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Second Avenue Subway (SAS) Project

g Study of the 86th Street Station nd Avenue

Air Quality MonitorinConstruction on Seco

nterim Report I

Prepared for:

MTA Capital Construction

Prepared by:

erhoff Parsons Brinck

May 15, 2012

MTA Capital Construction Second Avenue Subway (SAS) – Construction of the 86th Street Station PreBlast Report

i May 15, 2012

Table of Contents

I. INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................................................3

II. STUDY OBJECTIVES .....................................................................................................................................................5

III. CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES AND AIR POLLUTION CONTROL MEASURES................................................5

IV. MONITORED POLLUTANTS, LOCATIONS AND EQUIPMENT ...........................................................................7

V. DETERMINATION OF REFERENCE LEVELS AS BENCHMARKS.....................................................................12

VI. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS .........................................................................................................................................12

Second Avenue Subway (SAS) – Construction of the 86th Street Station MTA Capital Construction Interim Report

ii May 15, 2012

Figures

FIGURE I‐1: PROJECT STUDY AREA......................................................................................................................................................... 4

RD TH

FIGURE IV‐1: 83 STREET T 84 S S .............................................................................................................................. 8

O TREET HAFT

FIGURE IV‐2: 86TH STREET TO 87TH STREET SHAFT .............................................................................................................................. 8

FIGURE IV‐3: SCHOOL ROOF AMS............................................................................................................................................................. 8

FIGURE IV‐4: AMS 1 AT THE CORNER OF 83RD STREET AND 2ND AVENUE ..................................................................................... 9

TH ND FIGURE IV‐5: AMS 2 AT THE CORNER OF 84 STREET AND 2 AVENUE ......................................................................................... 9

TH ND FIGURE IV‐6: AMS 3 AT THE CORNER OF 86 STREET AND 2 AVENUE .......................................................................................10

FIGURE IV‐7: AMS 4 AT THE CORNER OF 87TH STREET AND 2ND AVENUE .......................................................................................10

FIGURE IV‐8: AMS 5 R OF OF T TUHS (BETWEEN 67TH A 68TH S 2ND A ) ............................11

ON THE O HE ND TREETS AND VENUE

FIGURE VI‐1: PM10 24‐HOUR AVERAGE CONCENTRATIONS IN MARCH ..........................................................................................13

FIGURE VI‐2: PM10 24 HOUR AVERAGE CONCENTRATIONS IN APRIL..............................................................................................14

FIGURE VI‐3: PM2.5 24‐HOUR AVERAGE CONCENTRATIONS IN MARCH..........................................................................................15

FIGURE VI‐4: PM2.5 24 HOUR AVERAGE CONCENTRATIONS IN APRIL.............................................................................................16

Tables

TABLE III‐1: TEST BLAST DATES AND TIMES......................................................................................................................................... 6

ABLE IV‐1: AIR MONITORING STATION LOCATIONS........................................................................................................................... 7

T

MTA Capital Construction Second Avenue Subway (SAS) – Construction of the 86th Street Station Interim Report

3 May 15, 2012

I. Introduction

Air pollution from construction activities occurs primarily in the form of particulate matter (PM), which is created by dust-generating activities (excavation, grading, blasting, trucking, demolition, etc.) and exhaust from the diesel engines that power the majority of construction equipment and trucks. Particulate matter is a mixture of extremely small particles and liquid droplets found in the air. Some particles (e.g., dust, dirt, soot, or smoke) are large or dark enough to be seen with the naked eye; others are so small, they can be detected only by using an electron microscope. Of particular health concern, due to their effects on the respiratory system, are coarse particles that are 10 microns (PM10) and smaller, and fine particles that are 2.5 microns (PM2.5) and smaller.

In the case of the Second Avenue Subway (SAS) project, the underground blasting operations for the excavation of the station caverns for the 72nd Street Station contributed to visible particulate matter. Concerns over the potential health effects on the adjacent public of air pollution associated with construction activities triggered the need for a comprehensive air monitoring study, which was completed in January 2012 (http://www.mta.info/capconstr/sas/documents/AirStudyFinalReport-1-17-12.pdf). This air monitoring study for the 86th Street Station area fulfills one of the recommendations of that study. Since the 86th Street Station contractor will utilize a different system to mitigate air emissions when blasting operations begin in August for the underground caverns, targeted monitoring is recommended between 83rd and 87th Streets to ensure that the emissions controls are adequate. The pollutants recommended for monitoring in this area are PM10 and PM2.5.

This interim report presents the results of the first phase of air monitoring, which included collection of baseline data prior to the start of underground blasting in the 86th Street caverns. PM10 and PM2.5 data was collected between March 3 and April 19, 2012. Only street-level construction activities were underway during this monitoring period including, but not limited to: muck house construction, occasional test blasting for shaft excavation, and utility relocation. The baseline data collected at the street level monitors captures the effects of these construction activities, traffic along Second Avenue, and background levels of particulate matter. Air quality data was also collected on the rooftop of a school at 67th Street and Second Avenue, to gain a better understanding of background conditions, less influenced by traffic along Second Avenue and the effects of Second Avenue Subway construction.

The second phase of this monitoring study will include collecting several months of air quality data once the contractor begins underground blasting operations. Blast emissions will be mitigated through the use of a wet scrubber system along with other dust suppression techniques.

Unlike fixed industrial and mobile transportation sources, the air pollution effects of construction activities are considered a temporary problem. There are no federal or New York state regulatory requirements to monitor the air pollutant levels associated with construction activities. As such, this air monitoring program (referred to as the SAS air monitoring program) is voluntary.

This report reviews the study objectives and provides a description of the construction activities and the contractor’s air pollution and dust control programs during this monitoring study. The selection process to identify the locations monitored, the rationale for selecting health-based reference levels, a description of the findings for each pollutant measured, are outlined.

http://www.mta.info/capconstr/sas/documents/AirStudyFinalReport-1-17-12.pdf


4 May 15, 2012

Figure I-1 provides a view of the monitoring area and locations of the Air Monitoring Stations (AMS) which encompasses Second Avenue between 83rd and 87th Streets covered by the Contract C5B and the monitor on the roof of the Talent Unlimited High School (TUHS) building at 67th Street and Second Avenue.

Figure I1: Project Study Area

Talent Unlimited High School

83rd Street Shaft

86th Street Shaft


5 May 15, 2012

II. Study Objectives

The main objectives of the study are:

1. To collect baseline data prior to the start of underground blasting operations in the 86th Street Station caverns.

2. To perform monitoring during the first three months of the underground blasting operations in the 86th Street Station caverns to test the effectiveness of the contractor’s wet scrubber system and other dust mitigation measures employed.

This report covers the first phase of the monitoring program, the baseline monitoring conducted prior to start of production blasting operations.

III. Construction Activities and Air Pollution Control Measures

The monitoring program was designed to cover the effects of construction activities associated with construction of the 86th Street Station.

Activities for 86th Street Station Area In June 2009, the first of three contracts for the 86th Street Station, Contract 5A was awarded to J. D’Annunzio & Sons, Inc. (hereafter referred to as “JDSI”) for the advance utility relocation work and construction of cut-and-cover shaft areas at 83rd and 86th Streets. This contract provided two vertical starter shafts that will be used by Contract 5B (awarded on August 4, 2011 to Skanska/Traylor Joint Venture) for station cavern mining between 83rd and 86th Streets. The work will entail blasting of bedrock, installation of three station entrances, and two ancillary ventilation buildings.

Construction in the area of the 86th Street Station (Contract C5B) during the baseline monitoring period included: muck handling construction at the two shaft sites; shaft excavation via line drilling and limited test blasting; installation of a support wall for excavation; hoe ramming, shotcreting, and excavation at the Ancillary 1 location on the northwest corner of 83rd Street; and utility relocations.

Work that will be completed once the air monitoring program resumes in August 2012 will include: drill and blasting for the cavern excavation, muck system operation and disposal of material, utility relocation, and hoe ramming for the ADA elevator entrance at 86th Street.

Blasting Operation The blasting contractor uses an ammonium nitrate/fuel oil (ANFO)-like explosive (Trade Names of Emulex and Red-D Prime, see Attachment A for material safety data sheet (MSDS)). This is the only explosive authorized by the NYC Fire Department. Test blast dates and times during this initial baseline data collection effort are shown in Table III-1.


6 May 15, 2012

Table III1: Test Blast Dates and Times

Date Ti d me Perio Blasting Location 10:18 AM 12:02 PM 4/11/2012 13:40 PM 8:33 AM 10:19 AM 11:59 AM

4/12/2012

14:00 PM 8:24 AM 10:23 AM 12:04 PM

4/13/2012

13:54 PM 9:00 AM 11:03 AM 12:35 PM

4/19/2012

14:00 PM 8:28 AM 9:58 AM 11:53 AM

4/20/2012

13:42 PM 9:03 AM 10:51 AM 12:09 PM 14:00 PM

4/21/2012

15:30 PM 8:30 AM 10:15 AM 11:16 AM 12:33 PM

4/26/2012

14:03 PM 9:21 AM 11:01 AM 13:00 PM

4/27/2012

14:21 PM 8:46 AM 11:44 AM 4/30/2012 12:42 PM

83rd St and 2nd Ave SE Corner

Contractor’s Dust and Air Pollution Control Measures The contractor was required to prepare and submit to MTACC a dust and air pollution control plan related to emissions generated during construction activities.

For the 86th Street Station contract, air pollution control measures in place during the baseline monitoring period included: Use of blast mats for the initial top-down excavation of the shafts.

Use of water spraying devices (Dust Bosses) above ground directed at the surface area of the excavation shafts during blasting operations.

Efforts to avoid stockpiling of materials on the streets, and covering/wetting stockpiles to prevent dust.

Covering trucks when transporting spoils from excavation

Spraying truck wheels and underside before leaving the construction sites.


7 May 15, 2012

Use of ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) on all diesel powered construction equipment.

Once the shaft excavation is complete, and excavation of the cavern commences, a wet scrubber dust collection system will be in place at both shafts. The wet scrubber system is a dual stage process. Dirty air is initially saturated with water from a series of fine water spray nozzles. The air stream is then directed through a spin filter where it develops high speed radial velocity, forcing particulates to separate from the air flow. The wet scrubber system is designed to remove both PM10 and PM2.5 dust particles.

IV. Monitored Pollutants, Locations and Equipment

The SAS baseline air monitoring program collected hourly concentrations of coarse and fine particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) continuously for the period from March 3 through April 19, 2012 at five air monitoring stations along Second Avenue. The monitoring locations were selected in consultation with EPA Region II to represent the effects of blasting and the proposed mitigation measures and to characterize worst-case public exposure from these construction activities. Three air monitoring stations for the baseline monitoring were started in early March. Another two monitoring locations were added in the middle of April with the start of test blasting.

Air quality levels along the Second Avenue corridor are a combination of regional pollution from many sources in the area and the local pollution from construction operations, motor vehicles, residential boilers, and other local commercial sources. The street level stations (Figures IV-1 and IV-2) collected concentrations resulted from surface construction activities and other localized and regional sources, while the roof-top monitoring station #5 (Figure IV-3) collected data more representative of background conditions. Table IV-1 presents the description of monitoring station locations.

Table IV1: Air Monitoring Station Locations

Station num er b

Location

1 83rd Street SE, at the corner inside the fence at grade. 2 Inside the fence on 84th Street NE corner on a 3 foot platform. 3 86th Street SE corner on a 3 foot platform adjacent to electric compressors with monitor heads above

the compressors. 4 87th Street NE corner on a 3 foot platform. 5 On the roof of the School between 67th and 68th Streets on the 2nd Avenue.

E-BAM instruments were deployed for this monitoring study. E-BAM is a reliable continuous monitor that measures and records airborne particulate concentrations. E-BAM is easy to maintain and could store up to a hundred days of monitored concentrations. The measurement range of the monitor is from -5 to 65,530 g/m3 and the resolution is 1 g/m3. Depending on the inlet that is used, the instrument could monitor either PM10 or PM2.5 concentrations. The data is downloaded in the field with the help of a laptop computer. Figures IV-4 through IV-8 show the air monitoring stations along the 2nd Avenue with PM10 and PM2.5 E-BAM monitors placed side-by-side at each station.


Figure IV1: 83rd Street to 84th Street Shaft

Figure IV2: 86th Street to 87th Street Shaft

Figure IV3: School Roof AMS

8 May 15, 2012


Figure IV4: AMS 1 at the corner of 83rd Street and 2nd Avenue

Figure IV5: AMS 2 at the corner of 84th Street and 2nd Avenue

9 May 15, 2012




10 May 15, 2012

Interim Report

11 May 15, 2012

MTA Capital Construction Second Avenue Subway (SAS) – Construction of the 86th Street Station

Figure IV8: AMS 5 on the roof of the TUHS (between 67th and 68th Streets and 2nd Avenue)


12 May 15, 2012

V. Determination of Reference Levels as Benchmarks

Benchmark reference particulate matter concentrations were selected to identify potential exposures to the airborne particulate matter that might be associated with health impacts. The primary source of the health-based reference levels is the EPA National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The PM10 reference level is 150 g/m3 for the daily (24-hour) period and the PM2.5 reference level is 35 g/m3 for the same time period.

Concentrations measured during this monitoring program cannot be directly compared to NAAQS due to the close proximity of monitors to construction areas and to motor vehicle sources of emissions and due to the limited duration of the program.

The established reference benchmark levels serve as an indication of a potential impact: if monitored concentrations are below reference levels, no adverse health effect is expected to occur. However, if an individual monitoring result exceeds the reference level, this does not represent a violation of a NAAQS or health-based standard, but provides an indication that construction procedures need to be adjusted to mitigate exposure in order to reduce the potential for an adverse impact to the extent practicable.

VI. Summary of Findings

This report presents the findings of the baseline monitoring study that was focused on collecting particulate matter concentrations from construction activities and other localized sources prior to production blasting.

The monitored concentrations (on a monthly basis) are presented in Figures VI-1 and VI-2 for PM10 and in Figures VI-3 and VI-4 for PM2.5. During the monitoring period all monitored concentrations were below the established benchmark levels. The results indicate that PM10 levels were slightly higher on the days of test blasting, however, PM2.5 concentrations did not change.


Figure VI1: PM10 24Hour Average Concentrations in March

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3 )2nd Avenue Subway

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Site 4 (NE Corner of 87th St)

Site 5 (Roof of School at 68th Street)

PM10 24 Hour Benchmark Level

Notes: 1)Data missing due to power outages. 2) Site 1 was shut down 3/15‐3/16 due to construction operations immediately adjacent to instruments.

13 May 15, 2012


Figure VI2: PM10 24 Hour Average Concentrations in April

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PM10 24 Hour Benchmark Level

Notes: 1)Data missing due to power outages. 2) AMS 2 and 3 launched in April for the test blasting which occurred on April 11, 12, 13, 19, 20,21, 26, 27 and 30 (see table III‐1).

14 May 15, 2012


Figure VI3: PM2.5 24Hour Average Concentrations in March

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24 Hour Average PM2.5 ConcentrationsMarch, 2012




PM2.5 24 Hour Benchmark Level

Notes: 1)Data missing due to power outages. 2) Site 1 was shut down 3/15‐3/16 due to construction operations immediately adjacent to instruments.

15 May 15, 2012


May 15, 2012

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24 Hour Average PM2.5 ConcentrationsApril, 2012



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Site 5 (Roof of School at 68th Street)PM2.5 24 Hour Benchmark Level

Notes: 1)Data missing due to power outages. 2) AMS 2 and 3 launched in April for the test blasting, which occurred on April 11, 12, 13, 19, 20,21, 26, 27 and 30 (see table III‐1).

Figure VI4: PM2.5 24 Hour Average Concentrations in April

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