Laserfiche WebLink
<br />tion of the Navajo GeneraLing Station to wintenime visibil- <br />ity degradation in several units of the National Parks in lhe <br />Colorado Plale3u. Major monitoring sites were set up in <br />Grand Canyon and Canyonlands National Parks. Research. <br />ers injected a tracer into the stacks at thegenerating staLion. <br />Emissions of the tracer were tracked and concentrations <br />measured at siteS in the parks to establish lhe quanLitaLive <br />contribution of the Navajo GeneraLing Station to air poilu. <br />tion in the canyon and at oLher park lands. <br /> <br />Initial measurements lhroughout Grand Canyon <br />National Park identified Hopi Point as the site oflhe highest <br />concenuations of tracer, the researchers then set up an <br />imensive monitoring system there. After analyzing nearly <br />2S.OCXJ samples of emissions as well as wimenime meteor. <br />ologic conditions and emission plume trajectories, the swdy <br />made !.he following conclusions: <br /> <br />E <br /> <br />-= - <br /> <br />-. <br /> <br />- <br /> <br />A draftofa final report issued by the National Park <br />Service on April 7, 1989. identifies the Navajo Generating <br />Sl.ation at Page. Arizona. as lhe source of up to 70% of lhe <br />visible polluLion in Grand Canyon National Park in winter <br />months (November . March). The visuaJ data from the <br />swdy is dramatic, with lhe features and colors of !.he <br />opposite rim almost completely obscured and muted by lhe <br />sulfate. laden haze for approltimately flfteen days ofeachof <br />these months, Good visibility is considered by many to be <br />one of the park's critical values. As the park's superinten. <br />dent, lack Davis. said recently. "Grand Canyon ishere to be <br />seen and to be seen clearly." <br /> <br />Ten years of inaction by lhe plant had precipitated <br />the intensive and eltpensive National Park Service study. <br />Now that the culpability for wintenime haze a1 the Grand <br />Canyon has been assigned unequivocally LO the plant. the <br />owners' response has ~ LO question the scientific meth. <br />odology of me study and LO call <br />for more studies. <br /> <br />~- <br /> <br />- - <br /> <br />EPA administrator <br />William Reilly may be forced to <br />confront the Interior Department <br />and !.he White House: in enforc. <br />ing EPA's visibililY program in <br />the West. The internal connicts <br />of the Interior Ocpartmc:rll. which <br />contains me Bureau of Recla. <br />mation and the NaLional Park <br />Service. will force a tug of war, <br />with the Grand Canyon and Cob- <br />rndo Ptateau caught in the middle. <br />This action will be a test of the <br />Bush administration's commit. <br />ment to the environment and to <br />clean air. <br /> <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Vi_ f'~ tll~ sa_ poilll (JJ tM SlJWW! I~ of dlJy. two dlJys ~(uliu <br />n\lisibilityislLssthmlJOnti/uiiltMCail)'Ol'l. <br /> <br />(I) The Navajo Generating Station is the single largest con. <br />tributor LO visibility imp3.innent at the Grand Canyon on CX) <br />percent of the episode days during the winter. <br /> <br />(2) lhe Navajo Generating Station, on the average. eauses <br />40-50 percent of the visibility impairment during the winter. <br />and <br /> <br />(3) on days with the worst visibility during the winter, lhe <br />Navajo Generating Station is highly likely to cause: 70 <br />percent of the observed visibility degradation. <br /> <br />The final Environmental Sla1.cment issued in 1987 <br />for the plant stated that .'the panicipants have committed <br />themselves to installing S~ removal systems on all three <br />units at the NGS." <br /> <br />As these agencies lock homs. <br />'The Grand Canyon Trust.along with the Environmental De. <br />fense Fund. wiD be working this summer and fall to press the <br />EPA. the Interior Department. and members of Congress to <br />take strong action to implement pollution controls al the <br />Navajo Generating Station and protect the Grand Canyon <br />from further harm. <br /> <br />TM Grand Canyon Trust nudJ your support to sustain this <br />important effort. We urge )'0" to wrjte to William Reilly. <br />EPA Administrator and express yo"' concern owr (M air <br />pollwwnfrom 1M Navajo Genualing Station and its ~ffecrs <br />on \lisibiliry in the Grand Canyon. TIlL address to write to <br />is: William Reilly. Administrator. En....iro~ntal Protte. <br />twn Agency, 401,\1 Strut, S,W.. Washington.D.C. 20460. <br /> <br />.5. <br />