City to release JWA air quality report

Newport Beach officials next week will release the results of a long-awaited, city-commissioned study into the emissions of airplanes that fly in and out of John Wayne Airport, the city announced Friday.

Newport Beach’s Aviation Committee will review the study, which began in 2009, at its meeting on Monday morning. The study will be posted on the city’s website after 12 p.m. on Sept. 27.

Results from the $60,000 study indicate that ambient air particles meet federal air quality standards, but aircraft emissions persist at a significant distance from the airport, according to a city news release.

The study was performed with the full cooperation of the airport’s administration and staff.

City Councilwoman Leslie Daigle, who chairs the committee, said the study was commissioned in response to concerns expressed by Newport Beach residents about emissions from aircraft taking off from JWA and the possible effects.

The study’s main objective was to determine whether airport-associated particulate matter could be distinguished from other sources, especially automobile traffic.

“The report provides a wealth of information about the possible sources of air particles and should help to answer many of the questions I currently hear from residents,” Daigle said, according to a prepared statement. “I believe it demonstrates the city’s continued focus on addressing the quality-of-life impacts associated with having a commercial airport on the city’s border.

“It’s also important to commend the JWA leadership and staff, because they have already implemented many of the suggested mitigation measures contained in the report.”

She added that the air quality study’s results “can only increase the city’s interest in studying both air and water quality further, especially as it may relate to impacts on protected habitats in the Upper Newport Bay.”

The Aviation Committee is scheduled to meet at 8 a.m. Monday in the Friends Room of the Newport Beach Central Library, 1000 Avocado Ave.