Uintah Basin Study Area
Natural gas production in the Uintah Basin is increasing significantly. The air quality impacts of this development are not known because there is not a good continuous record of ambient air data in the area. Monitoring data were collected during the previous oil boom (1970s and early 1980s) and the Ute Tribe has been collecting PM10 data at two sites since 2000. The National Park Service began collecting ozone data at Dinosaur National Monument using a portable ozone monitor in 2005.
The Utah Division of Air Quality (UDAQ) installed a new monitoring station in Vernal in December 2006 to provide current air quality data. The new monitor is collecting PM2.5, ozone, NOx, and meteorological data.
Data collected during the 2006/2007 winter season indicate that PM2.5 can build to unhealthy levels during winter temperature inversions in Vernal. The problem may be localized around Vernal because the tribal PM10 monitors in Whiterocks and Myton have not shown elevated PM10 levels during the winter. High PM2.5 levels occur in other parts of the state where strong temperature inversions develop during the winter. The State of Utah is in the process of identifying areas with high PM2.5 levels and identifying potential strategies to improve wintertime air quality in those areas.
High ozone levels have been measured in areas with significant oil and gas development in Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. Regional modeling predicts elevated ozone levels in the Uintah Basin during certain episodes, but the contribution of oil and gas development to the predicted levels is not known. UDAQ staff has been looking at other data sources and different analysis techniques to better understand how ozone may be forming in the Basin so that the impacts of future growth can be predicted.
Oil and gas development in the western US may also be affecting visibility in national parts and wilderness areas. While most emission inventory categories are decreasing, emissions from oil and gas development are expected to grow significantly between 2002 and 2018.
