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3.6 Wagga Wagga

3.6.1 Description of the region

(168kb) Figure 20: Population density and topography of Wagga Wagga and environs Place names indicate population centres.

Wagga Wagga is located some 400 km to the south-west of Sydney in the region called the south-west slopes and the Murrumbidgee River. There are no other significant urban centres in the region (see Figure 20). There are no significant industrial sources of air pollution in the region. The relatively cold winters and prevalence of wood heating leads to a potential for exceedences of the NEPM standard for PM₁₀. The urban centre has a population of 43,000 and therefore requires at least one monitoring station under clause 14(1) of the AAQ NEPM.

No monitoring of AAQ NEPM parameters has been undertaken in Wagga Wagga.

3.6.2 Proposed AAQ NEPM assessment scheme

Clause 14(2) of NEPM allows fewer performance monitoring stations where it can be demonstrated that "pollutant levels are reasonably expected to be consistently lower than the standards mentioned in this Measure". PRC (2000d) sets out criteria which when met provide a basis for determining that there is a reasonable expectation that pollutant concentrations are consistently lower than the standards. These screening procedures will be applied.

The urban centre of Wagga Wagga is small, less than six kilometres in radius. Because the production of ozone by photochemical processes takes some hours, it is unlikely that emissions from the region could be retained for a sufficient length of time to generate significantly elevated concentrations. This reasoning is offered in lieu of screening arguments as there are currently no ozone data from regional centres in New South Wales from which to apply the criteria in PRC (2000d). The need for monitoring will be reviewed in light of the results of campaign monitoring at Bathurst and the results of the CSIRO TAPM modelling consultancy.

Monitoring data from the Sydney CBD site demonstrates that CO arising from motor vehicles in Wagga Wagga will be low and the screening criteria are satisfied (section 3.1.2). There may be potential for elevated concentrations of CO arising from the use of solid fuels. No monitoring of CO is proposed in Wagga Wagga at this stage. NSW will await the outcome of monitoring of CO in other regional centres such as Kalgoorlie (2001) and Toowoomba (2002) before making a final decision.

Data from the Sydney region allows screening of sulfur dioxide and lead (section 3.1.2). In addition, monitoring data from Newcastle (section 3.2.2) allows screening of nitrogen dioxide. Monitoring of these three parameters is therefore not required in this region. There is currently insufficient data within New South Wales to allow screening for ozone.

Wagga Wagga is one of several regional centres located on the tablelands where smoke from wood fires may be of concern during winter. As there is the potential for exceedences of the NEPM goal, NSW EPA has begun campaign monitoring in Wagga Wagga.

The monitoring station is located close to the centre of the city, on the northern boundary of the central business district. Emissions of wood smoke are likely to be transported to this station from a broad arc of the city, ranging from east, through south, to the west. The station is sufficiently close to the Murrumbidgee River to experience cold air drainage associated with it as it flows across the northern boundary of Wagga Wagga.