DNREC Unveils New Mobile Air Quality Monitoring Unit

DNREC’s new mobile air quality monitoring unit / Image courtesy US Senator Chris Coons

DNREC unveiled a new mobile air quality monitoring unit supported by $440,000 in federal funding secured by Delaware’s congressional delegation. The federal funding helped in the purchase of an all-electric truck, mobile monitoring trailer and air quality monitoring equipment. This will give state officials more flexibility to measure pollution in communities throughout the First State.

DNREC’s Division of Air Quality operates 11 permanent air monitoring stations that track air quality around the clock. With the new mobile unit they can go to neighborhoods where residents have raised air quality concerns.

Additional information from US Senator Chris Coons:

“Every Delawarean deserves to know the air they breathe is safe, no matter the neighborhood they call home,” said  Senator Coons. “When Wilmington residents raised concerns about the air quality in their communities, I was proud to help secure the federal funding that would provide DNREC the tools to find answers. 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. I’m grateful to Secretary Patterson and the dedicated team at DNREC for their partnership in this important work.”

The investment builds on DNREC’s existing efforts to monitor air pollution, which currently tracks pollutants to help officials identify trends and assess air quality conditions. By expanding DNREC’s ability to collect neighborhood-level data, the new mobile unit will help ensure that concerns raised by Delaware residents can be investigated with the tools and information necessary to guide future decisions.