Air quality monitoring in the Upper Hunter

Upper Hunter region

The monitoring region in the Upper Hunter runs from Merriwa in the northwest to near Broke in the southeast, across the local-government areas of Upper Hunter, Muswellbrook and Singleton. Download the network site information (XLSX 44KB).

The Upper Hunter Air Quality Monitoring Network was created by the Department of Planning and Environment, in partnership with the Upper Hunter coal and power industries, in response to community concern about the effect of coal mining on air quality in the region. The monitoring stations were established between 2010 and 2012.

Monitoring

All monitoring stations report on:

• PM₁₀ particles (particles with a diameter of 10 micrometres (µm) or less)
• wind speed
• wind direction.

Three stations (Muswellbrook, Singleton and Camberwell) also report on particles with a diameter 2.5 µm or less (PM_2.5).

Reporting

We provide hourly values of pollutant levels measured at these stations. For two stations, Muswellbrook and Singleton, we provide more detailed air-quality data.

• Current monitoring results from the Upper Hunter Air Quality Monitoring Network
• Upper Hunter Air Quality Monitoring Network map – displays current air quality conditions across the network
• Search historical data.

Annual reports

You can also find more air-quality information for the Upper Hunter region in our annual air-quality monitoring reports.

Newsletters

Seasonal air quality newsletters are published for the Upper Hunter region.

Five-year network review

A five year review of the Upper Hunter Air Quality Monitoring Network (PDF 2MB) was undertaken in 2017. This is the first review of the network following the initial 5 years of operation to 2016.

Research studies

The Upper Hunter Valley Particle Characterization Study was carried out in 2012 to study the composition of fine particles 2.5 microns and smaller in diameter (PM_2.5) in the towns of Singleton and Muswellbrook. 

Download a summary of the report (PDF 145KB).

Download the full report (PDF 5.7MB).

Advisory committee

In September 2010, the Upper Hunter Air Quality Monitoring Network Advisory Committee was established. The charter of the committee is to advise the Department of Planning and Environment and the Environment Protection Authority on matters specifically related to the design and operation of the Upper Hunter Air Quality Monitoring Network.