Wheel washing at construction sites helps keep the air cleaner

Since 2006, the Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center (LMCCC) has monitored the air from river to river south of Canal Street. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) confirmed that the LMCCC’s air-monitoring program continues to generate reliable data, in compliance with the DEC standards.

Through a five-year audit from 2006 through 2011, the DEC verified the accuracy of four air-monitoring stations that encompass the World Trade Center and other major construction sites. The monitors are located at: 292 Greenwich Street, 80 Catherine Street, 1 World Financial Center, and 1 Chase Plaza. Each station is equipped with two monitoring instruments that measure particulate-matter levels associated with construction activities. Elevated readings allow the LMCCC Environmental Compliance team to identify and help mitigate any potential impacts of compromised ambient air quality in Lower Manhattan. Daily air-monitoring results, as well as a complete archive, can be found on LowerManhattan.info by clicking here.

The DEC Bureau of Quality Assurance conducted initial, mid-term and year-end/new-year audits of the LMCCC ambient air-monitoring network to ensure compliance with current DEC operational requirements. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also reviews air-quality sampling results collected by the LMCCC and by owners of buildings in various downtown locations.

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