Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to our newsletter here.

Data from a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation study presented in a live report Tuesday evening shows high levels of pollution surrounding highways in the city of Syracuse, especially surrounding I-81. Syracuse is one of 10 areas the NYSDEC is monitoring for poor air quality across the state as part of an effort to identify local pollutants in disadvantaged communities.

Marilyn Wurth, a DEC research scientist, said the preliminary data, collected from September through October, is going toward research that aims to quell high air pollution burdens throughout New York state. The NYSDEC chose 1o localities with the highest levels of air pollution to gather data, including Buffalo, Albany, Rochester, Syracuse and areas in and around New York City, she said.

Data collection will take place over the course of a year, and will involve community feedback, Wurth said.

“Periodically, we will provide updates and gather community input, and your input is an important part in the monitoring initiative,” Wurth said. “You know your community and its concerns the best at the end of the year, a full year of collection,” Wurth said.

When the department first began talks with Syracuse locals regarding air quality concerns, Wurth said interstate highways I-81 and I-69 came up most. NYSDEC is collecting air quality measurements in collaboration with Aclima, a company that collects and maps air quality data.

Dirk Felton, an NYSDEC scientist, said the department is working with Aclima to deploy a Toyota hybrid Prius car around specific communities in order to gather data using sensors. He said the effort aims to increase efficiency in data gathering.

“This type of mobile monitoring allows us to cover large study areas much larger than we can do with fixed monitors, and this is great for identifying peak concentrations of air pollution,” Felton said. “We’re using this program specifically to screen for sources of concern. We’re not trying to do population exposure, a health study or determine risk.”

The cars will drive across communities block-by-block, at least 20 times at different times of the day, week and year to collect readings, according to the NYSDEC’s website.

The data that Aclima collects will be transferred into an app so that scientists can look for high pollutant levels and monitor areas of concern, Wurth said. But because the sensors measure air quality by the second, Wurth said, Aclima uses its sensors alongside stationary monitors to use multiple data points. Pollution may be heightened in the middle of the road where the cars will be driving and collecting data, which may also skew findings.

The NYSDEC is analyzing the overall data set to find different air pollutants, like particulate matter, carbon monoxide and methane, which can be emitted from locations like power plants and landfills. Joseph Marto, an NYSDEC scientist who specializes in air toxics, said the analysis will consider “sensitive receptors,” meaning areas like schools, hospitals, daycares and residences, as well as places where the NYSDEC has issued permits for construction and roadwork.

Fulton also described the department’s role in the data collection process, saying scientists are looking to work collaboratively with communities in order to best help identify and remediate pollutants.

Although NYSDEC scientists emphasized their priority of participating with local community members to hear concerns and feedback, there are no plans to work with local universities or colleges like Syracuse University or SUNY ESF, Felton said in response to an attendee who inquired about any plans involving partnerships with educational institutions.

Amy Samuels, education and outreach coordinator at the Onondaga Environmental Institute, said the OEI has worked with Le Moyne College on similar air quality measurement projects.

Alanah Keddell-Tuckey, director of the NYSDEC’s Office of Environmental Justice, said the department and OEI have already partnered to share knowledge, learn priorities and further community-driven solutions. As the initiative moves forward with more data collection and analysis, she said the NYSDEC plans to hold more meetings to involve the local community.

“Our goal is to make sure that we’re establishing early partnerships with communities before we start to address solutions during the mitigation phase of the project,” Keddell-Tuckey said. “This information is going to be part of a statewide effort, so it’s important to make sure that everybody who should be at the table is at the table and is participating.”

Published on February 8, 2023 at 12:29 am

Contact Stephanie: spwright@syr.edu