DUST REPORT WALSHESTOWN RESTORATION LIMITED For Site at Walshestown, Blackhall, Tipperkevin & Bawnoge, Naas, Co. Kildare October 2016 BY: TÚS NUA ENVIRONMENTAL BACK GATE LODGE KILLARKIN DUNBOYNE CO. MEATH
1.0 Introduction Tús Nua Environmental have prepared this (DR) as requested by Walshestown Restoration Ltd in accordance with Waste Licence, W0254-01. The facility is currently in construction stage, as described in the 2009 submitted EIS. Activities associated with the acceptance of waste have not commenced at the facility. All developments, including waste licensed facilities, have the potential to adversely affect air quality in the surrounding area of operations. Currently in Ireland there are no statutory limits for dust deposition from waste licence facilities. However, in recent years the TA Luft/VDI 2119/Bergerhoff Method of dust emission monitoring has become the most commonly used method. This method involves using a direct collection pot to standardised dimensions of either glass or plastic. The system benefits from being a direct collection method i.e. less transferring of material and consequent reduction in sampling errors. This method is defined as an internationally recognised standard and has been adopted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as the method of choice for licenced facilities. Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government (DoEHLG) Guidelines recommend that the TA Luft total dust deposition limit value (soluble and insoluble) of 350 milligram per square metre per day be adopted at site boundaries near waste licenced facilities. For the purposes of this DR the same dust deposition limit value is being applied to the construction activities taking place at the site. 2.0 Existing Environment 2.1 Features of Irish & County Kildare Climate In general the Atlantic low-pressure systems are well established by December, and depressions move rapidly eastward in December and January, bringing strong winds with appreciable frontal rainfall to Ireland. Occasionally the cold anticyclone over Europe extends its influence westwards to Ireland, giving dry cold periods lasting several days. Between February and June, the influence of continental and Greenland anticyclones make these the months of least rainfall. The sea near Ireland is at its coldest in February and March and consequently the rise of mean air temperature is slow in spring. However, on clear days with light winds, afternoon temperatures can reach summer values even in March. In such situations the nights are cold. Air frost is not infrequent at inland locations, even in May. Continental anticyclones blocking Atlantic depressions are usually responsible for dry periods in late spring. Towards late June or early July the rise in pressure over the ocean and a corresponding fall in pressure over Europe results in the general wind flow at the surface becoming westerly, bringing air with a long ocean track over Ireland, so that cloud cover, humidity and rainfall increase. From mid-july, clear nights tend to be accompanied by heavy dew. Warm air masses of high humidity and daytime heating sufficient to cause thunderstorms are a feature of mid to late summer weather. With the advance of August there are occasional incursions into the Atlantic of cold northerly air masses and these produce active depressions in late August and September. In September the humid air is exposed to increasing periods of cooling by night and fog is frequent around dawn in low-lying districts. In October and November westerly winds from the Atlantic pass over relatively warm seas, and frontal rain and post-cold-frontal showers tend to be moderate to heavy. The development of anticyclones extending over Ireland in these months can produce very pleasant weather by day. 1
From late summer through Autumn there is a risk of former tropical depressions mixing in with the North Atlantic weather pattern depressions to produce severe storms. These are quite rare but are very significant weather events. The broad sequence described above does not recur regularly each year. In an oceanic climate at the latitude of Ireland, variability of weather in some of the features referred to above may be completely missing over several months in an individual year. (Source: www.met.ie ) After discussions with Met Éireann, it was agreed that the current nearest rainfall stations to the site is Casement Aerodrome (approximately 23km northeast of the site). The annual rainfall data from 2013 to 2016 as well as the mean monthly rainfall data are set out in Table 2.1: Table 2.1 Total rainfall in millimetres for Casement Weather Station* Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual 2016 83.2 68.3 38.7 59.7 62.6 111.3 36.6 63.8 74.9 45.3 644.4 2015 63.4 30.5 56.4 56.2 96.4 17.4 62.5 67.5 26.2 39.4 114.3 206.3 836.5 2014 110.7 122.0 56.7 39.3 98.4 31.8 42.3 142.0 12.9 87.8 138.9 64.1 946.9 2013 69.5 45.2 63.3 47.5 52.8 43.2 42.7 62.9 35.1 100.4 21.2 104.7 688.5 mean 63.8 48.5 50.7 51.9 59.1 62.5 54.2 72.3 60.3 81.6 73.7 75.7 754.3 Source: www.met.ie Monthly temperatures for 2013 to 2016 and mean monthly temperatures for the Casement Weather Station are tabulated below in Table 2.2. Table 2.2 Temperatures ( o C) for Casement Weather Station Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual 2016 5.9 4.5 5.9 6.6 11.4 14.2 15.7 15.6 14.3 10.4 10.5 2015 4.6 3.8 5.8 8.1 9.8 13.3 14.3 14.2 12.0 10.3 8.5 8.5 9.5 2014 5.5 5.6 6.8 9.5 11.6 13.9 16.3 13.9 13.7 11.1 7.5 5.3 10.1 2013 5.1 4.3 3.1 6.9 10.0 13.5 17.8 15.9 13.2 11.8 6.2 6.8 9.6 mean 5.1 5.1 6.6 8.0 10.7 13.4 15.5 15.1 13.0 10.1 7.2 5.4 9.6 Long-term wind speed statistics are presented in Table 2.3 for the period 1968-1996. The mean annual wind speed at Baldonnel is 11 knots. Wind speeds of about 9.7 knots or more are likely to cause re-suspension of dust from roads and quarry areas if associated with dry weather conditions. The mean monthly wind speeds are above this threshold 9.7 knots for 8 months of the year. Wind speeds tend to be higher during the winter months, with the summertime (May-August) mean monthly wind speeds ranging between 8.7 and 9.1 knots. Therefore, potential dust nuisances are more likely to arise during dry periods in the months of September to April inclusive. To assess the prevailing wind direction at the site, wind direction data from Dublin Airport were obtained, see Table 2.4. This site has significant hedgerows and tree stands around the boundaries of the majority of the site which assist in the mitigation of dust nuisances arising from the activities. 2
WIND (hours) Mean monthly speed Table 2.3 Mean wind speeds from Casement Aerodrome at Baldonnel 1968-1996 (knots) Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Mean 14.1 12.5 12.8 10.1 9.1 8.7 8.9 8.7 10.1 11.2 12.3 13.3 11.0 Max. gust 80 78 71 59 63 53 58 58 69 65 68 81 81 Max. 57 54 47 43 43 36 39 39 46 44 49 57 57 mean 10-minute speed Mean no. of days with gales 5.2 2.7 2.7 0.6 0.5 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.6 1.4 2.4 3.7 20.3 Source: http://www.met.ie/climate/casement.asp Table 2.3 Dublin Airport 30 years 1961-1990 averages WIND (knots) Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year mean monthly speed 12.2 11.7 11.6 9.7 8.7 8.0 8.1 8.0 8.9 9.9 10.8 11.8 9.9 max. gust 75 73 61 60 58 55 54 56 64 73 64 71 75 max. mean 10-minute speed 48 49 42 41 39 36 34 41 35 45 43 47 49 mean num. of days with gales 2.1 1.1 1.2 0.3 0.3 0.1 0.0 0.3 0.2 0.5 0.7 1.4 8.2 Source: www.met.ie 3
Wind blows most frequently from the south and west for open sites while winds from the northeast or north occur least often. In January the southerly and south-easterly winds are more prominent than in July, which has a high frequency of westerly winds. Easterly winds occur most often between February and May and are commonly accompanied by dry weather. The influence of topography can be seen in the low frequency of winds from a south easterly direction at Valentia Observatory, and winds from a southerly direction at Dublin Airport. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) recommends that climate averages are computed over a 30 year period of consecutive records. The period of 30 years is considered long enough to smooth out year to year variations. 2.2 Potential Impacts on Air and Climate Dust is a natural occurring product of the environment. Typical levels in rural areas, untouched by human interference are given at < 70 mg/m 2 /day by the TA Luft VDI 2119 guidelines. Human activities will typically increase the background dust levels due to the creation of hard surfaces, movement of vehicles, reduction of damp areas and dust associated with the activities being carried out. The nature and particle size of the materials being handled at the site have a fundamental influence on their tendency to be broken down and to generate fugitive dust emissions. It is also dependent on material density and to some extent particle shape. Experience of soil recovery and C&D facilities indicate that mechanical activity is the most significant factor in material erosion and dust generation. However, the effect of wind and high ambient temperatures are also important factors in dust generation and migration. Problems may arise when all these factors arise simultaneously. Potential Impacts during the Construction Phase The nature and scale of the proposed development is such that no significant impact is likely to be caused to the climate. However, potential sources of dust from the facility during the construction phase of the project can be categorised under the following headings: Point Source where dust is generated by activities such as the unloading/tipping of materials bull dozer, earth-moving plant. Line Source where dust is generated by activities identified above along the internal haul road. Dispersed Source where dust is generated by activities such as exposed surfaces, uncontrolled placement of these soils and general activity. The amount of dust capable of being dispersed to a particular location during windy conditions is related to several factors including: Distance from source to receptor. Prevailing weather conditions. Intervening topography between source and receptor. As dust travels downwind from the source it initially disperses outwards and upwards and then progressively falls to the ground surface. Larger particles will fall first and therefore will not migrate as far as the smaller particles. The concentration of dust therefore reduces very quickly from the emission source. Most emitted dust is in fact deposited close to its source, generally within a distance of a few tens of metres. 4
3.0 Dust Emission Results In order to establish dust emission limits associated with the construction phase of the site, four dust locations were chosen for monitoring, see Table 3.1 and Figure 3.1 for further details on locations. These dust jars were setup up in keeping with the TA Luft/VDI 2119/Bergerhoff Method of dust emission monitoring. The sampling period was from the 1 st September 2016 to the 1 st October 2016. Table 3.1 displays the results from the monitoring event. None of the levels detected at the emission monitoring locations exceeded the TA Luft total dust deposition limit value (soluble and insoluble) of 350 milligram per square metre per day. Table 3.1 Results from dust emissions monitoring (1/09/16-1/10/16) Emission Limit Sample ID Sample Location Result Value D1 Northern Boundary 62.7 350mg/m 2 /day D2 Adjacent to the Site Entrance 107.2 350mg/m 2 /day D3 Eastern Boundary 105.6 350mg/m 2 /day D6 Western Boundary 96.2 350mg/m 2 /day 5
D1 D2 D6 D3 Figure 3.1 Dust Emissions Monitoring Locations 6
4.0 Mitigation Measures 4.1 Mitigation Measures for Air Quality Dust emissions from the proposed development are within the recommended limit value at all monitoring locations and all reasonable steps will be taken as far as is practical to minimise dust emissions. As with any infilling operation there is a potential for low level impacts as a result of dust emissions. In order to limit any potential impacts the following mitigation measures are proposed: Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGV s) entering the site will use the hardcore area only. All soil and stone loads (once inspected) will be tipped from the western edge of the hardcore area onto the infill area. This will reduce dust emissions generated from the tyres of vehicles originating from the site and waste licence area. It will also ensure that they do not carry excess soil and material onto the public road network. In dry weather periods the height of stockpiled materials awaiting infilling will be maintained at a low level, in order to reduce the risk of fugitive dust emissions. Access to the site from the R401 will be regularly inspected and maintained when necessary. A complaints register will be maintained on-site and any complaints relating to dust emissions will be immediately dealt with. Should the dust emissions from the site become an issue an annual deposition monitoring event would be recommended to establish the limits. All reasonable efforts will be made to keep traffic volume to a minimum during the construction phase, and the most feasible fuel efficient plant should be used. 5.0 Conclusion To date there are no issues with regards dust emissions from the site. Results from this recent monitoring event show the four locations as being below the recommended guideline limits. References www.met.ie Golder Associates Ireland (Golder) (2009): Environmental Impact Statement 7