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5.0 Environmental Analysis 5.5 Air Quality Avion Project SEIR Page 5.5-5 a. Local Air Quality Air quality is commonly expressed as the number of days per year in which air pollution levels exceed federal standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) or state standards set by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). The San Diego Air Pollution Control District (SDAPCD) maintains 10 air quality monitoring stations located throughout the greater San Diego metropolitan region. Air pollutant concentrations and meteorological information are continuously recorded at these stations. Measurements are then used by scientists to help forecast daily air pollution levels. The San Diego–Rancho Carmel Drive monitoring station, located at 11403 Rancho Carmel Drive, approximately 1.5 miles east of the project site, is the closest monitoring station to the project site. This monitoring station began operation in 2015 and currently measures CO and NO2. The closest monitoring station that measures a wider range of pollutants is the Escondido–East Valley Parkway monitoring station, located at 600 East Valley Parkway approximately 9 miles northeast of the project site. This monitoring station measures ozone, CO, NO2, PM10, and PM2.5. This station was temporarily closed in August 2015, and the new Escondido monitoring station is anticipated to begin operation in 2018. Table 2 in Appendix D provides a summary of measurements collected at the San Diego–Rancho Carmel Drive and Escondido–East Valley Parkway monitoring stations for the years 2012 through 2016. The most recent five years of data available is shown in Table 2 in Appendix D, which identifies the number of days ambient air quality standards were exceeded for the study area, which is considered to be representative of the local air quality at the project site. Additionally, data for SO2 have been omitted as attainment is regularly met in the SDAB, and few monitoring stations measure SO2 concentrations. 5.5.2.4 Pollutants of Concern Criteria pollutants are pollutants that are regulated through the development of human health based and/or environmentally based criteria for setting permissible levels. The U.S. EPA has designated six criteria pollutants of primary concern: ozone (O3), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), lead (Pb), and particulate matter, which included to sub- categories, particulate matter less than 10 microns (PM10) and particulate matter less than 2.5 microns (PM2.5). The U.S. EPA developed primary and secondary NAAQS. Additionally, the state of California has developed the CAAQS, which generally set more stringent limits on the criteria pollutants. The NAAQS and CAAQS are summarized in Table 5.5-1 above. If an air basin is not in either federal or state attainment for a particular pollutant, the basin is classified as non-attainment area for that pollutant. The SDAB is currently classified as a federal non- attainment area for ozone. At the state level, the SDAB is classified a non-attainment area for ozone, PM10, and PM2.5. Criteria pollutants, their typical sources, and effects are identified below.