Atmospheric quality standards and criteria

Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs

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Atmospheric quality standards and criteria

Atmospheric quality standards (Sections 197 and 198 and Schedule K of the Clean Air Regulation) and criteria (Environment Quality Act) have been devised to facilitate air quality assessment. They can be used to assess the results of measures carried out within the framework of various monitoring programs, establish an air quality index or judge the outcomes of atmospheric dispersion modelling studies conducted in conjunction with authorization requests and environmental impact studies. They were designed to protect human health and minimize nuisances and impacts on ecosystems.

Québec air quality standards and criteria (French, Excel, 368 KB)
Air quality standards for nickel – Draft regulation amending the Clean Air Regulation
Ambient air quality - Frequently asked questions (French)
Cadre d’application et de détermination des critères de qualité de l’air (French,PDF, 236 KB):
explains the procedure used for determining and applying standards and criteria, and provides definitions and guidelines.
Méthode de détermination des critères de qualité de l’air (method for determining air quality criteria - In review process):
explains the method used to determine criteria.
Guide de la modélisation de la dispersion atmosphérique (atmospheric dispersion modelling guide - French, PDF, 144 KB) and
Guide d’estimation de la concentration de dioxyde d’azote dans l’air ambiant (guide for estimating the concentration of ambient nitrogen dioxide - French, PDF, 187 KB):
present the methodology and models advocated by the Ministère for conducting atmospheric dispersion studies. Atmospheric dispersion models are used to calculate the concentrations expected in the ambient air around an emission source by considering the characteristics of the source, region where the source is located and weather conditions observed in the region.
Instruction manual for preparing and modeling atmospheric emission dispersion for mining projects (French, PDF, 1.4 MB)
This publication sets out the main Québec legal “air” environment for mining projects and provides examples of pertinent information that needs to be provided during the various phases of a mining project. It also stipulates what information is accepted by the Ministère for emission level modeling and gives details on atmospheric dispersion modeling.
Modelling specifications (French, Word, 1.4 MB):
form that the modeller must complete and submit to the Ministère for approval prior to conducting atmospheric dispersion studies.
Meteorological data set (ZIP, 17 MB)
Septembre 2019 update

The data can be directly used for AMS/EPA Regulatory Model simulations without additional manipulation when deemed representative of the modelling site. Please note that the available data sets have been updated to take account of the latest EPA recommendations.

Data is available for the following weather stations: Québec, Montréal, Mirabel, Lemieux, Bécancour, Granby, St-Germain-de-Grantham, Beauceville, L’Assomption, Trois-Rivières, Mont-Joli, Bagotville and Sherbrooke.

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