A portable air monitoring station is possibly coming to the Town of Claresholm.
During the June 23 regular meeting, Cynthia Wannamaker, a Claresholm representative for the Calgary Region Airshed Zone (CRAZ) requested that council allow a Portable Air Monitoring Laboratory (PAML) to be placed in the town for one year.
As part of Claresholm's membership in CRAZ, the town was given a PurpleAir monitor, which uploads data every 10 minutes on the outside air conditions.
The monitor records the air quality on a colour scale, with green representing excellent air quality, yellow indicating that individuals who have sensitivities, such as asthma, could be affected, moving into orange, red, and purple, where an air quality warning would be issued.
“Breathe in it. It doesn't smell like there is anything in the air. The air smells fresh and clean, and yet the air monitor is showing that we are slightly in the yellow zone, which would affect people who have asthma and other sensitivities,” Wannamaker said. “You can't always tell by smelling the air whether or not there is pollution in it.”
The air monitor measures particles that are 2.5 microns in diameter; however, it doesn't detect what the particles are made up of, such as mould, soot, or bacteria.
“Particles of 2.5 microns are the ones which go deep into the lungs when we breathe, and they cause the most damage to human health,” Wannamaker said. “Problems that are associated with air pollution are, of course, lung cancer and breathing problems, but it can also affect the heart and increase the risk of stroke.”
CRAZ collects data on the pollutants through four permanent air monitoring stations in Calgary and Airdrie, and one PAML that is available for all members to use.
“The PAML allows regions in that area to get a better analysis of what our air actually contains,” Wannamaker said.
The PAML is available to Claresholm to use for 2025-2026.
“There are a lot of advantages to having the PAML in Claresholm, one of the biggest ones is that this would be the furthest in Southern Alberta where the air will be monitored,” Wannamaker said.
Going forward, council must choose a site for the station with access to power.
If approved, CRAZ would begin site preparation to be operational by August until July 2026.
A request for a decision regarding the PAML will be brought back to Claresholm Town Council for the July 14 meeting.