West Bamfield
Emissions Inventory
| An emissions inventory is an accounting of the amount of pollution discharged into an airshed from different sources. The main emissions inventory categories are:
MOBILE SOURCES
Mobile sources include on-road vehicles like cars, trucks, and buses. They also include off-road vehicles such as ships, airplanes, and equipment used in agriculture and construction.
Concerns, in this category, specific to Port Alberni include ship loading, idling emissions, and heavy truck and vehicle emissions along inner city routes.
POINT SOURCES
Point sources are stationary industrial facilities that operate under ministry authorization. The largest point source emitter in Port Alberni is the Catalyst Paper Corporation. It is responsible for about 30% of the Nitrous Oxides, 10% of the Volatile Organic Compounds, and 90% of the Sulphur Oxides discharged into our airshed.
For full discussion of pulp and paper in Port Alberni go to:
PULP AND PAPER
AREA SOURCES
Dry cleaners, gas stations, and auto body paint shops are examples of area sources. They are stationary and relatively small individual sources that, collectively, can have a large impact on air quality.
Residential wood heating falls under this category and is a significant cause of air quality degradation every winter in the Alberni Valley.
Smoke from prescribed burning, land clearing burning, and backyard burning are other significant sources of smoke pollution. Within the latter, the burning of leaves, grass, and household garbage is extremely toxic and unnecessary. Exposures can be very high as this kind of smoke typically fumigates an area at ground level where people are living and breathing. For full discussion of smoke issues in Port Alberni go to: BURNING ISSUES CHART SUMMARIES FOR MOBILE, POINT AND AREA DISCHARGES The following charts provide a rough summary for each of the main Criteria Air Contaminants discharged in the Alberni Valley in 2006 from mobile, area, and point sources:
For charts in greater detail click here
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