Effect of power plant emission reductions on a nearby wilderness area: a case study in northwestern Colorado

This study evaluates the effect of emission reductions at two coal-fired power plants in northwestern Colorado on a nearby wilderness area. Control equipment was installed at both plants during 1999–2004 to reduce SO 2 and NOx emissions. One challenge was separating the effects of local from regiona...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental monitoring and assessment 2013-09, Vol.185 (9), p.7081-7095
Main Authors: Mast, M. Alisa, Ely, Daniel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acidification
Acidity
Aerosols
Air Pollutants - analysis
Air Pollution - prevention & control
Air Pollution - statistics & numerical data
Airborne particulates
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Applied ecology
Applied sciences
Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution
Biological and medical sciences
Case studies
Coal
Coal-fired power plants
Colorado
Conservation of Energy Resources
Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife
Continental surface waters
Earth and Environmental Science
Ecology
Ecotoxicology
Electric power generation
Electric power plants
Emission analysis
Emission measurements
Emissions control
Energy
Environment
Environment and sustainable development
Environmental impact
Environmental Management
Environmental Monitoring
Exact sciences and technology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Industrial plant emissions
Lakes
Monitoring/Environmental Analysis
Natural water pollution
Organic carbon
Pollution
Power Plants
Precipitation
Public health
Reduction
Relative humidity
Studies
Sulfates
Sulfur
Sulfur dioxide
Visibility
Water quality
Water treatment and pollution
Wilderness
Wilderness areas
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Description
Summary:This study evaluates the effect of emission reductions at two coal-fired power plants in northwestern Colorado on a nearby wilderness area. Control equipment was installed at both plants during 1999–2004 to reduce SO 2 and NOx emissions. One challenge was separating the effects of local from regional emissions, which also declined during the study period. The long-term datasets examined confirm that emission reductions had a beneficial effect on air and water quality in the wilderness. Despite a 75 % reduction in SO 2 emissions, sulfate aerosols measured in the wilderness decreased by only 20 %. Because the site is relatively close to the power plants (
ISSN:0167-6369
1573-2959
DOI:10.1007/s10661-013-3086-6