WILMINGTON, Del. — Delaware's Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control has acquired a mobile air quality monitoring unit using $440,000 in federal funding, allowing the state to test pollution levels in neighborhoods that are not covered by permanent monitoring stations.
U.S. Sen. Chris Coons and DNREC Secretary Greg Patterson introduced the new equipment Thursday, Oct. 22, in Wilmington.
The funding, secured by Coons and Delaware's congressional delegation, paid for an all-electric truck, a mobile monitoring trailer and air quality testing equipment.
DNREC currently operates 11 permanent air monitoring stations across the state that collect data around the clock. The new mobile unit will allow the agency to conduct testing in specific neighborhoods, including areas where people have raised concerns about pollution.
Unlike the state's fixed monitoring stations, the trailer can be moved to different locations to collect air quality data.
According to Coons' office, concerns about air pollution in Wilmington neighborhoods helped prompt the push for federal funding.
“Every Delawarean deserves to know the air they breathe is safe, no matter the neighborhood they call home,” said Senator Chris Coons. “This new mobile monitoring unit will help us better understand pollution patterns around where people live, work, and raise their families, and help Delawareans make more informed decisions to protect their health."
Patterson said the equipment will expand DNREC's ability to investigate air quality complaints.
“This new trailer puts sophisticated air monitoring equipment on wheels so we can take it wherever we need,” Patterson said.
The additional monitoring equipment is intended to help DNREC identify local pollution patterns and gather information that could be used in future air quality decisions.
