The Environment Protection Authority Victoria has launched a pilot program to monitor and publicly report on the quality of air in Daylesford and Hepburn Springs.
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Hourly reports about the levels of smoke and fine particles in the air will be available for residents to view online at the AirWatch website.
So far the website shows the air quality in Daylesford for June 2021 to be "good" with no warnings about pollutants.
"We welcome an increase in air pollution monitoring as a step towards understanding how air pollution impacts Victorian communities, as was recommended by the Victorian Auditor-General in 2018, and look forward to the EPA taking steps to ensure that air pollution is reduced throughout the state," said Bronya Lipski, a lawyer at Environmental Justice Australia.
In March 2018 the Victorian Auditor-General released a report titled "Improving Victoria's Air Quality" which stated "EPA's limited air monitoring coverage does not provide it with information on air quality for most of the state."
The EPA already monitor air quality in 41 sites across the state, with this new pilot program adding sensors to 49 regional towns.
"This pilot project will help us determine how a sensor network can improve our air monitoring coverage across Victoria before we consider a permanent arrangement," said EPA CEO Lee Miezis.
Mr Miezis said that this is the largest air sensor network program that the EPA has ever undertaken.
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