Air monitoring

This page provides the current information on air quality monitoring in Nelson, including PM10 exceedances and average concentrations each day in winter months.

Victory Square airshed

In Airshed A (Hospital Valley/Victory) air quality is improving over time. View a graph comparing pollution levels over the last eight years.

Pollution maximums are getting smaller, and tend to be less than half of what they were eight years ago. The number of days on which the Government standard is breached also has fallen  significantly.

Stoke/Tahuna airshed

The pollution trend in Stoke/Tahunanui is less clear than in the Hospital/Victory area, as Council does not yet have good long term monitoring data. However the changes to domestic fires and upgrades of industrial discharges are expected to show improvements over the next year or two in that air catchment as well.

Historically over 80% of Nelson’s urban air pollution comes from domestic burning so the open fire ban is likely to be the biggest factor in our improving air quality.

PM Concentrations Exceeded

November 2009

24 hour PM10 exceedance
2009 Date 24 hour mean PM10 Concentration Measured (µg/m3) Extent of PM10 Exceedence (µg/m3) Location at which Regulation was Breached
25 November 65 15 Airshed B: Tahunanui-Stoke

August 2009

24 hour PM10 exceedance
2009 Date 24 hour mean PM10 Concentration Measured (µg/m3) Extent of PM10 Exceedence (µg/m3) Location at which Regulation was Breached
10 August 55 5 Airshed A: St Vincent Street
8 August 56 6 Airshed A: St Vincent Street
7 August
 57 7 Airshed A: St Vincent Street
6 August 62 12 Airshed A: St Vincent Street

July 2009

24 hour PM10 exceedance
2009 Date 24 hour mean PM10 Concentration Measured (µg/m3) Extent of PM10 Exceedence (µg/m3) Location at which Regulation was Breached
27 July 73 23 Airshed A: St Vincent Street
26 July 56 6 Airshed A: St Vincent Street
25 July 55 5 Airshed A: St Vincent Street
11 July
 57 7 Airshed A: St Vincent Street
10 July
 54
 4 Airshed B: Tahunanui-Stoke
10 July
 76 26 Airshed A: St Vincent Street
9 July
 61
 11 Airshed A: St Vincent Street
3 July
 55 5 Airshed A: St Vincent Street

PM Concentrations Exceeded

June 2009

24 hour PM10 exceedance
2009 Date 24 hour mean PM10 Concentration Measured (µg/m3) Extent of PM10 Exceedence (µg/m3) Location at which Regulation was Breached
27 June 59 9 Airshed A: St Vincent Street
25 June 57 7 Airshed B: Tahunanui-Stoke
25 June 85 35 Airshed A: St Vincent Street
24 June 51 1 Airshed B: Tahunanui-Stoke
24 June 75 25 Airshed A: St Vincent Street
23 June 68 18 Airshed A: St Vincent Street
22 June 69 19 Airshed A: St Vincent Street
21 June 67 17 Airshed A: St Vincent Street
20 June 77 27 Airshed A: St Vincent Street
19 June 68 18 Airshed A: St Vincent Street
18 June 65 15 Airshed A: St Vincent Street
5 June 55 5 Airshed B: Tahunanui-Stoke
4 June 59 9 Airshed A: St Vincent Street
3 June 60 10 Airshed B: Tahunanui-Stoke
3 June 72 22 Airshed A: St Vincent Street
2 June 65 15 Airshed A: St Vincent Street
1 June
55
5
Airshed A: St Vincent Street

May 2009

24 hour PM10 exceedance
2009 Date 24 hour mean PM10 Concentration Measured (µg/m3) Extent of PM10 Exceedence (µg/m3) Location at which Regulation was Breached
30 May
 57 7 Airshed A: St Vincent Street
29 May
 64 14 Airshed A: St Vincent Street
28 May 51 1 Airshed B: Tahunanui-Stoke
28 May 66 16 Airshed A: St Vincent Street
27 May
 61 11 Airshed A: St Vincent Street
22 May
67
17
Airshed A: St Vincent Street
13 May 52 2 Airshed A: St Vincent Street*
12 May
51
1
Airshed A: St Vincent Street

*Note: the exceedance on this date is also from a Partisol Monitor, which is used as a check for the FH62 Monitor. Partisol samples are analysed and reported to Council several months after collection.

View historic air monitoring data prior to 2009.