The Sarnia-Lambton Environmental Association (SLEA) continues to see general downward trends in most of the parameters that they have been measuring.
This includes sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emission levels, and ethylene and benzene concentrations.
General Manager Dean Edwardson says Ozone annual means are on an upward trend, although Sarnia and Corunna monitoring sites slightly decreased.
"What we see is a global phenomenon in terms of ozone," says Edwardson. "but it's not unique to Sarnia. It's what we see in Hamilton, it's what we see in pretty much the global environment."
Monitoring sites are impacted by long-range transport of ozone and its precursors from the United States.
Ozone concentrations exceeded Ontario's hourly Ambient Air Quality Criterion only 13 times at the River Bend (Corunna) monitoring site, a significant decrease from 2013.
"Having lived here for a number of years, I would suggest to you that our environment has improved significantly," says Edwardson.
Water quality results also looked good. Out of nearly 8,700 samples collected from the St. Clair River, only 5 out of 20 compounds were detected and at very low levels.
Overview of results: - Sulphur dioxide: slight increase 2014, but 50% lower levels than 10 years ago - Total reduced sulphur: decreased slightly, levels already very low - Ozone: annual means upward trend, but levels slightly lower for 2014 - Particulate matter: generally higher Sarnia due to local industrial activities, but annual means below Canada wide daily standard - Nitrogen oxides: general downward trend but slight increase 2014 - Volatile organic compounds: downward trend over 10 years. Annual levels not changed much over past 5 years.