Air Quality Monitoring Dashboard-As of July 31, 2026

The monthly Environmental Monitoring Reports may be found on the BPCA Resiliency website. Click HERE to open a new browser window.

To report concerns or ask questions related to the Air Quality Monitoring, click HERE to initiate an email to BPCA.

Community Air Quality Monitoring Dashboard

Battery Park City Resiliency Project — Resident-Friendly Monthly Summary

Current dashboard covers: December 2025 through July 2026

GTA is tracking these reports on behalf of residents because the official air monitoring documents are technical and not easy for most residents to interpret. Our goal is to identify recurring concerns, explain them clearly, and press BPCA and its contractors for reliable monitoring, transparent reporting, and stronger dust prevention before problems affect residents.

First, What Are We Measuring?

The official reports use technical terms like PM10, PM2.5, and VOC. Here is what those mean in plain English.

PM = Particle Pollution

PM stands for particulate matter. In everyday terms, this means tiny particles in the air, including dust, dirt, soot, smoke, or particles created by construction activity.

PM10 = Larger Dust

PM10 refers to larger airborne particles. For residents, this is often the kind of dust most associated with demolition, excavation, soil, debris, and windblown construction material.

PM2.5 = Finer Particles

PM2.5 refers to much smaller particles. These can be more concerning for people with asthma, respiratory conditions, heart or lung conditions, older adults, and young children.

GTA resident focus: The reports reviewed so far do not show sustained 24-hour PM exceedances, but they do show repeated short-term dust spikes. GTA is watching whether BPCA and its contractors are preventing these dust events, not just responding after they occur.

Current At-a-Glance Status

24-Hour PM Exceedances

No sustained PM10 or PM2.5 regulatory exceedances reported in the reviewed months.

VOC Exceedances

No VOC exceedances reported in the reviewed months.

July Explicit PM Events

67+

67 individually enumerated short-term PM events, plus additional wildfire-related PM2.5 exceedances reported only as “numerous.”

Primary Watch Areas

R5/R7

Reach 5 remains the largest explicitly enumerated hotspot; Reach 7 also remained highly active.

Plain-English meaning: July cannot be compared directly with June using a single event total. The report individually enumerates 47 PM10 and 20 PM2.5 events, but it also reports “numerous” additional PM2.5 exceedances during the mid-July Canadian wildfire smoke episode without providing an exact count in the narrative. GTA therefore reports July as 67+ explicitly identified short-term PM events, rather than implying that 67 is the complete total.

Monitoring Coverage Concern

GTA continues to track unresolved monitoring coverage questions near Gateway. On May 8, BPCA announced that work near Gateway would begin on May 11. GTA asked BPCA to confirm whether noise, air, and vibration monitoring was in place for this work, and BPCA responded that monitoring was in place.

GTA later learned that noise and air monitoring equipment for this Gateway-adjacent work area was not installed until June 10. The June report appeared to confirm Reach 5E monitoring beginning on June 10. BPCA has not provided GTA with a satisfactory written explanation of the earlier representation.

July update: The July report continues to identify this Gateway-adjacent work as Reach 5E and reports micropile installation and grouting there. GTA continues to believe this area corresponds to Reach 6A North and is concerned that the earlier monitoring gap may have caused May and early-June conditions to be underrepresented.

The July report also introduces another coverage concern: it states that two Reach 2 monitors were installed on July 30, meaning the “no exceedances” finding for Reach 2 does not represent a full month of monitoring. In addition, monitoring at Reach 6 Albany Street concluded on July 7.

Why this matters: Monthly “zero exceedance” or low-event findings should be interpreted in the context of when monitors were actually operating. GTA is asking BPCA to publish a simple monitor-coverage calendar showing installation dates, removals, outages, and periods when site-contribution calculations were unavailable.

Monitoring Methodology and Siting Concern

The project’s own methodology has important limitations that residents should understand. The report states that Site Contribution is calculated by comparing upwind and downwind monitors based on wind speed and direction. If wind speed is below 1 mph, the downwind station is considered undetermined and Site Contribution is absent from the data plot.

This matters because calm or very-low-wind conditions can reduce the project team’s ability to attribute elevated particulate readings to construction. GTA is asking BPCA to disclose, by reach and month, the percentage of 15-minute intervals below 1 mph, how many Site Contribution calculations were unavailable, and whether high individual-monitor readings occurred during those periods.

Reach 5E / Gateway-adjacent siting: GTA is also concerned that the two monitors serving the Reach 5E / Reach 6A North work area are positioned largely along a north-south axis while winds can frequently move west-to-east. A north-south pair may not consistently function as a true upwind/downwind pair when dust moves east toward nearby residents and public areas.

The contrast with Reach 7 is notable: the July report states that Reach 7 used six stationary monitors, while the specific Gateway-adjacent Reach 5E work area appears to rely on a much more limited configuration. GTA is asking BPCA to publish the monitor-siting rationale and explain whether an east-side or receptor-side monitor should be added near Gateway.

Data Confidence and Transparency Note

GTA summarizes the monthly air monitoring reports for residents in plain English. Dashboard numbers are based on the exceedance entries and monitoring information published in the official reports; GTA has not independently recalculated every 15-minute reading from the raw monitoring data.

The July report was issued on August 28 but only released by BPCA on September 16, 2026. for the July 1–31 reporting period and was prepared by Enovate Engineering, identified as a subconsultant to Turner-SPC JV. GTA continues to believe residents would have greater confidence if BPCA provided direct public access to the underlying monitoring data, monitor status, exceedance alerts, and independent review of monthly results.

July reporting limitation: The report repeatedly describes mid-July PM2.5 exceedances associated with Canadian wildfire smoke as “numerous,” without giving an exact total in the narrative. Because of that change in reporting style, July cannot be compared cleanly with prior monthly event totals. GTA has separated the 67 individually enumerated events from the additional, unquantified wildfire-related PM2.5 events.

GTA is also concerned by continuing monitor power disconnections. Based on the outage periods listed in the July report, there were roughly 437 cumulative monitor-hours of listed power disconnections across the project, including approximately 250 monitor-hours in Reach 7 alone. These are cumulative monitor-hours, not 437 hours when the entire project was unmonitored, because multiple monitors operate simultaneously.

Month-by-Month KPI Summary

Month	Areas Monitored	PM10 Short-Term Events	PM2.5 Short-Term Events	Total Short-Term PM Events	Main Reported Causes	GTA Watch Item
Dec. 2025	Reach 5, Reach 6	15	10	25	Paver demolition, site preparation, test pits, Upper Room demolition	Active demolition dust
Jan. 2026	Reach 1, Reach 5, Reach 6	5	0	5	Wind gusts blowing loose soil during off-hours	After-hours soil stabilization
Feb. 2026	Reach 1, Reach 5, Reach 6	14	5	19	Windblown soil, slab demolition, equipment exhaust, saw-cutting/chopping	Dust control and equipment idling
Mar. 2026	Reach 1, Reach 3, Reach 5, Reach 6	16	11	27	Excavation, hand chopping, tree removal, exposed loose soil, wind events	Reach 5 and off-hours wind events
Apr. 2026	Reach 1, Reach 3, Reach 5, Reach 6, Reach 7	37	10	47	Moving equipment, windblown dust, plywood barriers, waterfront work, Pumphouse Park work, subcontractor vehicles/materials, dewatering tanks, tree trimming, concrete deadman work	Sharp increase in short-term dust events; Reach 5 remained highest, Reach 7 newly active, Reach 6/Gateway dewatering-related events
May 2026	Reach 1, Reach 3, Reach 5, Reach 6 Albany, Reach 6 Rector, Reach 7	75	25	100	Construction activities, subcontractor activities, wind-blown dust, concrete demolition, garden-hose/wetted-soil mitigation, improper generator operation, tree/surface demolition and utility-related work	Highest month at that time; Reach 5 remained dominant hotspot, Reach 7 remained active, after-hours/weekend wind-blown dust and monitor outages needed stronger controls
June 2026	Reach 1, Reach 3, Reach 5B/5C/5D, Reach 5E, Reach 6 Albany, Reach 6 Rector, Reach 7	130	64	194	Active construction, Reach 1 night work, wind-blown dust, micropile drilling / Reach 5E, utility work, wetting and dust-control measures	Highest month so far; Reach 5 remains dominant, Reach 1 night work needs scrutiny, Reach 5E monitoring appears to begin June 10, and report-quality / monitor-outage issues require explanation
July 2026	Reach 1, Reach 2, Reach 3, Reach 4, Reach 5B/5C/5D, Reach 5E, Reach 6 Albany*, Reach 6 Rector, Reach 7	47	20 + numerous wildfire-related	67+	Active construction, wind-blown dust, site demolition, micropile installation/grouting, utility work, sheet pile work, and regional Canadian wildfire smoke	Not directly comparable with June because wildfire-related PM2.5 events were not numerically totaled; Reach 5 and Reach 7 remain key watch areas; monitor outages and partial-month coverage require context

July note: * Reach 2 monitors were installed July 30, so its zero-exceedance result does not represent a full month. ** Reach 6 Albany Street monitoring concluded July 7. July totals show 67 individually enumerated PM events; additional wildfire-related PM2.5 exceedances were described only as “numerous” and are not included in the numeric total.

Monthly Trend: Short-Term Dust Events

These are 15-minute PM10 and PM2.5 exceedance events. They are not the same as sustained 24-hour regulatory exceedances, but they are useful indicators of short-term air-quality conditions and construction dust-control performance.

Dec. 2025

Jan. 2026

Feb. 2026

Mar. 2026

Apr. 2026

May 2026

100

Jun. 2026

194

Jul. 2026

67+

Important comparison warning: July's 67+ figure is not directly comparable with prior months. The July report individually enumerates 67 PM events but separately describes additional mid-July wildfire-related PM2.5 exceedances only as “numerous.” The actual number of July short-term PM exceedances is therefore greater than 67, but the report does not provide a complete numeric total in the narrative.

PM10 vs. PM2.5 Events

PM10 is larger dust often associated with construction activity. PM2.5 is finer particle pollution and can be more concerning for residents with asthma, respiratory conditions, heart/lung conditions, older adults, and young children.

Dec. 2025 PM10: 15 / PM2.5: 10

Jan. 2026 PM10: 5 / PM2.5: 0

Feb. 2026 PM10: 14 / PM2.5: 5

Mar. 2026 PM10: 16 / PM2.5: 11

Apr. 2026 PM10: 37 / PM2.5: 10

May 2026 PM10: 75 / PM2.5: 25

Jun. 2026 PM10: 130 / PM2.5: 64

Jul. 2026 PM10: 47 / PM2.5: 20 explicitly enumerated + numerous wildfire-related

PM10 larger dust PM2.5 fine particles

July caution: The stacked July bar uses only the 47 PM10 and 20 PM2.5 events that the report individually enumerates. It does not include the additional wildfire-related PM2.5 exceedances described as “numerous,” because the report does not provide an exact count in the narrative.

Where Are the “Reaches”?

The official reports divide the project into construction zones called reaches. GTA translates those labels into more familiar neighborhood areas and highlights monitoring issues that affect how the monthly numbers should be interpreted.

Reach 1 Friendly area name: West Street Crossing / Tribeca July note: 7 PM10 events and 3 individually enumerated PM2.5 events were reported, plus numerous wildfire-related PM2.5 exceedances. Several PM10 events occurred when no active construction was underway and were attributed to wind-blown dust. One monitor was disconnected from power for about 28 hours on July 19–20.

Reach 2 Friendly area name: North BPC Esplanade July note: The report lists no PM or VOC exceedances, but it also states that the two Reach 2 monitors were installed on July 30. The zero-exceedance result therefore represents only the end of the month, not a full July monitoring period.

Reach 3 Friendly area name: Rockefeller Park July note: No PM10 or VOC exceedances were reported. Numerous PM2.5 exceedances during July 15–18 were attributed to Canadian wildfire smoke rather than project construction. One monitor was disconnected for about 26 hours on July 19–20.

Reach 4 Friendly area name: Belvedere Plaza / Irish Hunger Memorial area July note: No PM10 or VOC exceedances were reported. Numerous PM2.5 exceedances during the wildfire episode were attributed to regional smoke. Appendix reporting for Reach 4 begins during July rather than on July 1, which should be considered when interpreting the monthly summary.

Reach 5 Friendly area name: North Cove Marina / Brookfield Place waterfront, including Reach 5E / Gateway-adjacent disputed area July note: Reach 5 remained the largest explicitly enumerated hotspot. Reach 5B/5C/5D reported 19 PM10 and 2 individually enumerated PM2.5 events. Reach 5E reported 5 PM10 events; additional Reach 5 PM2.5 exceedances during the wildfire period were described as numerous. Monitor power disconnections continued in both Reach 5 groups.

Reach 6 Friendly area name: South BPC Esplanade / Gateway area July note: Albany Street reported 5 PM10 events before monitoring concluded on July 7. Rector Street reported 4 PM10 and 2 individually enumerated PM2.5 events, plus additional wildfire-related PM2.5 exceedances. Monitor outages were also listed.

Reach 7 Friendly area name: South Cove July note: Reach 7 reported 7 PM10 and 13 individually enumerated PM2.5 events, plus numerous wildfire-related PM2.5 exceedances. The report also lists 18 separate power-disconnection periods totaling approximately 250 cumulative monitor-hours across the six-monitor network.

GTA watch item: July's lower explicitly enumerated count should not be interpreted as a simple month-over-month improvement. The wildfire episode was not numerically totaled, several reaches had monitor outages, Reach 2 monitoring began only at the end of the month, and Reach 6 Albany monitoring ended during the first week.

What Caused the Short-Term Dust Spikes?

Cause Category	What It Means	Resident Concern
Active construction	Many July PM10 and PM2.5 events were attributed to construction activities, including demolition, utility work, support-of-excavation work, micropile installation/grouting, and sheet pile work.	Repeated events should trigger clearer reporting of the specific activity, preventive controls used before work began, and whether work methods were changed after repeated exceedances.
Wind-blown dust	Multiple PM10 events occurred outside active work periods and were attributed to dust blowing across the site.	Recurring off-hour dust supports GTA's continuing request for stronger end-of-day, weekend, and pre-storm stabilization.
Canadian wildfire smoke	The report attributes numerous PM2.5 exceedances during roughly July 14–18 to regional smoke affecting the Northeast rather than project construction.	The regional explanation may be reasonable, but the report should still provide exact counts and show the evidence used to distinguish regional background from project contribution.
Micropile installation / Reach 5E	July construction included micropile installation and grouting in Reach 5E.	This is the Gateway-adjacent area where GTA has already raised concerns about delayed monitor installation and monitor siting.
Monitor outages	The July report lists many power disconnections across multiple reaches, including a particularly large number in Reach 7.	Outages reduce data completeness and should be addressed through backup power, better power management, redundancy, or prompt public disclosure.
Partial-month monitoring	Reach 2 monitors were installed July 30, and Reach 6 Albany monitoring concluded July 7.	Monthly summaries should clearly distinguish full-month coverage from partial-month coverage so residents do not read a low or zero count as a full-month result.
Low-wind methodology	The report states that Site Contribution is unavailable when wind speed is below 1 mph because the downwind monitor is considered undetermined.	BPCA should disclose how often this occurs and whether elevated individual-monitor readings are still investigated during those periods.

Resident-Friendly Interpretation

What is reassuring?

No reported sustained 24-hour PM10 or PM2.5 regulatory exceedances.
No reported VOC exceedances.
The report distinguishes the mid-July regional wildfire smoke episode from construction-related impacts rather than automatically attributing all PM2.5 elevations to the project.
Many construction-related short-term events reportedly returned below action levels after wetting or other dust-control measures.

What remains concerning?

July's true short-term PM total cannot be determined from the narrative because wildfire-related PM2.5 exceedances are described only as “numerous.”
Reach 5 remains the largest explicitly enumerated hotspot.
Reach 7 remained highly active and experienced extensive monitor power disconnections.
Reach 2's zero-exceedance finding reflects monitors installed only on July 30, not a full month.
Reach 6 Albany monitoring ended July 7.
The Reach 5E / Gateway-adjacent monitor-start and siting concerns remain unresolved.
The report's Site Contribution method is unavailable when wind is below 1 mph, but the report does not provide a resident-friendly summary of how often that occurred.
Repeated Action Level 2 events still are not accompanied by sufficiently detailed public reporting about stop-work decisions, re-evaluation, and permanent corrective action.

GTA Watch List for BPCA / Project Team

Question / Watch Item	Why It Matters to Residents
What is the exact July PM event total?	The report individually enumerates 67 PM events but separately describes numerous wildfire-related PM2.5 exceedances without an exact count. BPCA should publish the complete July total and clearly separate project-related, regional, isolated, and indeterminate events.
What specific corrective actions are being taken in Reach 5?	Reach 5 remains the largest explicitly enumerated hotspot and includes the Gateway-adjacent Reach 5E area where micropile installation and grouting continued.
Why were Reach 2 monitors installed only on July 30?	The report lists no Reach 2 exceedances, but the monitoring period was only the final part of the month. BPCA should explain what work occurred before installation and how that period was monitored.
Why did monitoring at Reach 6 Albany Street conclude July 7?	Residents need to know whether work or potential impacts continued after monitoring ended and what alternative coverage, if any, remained in place.
Was Gateway-adjacent work fully and properly monitored?	GTA continues to seek an explanation for the May 11–June 10 monitoring discrepancy and for the current Reach 5E / Reach 6A North monitor configuration.
Is the Reach 5E monitor layout adequate for prevailing winds?	If the two monitors are positioned mainly north-south while winds often move west-east, they may not consistently provide a meaningful upwind/downwind comparison. BPCA should publish its siting rationale and consider an east-side or receptor-side monitor.
How often was Site Contribution unavailable because wind was below 1 mph?	The report says the downwind station is undetermined below 1 mph. GTA is asking for the percentage of affected intervals, by reach, and a summary of high individual-monitor readings during those periods.
Why were there so many monitor power disconnections?	The July report lists roughly 437 cumulative monitor-hours of power disconnections across the project, including about 250 in Reach 7. BPCA should explain the cause and corrective plan.
For Action Level 2 events, was work stopped and re-evaluated?	The project's own protocol calls for work stoppage and re-evaluation under specified Action Level 2 conditions. Monthly reports should clearly state when this occurred and what changed before work resumed.
Can BPCA provide faster and more transparent public reporting?	The July report was issued on August 28, but only released by BPCA on September 16, 2026. Residents should have near-real-time access to monitor status, exceedance alerts, causes, outages, and corrective actions rather than waiting roughly four weeks for a monthly report.

How to Read This Dashboard

PM10: Larger dust particles often associated with construction, demolition, soil, and debris.

PM2.5: Finer particles that can be more concerning for people with respiratory or heart conditions.

VOC: Volatile Organic Compounds, generally vapor or chemical-type readings.

15-minute exceedance: A short-term reading above a project action level. It does not necessarily mean the air exceeded a full-day regulatory standard.

24-hour exceedance: A longer-term regulatory exceedance measured over a full day. The reports reviewed did not identify these for PM10 or PM2.5.