Air quality assessment of the New Jersey Pinelands

The development of a Comprehensive Management Plan for the Pinelands must include an assessment of existing air quality in the Pinelands area and an understanding of the possible degradation of the air quality as a result of development and growth in and around the Pinelands. A thoughtful plan will attempt to minimize the air quality impact of development. This report is intended to aid the Pinelands Commission in the preparation of the Comprehensive Management Plan by describing existing air quality in the Pinelands (section 5.0), identifying sources of air pollution already in the Pinelands (section 6.0) and recommending land use plans which will minimize the air quality impact of development (section 7.0). Two major issues are identified and discussed. First, ozone is the only pollutant known to reach unhealthful levels in the Pinelands. The ozone is generated during the warmer months from pollutants emitted from a variety of sources but the most important source in the Pinelands is the automobile. The extent of traffic in, through and around the Pinelands is, therefore, an important issue to be addressed by the Plan. The second major issue is maintenance of the clean air existing in the Pinelands. All air pollutants, other than ozone, which have been measured in the Pinelands are observed to be at low levels relative to the national ambient air quality standards and to the levels observed in the surrounding urban areas. It should be a goal of the Plan to maintain these low air pollution levels in order to protect the plant and animal species indigenous to the Pinelands, and to maintain the good visibility essential to recreational use of the Pinelands.The preparation of this document was financed in part through a planning grant from the Naltional Park Service, Department of Interior, under the provisions of the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 (Public Law 88-578, as amended)