation | AMS program records and partners | Medium | Presentations, events, participating organizations |
| Regional emissions inventory | BC emissions inventory and AMS partners | Medium | Inventory year, source categories and changes over time |
Availability ratings are preliminary and should be confirmed with each data provider. A source being listed does not mean that AMS has secured access to its data or that the data is available at a regional scale. Community sensor readings are indicative and should not be presented as equivalent to regulatory monitoring.