Richmond - North Richmond - San Pablo
Overview
- Selection for: Community Air Monitoring Plan (2018) and Community Emissions Reduction Program (2020)
- Air District: Bay Area Air Quality Management District
- CARB Community Lead Contact: Julia Luongo
The Richmond, North Richmond, San Pablo community (Community) lies in the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD). The community is located in the western part of Contra Costa County and includes El Cerrito (south of Richmond) and portions of San Pablo and the unincorporated areas of North Richmond (north and east of Richmond). The community is impacted by a variety of sources including freight activity and port operations, and various industry and on-road emissions. The Richmond community has a high cumulative air pollution exposure burden, a significant number of sensitive receptor locations, and includes census tracts that have been designated as disadvantaged communities.
Community Boundary
Richmond - North Richmond - San Pablo's AB 617 community boundary files
Community Air Monitoring
In 2018, the Community was nominated by the District and selected by CARB as a monitoring community. The District published the AB 617 Richmond-San Pablo Community Air Monitoring Plan in July 2020.
The Community Air Monitoring Plan identifies areas of interest for AB 617 monitoring such as stationary and mobile sources, monitoring site locations, sampling schedules, and types of equipment and strategies. The plan was designed to obtain detailed air pollution levels through the Community, determine areas in the community of highest risk, quantify sources of air pollution within the community, and to position the Community to develop emissions reduction strategies and monitor the effectiveness of those strategies.
CARB and the District have historically implemented air monitoring which includes regulatory monitoring in Contra Costa County. The AB 617 community air monitoring plan is specifically designed with the community steering committee input to measure and collect localized and elevated air pollution levels data. The District considered health statistics, air quality concerns from residents in multiple communities, as well as screening tools that combine environmental, health, and socio-economic information to calculate community-wide risk factors in the planning and implementation of community air monitoring. Community-level expertise through steering committee meetings and input from a broad range of stakeholders supported the District's development of this plan.
The collection of comprehensive air quality data is essential to develop emissions reduction plans and strategies. The monitoring data from Groundwork Richmond has been provided to CARB and can be downloadable on AQView where monitoring data from other AB 617 community air monitoring plans are also included.
Community Emissions Reduction Program
In 2021, at the recommendation of CARB staff, the CARB Board selected the Richmond, San Pablo Community to transition and develop a community emissions reduction program, in addition to continued implementation of the 2018 Community Monitoring Plan.
Community Engagement
Community engagement is a key part of the AB 617 program. Air districts are responsible for convening a community steering committee using an open and transparent nomination process. Community steering committees create new, and foster existing, local partnerships which drive the AB 617 program. In this advisory role, community steering committees oversee the development and implementation of the program such as in community identification, community air monitoring, and community emissions reduction programs. The steering committee aims to identify metrics, track progress, solicit, and share information with the Richmond community. The community is currently forming the next Community Steering Committee for the subsequent Community Emissions Reduction Program and more information can be found on the district website.