Laserfiche WebLink
City of Santa Ana -Park View at Town and Country Manor <br />Draft EIR <br />4.2 - Air Qual <br />4.2.1 - Introduction <br />This section describes the existing air quality setting and potential effects from project <br />implementation on the site and its surrounding area. Descriptions and analysis in this section are <br />based on information contained in the Air Quality Analysis Report prepared in August 2009 by <br />Michael Brandman Associates, included in this EIR as Appendix B. <br />A comment letter addressing air quality on the Notice of Preparation (NOP) of the FIR for the Park <br />View at Town and Country Manor project, contained in Appendix A, was received by the City of <br />Santa Ana from the South Coast Air Quality Management District ( SCAQMD). The SCAQMD <br />recommends that the Lead Agency consider the following: <br />• Use the SCAQMD Handbook as guidance <br />• Use the California Air Resources Board (ARB) approved URBEMIS 2007 Model <br />• Identify potential adverse air quality impacts from construction and operation <br />• Estimate particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter (PM,.,) emissions <br />• Calculate localized air quality impacts and compare results to localized significance thresholds <br />• For projects generating or attracting heavy -duty diesel fueled vehicles, perform a mobile <br />source health risk assessment <br />• Apply feasible mitigation measures to eliminate significant adverse air quality impacts <br />The following analysis incorporates all recommendations except a health risk assessment, which was <br />determined not to apply to the project. <br />4.2.2 - Existing Conditions <br />South Coast Air Basin <br />The project is located in the City of Santa Ana and is within the South Coast Air Basin (basin). To <br />the west of the basin is the Pacific Ocean. To the north and east of the basin are the San Gabriel, San <br />Bernardino, and San Jacinto mountains, while the southern limit of the basin is the San Diego County <br />line. The basin consists of Orange County, all of Los Angeles County except for the Antelope <br />Valley, the non -desert portion of western San Bernardino County, and the western and Coachella <br />Valley portions of Riverside County. The air quality in the basin is impacted by dominant airflows, <br />topography, atmospheric inversions, location, season, and time of day. <br />Dominant airflows provide the driving mechanism for transport and dispersion of air pollution. The <br />mountains surrounding the region form natural horizontal barriers to the dispersion of air <br />contaminants. Air pollution created in the coastal areas and around the Los Angeles area is <br />transported inland until it reaches the mountains where the combination of mountains and inversion <br />layers generally prevent further dispersion. This poor ventilation results in a gradual degradation of <br />air quality from the coastal areas to inland areas. Air stagnation may occur during the early evening <br />Michael Brandman Associates 4.2 -1 <br />H\Cl t(PN- Rnb327b32]003MMVB2]0030 Se 4GAvQ ity.DOc <br />