2025-2026 Annual Monitoring Network Plan for North Carolina Air Quality

The North Carolina Division of Air Quality, DAQ, operates a network of air quality monitors across the state. The network:

Includes 73 monitors at multiple sites
Measures the concentration of regulated pollutants in the ambient or outdoor air (including ozone, lead, fine particles, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide)
Compares concentrations to the national ambient air quality standards, NAAQS, as set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Reports any violations and takes regulatory action to return the ambient air quality to acceptable levels.

Every year the monitoring network is re-evaluated and adjusted to ensure it is providing adequate coverage. In most years these adjustments include starting new monitors, shutting down others, or simply relocating established monitors.

Significant changes

The proposed annual network plan is subject to a 30-day public review period prior to being submitted to EPA for approval. A summary of significant network changes is below:

The North Carolina Network currently consists of forty-eight (48) Monitoring Sites. Thirty-seven (36) are operated by DAQ; five (6) are operated by Mecklenburg County Air Quality, MCAQ; three (3) are operated by Asheville Buncombe Air Quality Agency and three (3) are operated by Forsyth County.

The Ozone, O3, Network

The Wilmington MSA is being evaluated for another O3 site due to population increase.
Due to the 2023 MSA changes, the Asheville MSA now lacks a second required O3 site. Plans are to place a monitor at the AB Tech site.

Particulate Matter, PM2.5 & PM10, Network

The Durham Armory site will change the monitoring from the BAM 1020 to the T640X.
The Castle Hayne site will change the monitoring from the BAM 1020 to the T640X.
The a BAM 1022 will either supplement or replace the BAM 1020 at the Lexington Water Tower site.
The rotating background network for PM10 is being discontinued at the end of this current rotation.

Sulfur Dioxide, SO2, Network

Monitoring for the Canton site was shut down by the end of 2024.
Monitoring for the Durham Armory site was shut down by the end of 2024.
The rotating background network for SO2 is was evaluated. The Bethany site will shut down at the end of 2025. Jamesville, Honeycutt, and Lenoir will become permanent sites.