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PM10 describes inhalable particles, with diameters that are generally 10 micrometers and smaller. This indicator measures the highest monitored PM10 concentration averaged over every 24-hours for the calendar year. Small particulate matter can lodge in the lungs and cause or aggravate the effects of asthma, lung diseases, and heart disease. Elevated concentrations of PM10 can reduce regional visibility. On an annual basis the sources of PM10 in the Tahoe Basin include motor vehicle emissions, paved and unpaved road dust, wood smoke, wildfire smoke, and construction dust. The highest 24-hour PM10 concentrations in the region are generally associated with wildfires. PM10 is monitored by TRPA and partners at three sites around the Basin.
- Status
- At or Somewhat Better Than Target
- Trend
- Moderate Decline
- Confidence
- Moderate
- Due to increasing smoke from severe wildfires outside the Tahoe Region impacting the air quality in the Basin, the maximum daily particulate matter concentrations have increased over the past several years, although each year is highly variable depending on the location of wildfires.
The location of air quality monitoring stations in the Lake Tahoe Basin. PM10 is monitored by TRPA and partners at three sites around the Basin.
- This indicator measures the highest monitored PM10 concentration averaged over every 24-hours for the calendar year. Particulate matter in high concentrations less than or equal to 10 microns in size can lodge in the lungs and cause or aggravate the effects of asthma, lung diseases, and heart disease. Elevated concentrations of PM10 have also been attributed to reductions in regional visibility and increased regional haze. Federal and state standards with varying time averaging periods have been adopted to protect human health and regional visibility.
- Particulate matter pollution consists of very small liquid and solid particles in the air. The primary sources of PM10 in the Lake Tahoe Basin are motor vehicle emissions, paved and unpaved road dust, wood smoke, wildfire smoke, and construction dust. The ambient concentration of PM10 is highly dependent on meteorological conditions such as wind speed and mixing conditions.
EIP Indicators
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Acres of Forest Fuels Reduction Treatment
EIP partners have collectively treated over 86,000 acres of forest to reduce hazardous fuels and continue to treat lands in the wildland urban interface to reduce wildfire threat.
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Miles of Street Sweeping
Since 2009 EIP partners have swept more than 61,000 miles of roadways within the Tahoe Basin reducing fine sediment particles from roadways entering the air and water.
Example EIP Projects
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Lake Tahoe West Landscape-Scale Restoration Partnership
Projects to improve forest health and thus prevent or reduce wildfire intensity such as the Lake Tahoe West Landscape-Scale Restoration Partnership will help decrease high particulate matter days.
Monitoring Programs
- The current status was determined based on the maximum 24-hour reading taken during the most recent year monitoring data is available at any monitoring site in the Region. The maximum value was 41 µg/m3, which is 82% of the maximum allowable value of 50 µg/m3 recorded at the South Lake Tahoe Sandy Way site in 2019. Therefore, the current status is at or somewhat better than target.
- Trend was determined using the maximum 24-hr reading at the South Lake Tahoe - Sandy Way site from 1993-2019 using the Theil-Sen robust regression method. There has been an annual increase of 2.2% compared to the standard. Therefore, the trend is considered moderate decline.
- High. Monitoring was conducted using strict protocols.
- Low. A long-term, high-quality data set is available to analyze trend but the results are highly variable and a clear trend is not present.
- High.
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