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6 <br /> } <br /> 4.5 AIR QUALITY <br /> INTRODUCTION <br /> R <br /> This section includes a summary of local and regional air quality conditions, and an <br /> analysis of potential air quality impacts associated with the proposed project and <br /> alternatives. Mitigation measures are recommended, as necessary, to reduce potentially <br /> significant adverse air quality impacts. <br /> The information contained in this section is based on documents prepared by the San <br /> Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District (SJVUAPCD), United States <br /> Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), California Air Resources Board (CARB), and <br /> National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Information from these <br /> documents provided background information for preparation of the discussion of existing <br /> conditions and impact analyses included in this section. <br /> SETTING <br /> Regional Environment <br /> The project site is located in the San Joaquin Valley Air Basin (SJVAB) planning area. The <br /> SJVAB is comprised of eight counties: San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno, <br /> Kings, Tulare, and western and central Kern counties (4.5-1). The concentration of air <br /> pollutants within the SJVAB varies from day to day depending on the ability of the <br /> atmosphere to disperse pollutants. The ability of the atmosphere to disperse pollutants is <br /> dependent on various factors including: topography, air flow, climate, and weather. Air <br /> quality conditions in the area are also influenced by pollutants originating in the San <br /> Francisco Bay Area. Additionally, prevailing southwesterly winds carry contaminants from <br /> urban and agricultural sources in the Valley. <br /> Topography <br /> The SJVAB is the second largest air basin in the state occupying the southern most portion <br /> of the Great Central Valley. The SJVAB consists of a relatively flat valley floor bounded <br /> to the east by the Sierra Nevada Mountains (approximately 8,000 to 14,000 feet elevation), <br /> to the west by the Coastal Ranges (approximately 3,000 feet elevation), and to the south <br /> by the Tehachapi Mountains and the San Emigdio Mountains (approximately 8,000 feet <br /> elevation). The northern portion of the Valley opens to the sea at the Carquinez Straits <br /> where the San Joaquin-Sacramento Delta empties into the San Francisco Bay <br /> (SJVUAPCD, 1994). <br /> Draft Environmental Impact Report 4-58 ER-96-3 <br /> f <br />