By Adam Swift
The City Council approved a motion filed by Ward 5 Councillor John Powers to appropriate $23,000 in Community Improvement Trust Fund money for three new air quality sensors for use in the ward.
Powers said residents in the Riverside area and throughout the ward are concerned about air quality issues related to auto and air traffic and the Saugus WinWaste facility, among other causes.
Ward 5 Councillor-Elect Angela Guarino Sawaya said she recently testified at the State House about the need for the three air quality monitors to be installed in the Point of Pines, Oak Island, and Riverside areas.
“We are overburdened with multiple areas of pollution,” said Sawaya. “We are an Environmental Justice Community, and we need to know what pollutants we are dealing with. These monitors will help us get a better picture of the amount and type of pollution that impacts the quality of life and health of all of the residents in the neighborhoods and all of the residents in Ward 5.”
One of the causes of the pollution is from the low flying aircraft over the Ward, especially with the change of aircraft flight patterns over the summer.
“The pollution may be invisible, but it is definitely there and it is hurting people,” Sawaya said.
She added that automobile traffic and the Saugus waste to energy facility are also potential causes of air pollution in the area.
With the air monitors in place, the city and its partners will be able to do research to help mitigate some of the health concerns in the ward.
Councillor-at-Large Anthony Zambuto said he had no problem with the funding for the air quality monitors, but said he wanted to ensure that they were high quality monitors and that the data is collected and analyzed properly.
Director of Planning and Community Development Tom Skwierawski said the sensors are high quality and state of the art, and that the city would be working with Northeastern University to collect and analyze the data.
