Sulfur Dioxide Dispersion Modeling for Rusk and Panola Counties

Air dispersion modeling methods, files, and data, to support the Rusk and Panola Counties sulfur dioxide attainment demonstration for the State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision.

Parts of Rusk and Panola Counties around the Martin Lake Steam Electric Station (Martin Lake) do not meet the 2010 Sulfur Dioxide (SO₂) National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) . TCEQ has developed a plan to demonstrate how the area will meet the sulfur dioxide (SO₂) standard. Below is TCEQ's dispersion modeling that was used for developing the plan, including a description of the pollution sources and the surrounding area.

If you have questions regarding these files, please email us at amda@tceq.texas.gov with "Rusk and Panola Counties SO₂ Dispersion Modeling Files" in the subject line.

Area Overview

Martin Lake is the SO₂ emissions source (blue dot on the map) within the Rusk and Panola Counties 2010 SO₂ NAAQS nonattainment area. The Tatum County Road 2181d Martin Creek Lake monitor or Continuous Ambient Monitoring Station 1082 (C1082) is required under the Data Requirements Rule , and was sited (green triangle on the map) in 2017 to monitor SO₂ concentrations near Martin Lake. The National Weather Service monitor used for surface meteorological data for this modeling (purple plus-sign on the map) is located at the Longview East Texas Regional Airport.

Basic map showing the Martin lake area between Rusk and Panola counties in East Texas. A blue dot shows the location of the Martin Lake facility, which is the main source of sulfur dioxide emissions for the nonattainment area. A red border shows the boundaries of the nonattainment area, a purple plus sign shows the weather station site north-west of the area, and a green triangle shows the sulfur dioxide monitor just north of the Martin Lake facility.

Larger Map

Model Configuration

The source for the Rusk and Panola Counties 2010 SO₂ NAAQS nonattainment area was modeled with the standard practices outlined in Appendix W, Guideline on Air Quality Models .

Air Dispersion Model: AERMOD-Highly-buoyant Plume (AERMOD-HBP) version 21112

AERMOD Preprocessors:

AERMET version 21112 to generate meteorological data files.
AERMINUTE version 15272 to include measured one-minute wind averages.
AERSURFACE version 20060 to determine the surface characteristics for the meteorological station.
AERMAP version 18081 to gather elevation data for sources and receptors.
The Building Profile Input Program for PRIME (BPIPPRM) version 04274 to calculate building downwash effects.

Meteorological Years Modeled: 2015 through 2019

Background Concentration: The background SO₂ concentration used for this modeling was 6.0 parts per billion, taken from the 2019 design value from the Midlothian Old Fort Worth monitor (C52).

Modeling Data Files

You may view and download the AERMOD-HPB code, model runs, and control file inputs described below from the TCEQ Air Modeling secure FTP site . To download a large quantity of modeling files, please use an FTP client software, such as FileZilla , to access our secure FTP site:

FTP address: sftp://amdaftp.tceq.texas.gov
FTP directory: /SO2/Rusk-Panola/AERMOD-HBP/adoption
User ID and password: Please sign up for a user account at https://amdaftp.tceq.texas.gov/user/

Data available includes:

AERMOD-HBP source code and executables.
Ancillary inputs (downwash, meteorology, and receptor input data).
Run directories containing control files and model output.

If you would like to request any additional data related to the modeling for this SIP revision, please email us at amda@tceq.texas.gov with "Rusk and Panola Counties SO₂ Modeling Files - Data Request" in the subject line and specify which data you are requesting.

SIP Revision and Related Appendices

Documents for the SIP revision and appendices related to this modeling are below:

For more on this SIP Revision, visit the Air Pollution from Sulfur Dioxide webpage.