Another air quality monitoring station will be installed locally by the Otago Regional Council (ORC).

The temporary station will be located at the road reserve on Rifleman Street in Albert Town and it will monitor levels of particulate matter - tiny particles that are a harmful pollutant - ORC environmental monitoring network lead Nick Boyens said.

“Other equipment includes meteorological instruments to measure ambient temperature, wind direction, wind speed and relative humidity,” Nick said.

The station, comprising a mobile monitoring system, is likely to be in place for around 15 months, to capture conditions next winter, when air quality is typically at its worst.

The mobile monitoring system is a “small self-contained trailer that contains all necessary instrumentation and power supplies,” Nick said.

Two months ago the Wānaka Upper Clutha Community Board (WUCCB) approved a long-term monitoring station for Upton Street.

Yesterday (Thursday November 21), during the WUCCB meeting, they signed off on a temporary station in Albert Town.

Both stations are part of upgrades the ORC is doing to its air quality monitoring systems in Queenstown Lakes.

ORC began upgrading and expanding its monitoring sites late last year in response to changing monitoring guidelines from Land, Air, Water Aotearoa (LAWA).

Increased air quality monitoring and data collection will make the regional council better equipped to address air pollution, the ORC said.

PHOTO: ORC