DEQ Holding Community Meeting on Air Quality Study

By: City of Newports

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is hosting a community meeting about an air quality study the department is launching this summer in the Southeast Community. The meeting is being held April 11, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at An Achievable Dream Academy, 726 16th Street. Residents are invited to join the DEQ to learn about the study and provide feedback on the placement of air quality monitors. The DEQ is launching a study, which is part of the Tidewater Air Monitoring and Evaluation (TAME) project, to better understand the impacts of coal dust pollution. Through the TAME project, DEQ will deploy a series of air quality monitors and sensors to measure air toxics along with particulate pollution from coal dust. The DEQ received more than half a million dollars from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to investigate air quality related to coal dust in two historic Tidewater communities – the Southeast Community and Lambert’s Point in Norfolk. The Virginia Department of Health will work with DEQ to evaluate the data collected, conduct health risk assessments and provide information regarding potential health concerns. DEQ will analyze the results to determine the need for longer-term air monitoring in these communities. This project will inform plans and programs to address air quality impacts associated with coal dust. To learn more about the project, opportunities to get involved and to sign up for email updates, visit www.DEQ.Virginia.gov/TAME.