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2020 National Emissions Inventory Technical
Support Document: Dust - Construction -Road


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EP A-454/R-23 -00 lv
March 2023

2020 National Emissions Inventory Technical Support Document: Dust - Construction -Road

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards
Air Quality Assessment Division
Research Triangle Park, NC


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Contents

List of Tables i

22	Dust - Construction -Road	22-1

22.1	Sector Descriptions and Overview	22-1

22.2	EPA-developed estimates	22-1

22.2.1	Activity data	22-1

22.2.2	Allocation procedure	22-3

22.2.3	Emission factors	22-3

22.2.4	Controls	22-4

22.2.5	Emissions	22-4

22.2.6	Sample calculations	22-5

22.2.7	Improvements/Changes in the 2020 NEI	22-7

22.2.8	Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands	22-7

22.3	References	22-7

List of Tables

Table 221: SCCs in the Construction Dust sector	22-1

Table 22-2: Spending per mile and acres disturbed per mile by highway type	22-2

Table 22-3: Sample calculations for urban interstate, urban other arterial, and urban collector road
construction	22-5

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22 Dust - Construction -Road

22.1 Sector Descriptions and Overview

Construction dust refers to residential and non-residential construction activity, which are functions of
acreage disturbed for construction. This sector will be divided below when describing the calculation of
EPA's emissions. Table 22-1 lists the nonpoint SCCs associated with this sector in the 2020 NEI. The SCC
level 1 and 2 descriptions is "Industrial Processes; Construction: SIC 15 -17" for all SCCs.

Table 22-1: SCCs in the Construction Dust sector

SCC

SCC Level Three

SCC Level Four

2311010000

Residential

Total

2311020000

Industrial/Commercial/Institutional

Total

2311030000

Road Construction

Total

22.2 EPA-developed estimates

The calculations for estimating the emissions from road construction involve first estimating the acres
disturbed from new road constructed in each county. The amount of state-level road construction
spending by road type is available from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and is converted to
acreage disturbed using conversion factors from the Florida Department of Transportation (FLDOT). The
state-level acreage disturbed by road type is summed together and distributed to the counties based on
the proportion of building starts in each county. Emissions factors for PM10 and PM25 are calculated
based on precipitation-evaporation values and dry silt content in each county. The total amount of acres
disturbed is multiplied by these emissions factors to estimate emissions of PM from road construction.

22.2.1 Activity data

The activity data for this source category is the acreage disturbed from new road construction, which is
estimated using data from FHWA's Highway Statistics, State Highway Agency Capital Outlay, Table SF-
12A [ref 1] and FLDOT's Generic Cost per Mile Models [ref 2], From the FHWA table, the following
construction types are used: New Construction, Relocation, Added Capacity, Major Widening, and Minor
Widening. Each of the following road types have spending broken out for each construction type:

1.	Interstate, urban

2.	Interstate, rural

3.	Other arterial, urban

4.	Other arterial, rural

5.	Collectors, urban

6.	Collectors, rural

Construction spending for each road type is summed across all construction types to determine the total
annual highway spending for each road type.

22-1


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HS

= \' s

;,r / Js,r
t—'ct

(1)

Where:

HSs,r = Annual highway spending for road type r in state s, in dollars
ct = Construction type

Ss,r = Annual spending per construction type in state s for road type r, in dollars

State expenditure data are converted to miles of new road and acres disturbed per mile of new road by
applying conversions based on data obtained from FLDOT. The conversions are shown in Table 22-2, and
the acres disturbed per mile conversions are calculated by multiplying the FLDOT's total affected
roadway width (including all lanes, shoulders, and areas affected beyond the road width) in feet by the
number of feet in a mile and converting the resulting land area from ft2 to acres [ref 2], Total affected
roadway with is the sum of the numbers of lanes (assumed at 12 feet each), number of shoulders, and
area affected beyond the road width (25 feet). There are 5,280 feet in a mile, and 43,560 ft2 in an acre.

RC,

HS

s,r

m,s,r

TDM

RCa,s,r — RCm,s,r ^ ADM

(2)

(3)

Where:

RCm,s,r	=	Miles of FHWA road type r constructed in state s

RCa/S,r	=	Acres of land disturbed for construction of FHWA road type r in state s

HSs,r	=	Annual highway spending for road type r in state s

TDM	=	Conversion of dollars spent to road miles constructed, in thousand dollars per mile

ADM	=	Conversion of road miles constructed to acres disturbed, in acres per mile

Table 22-2: Spending per mile and acres c

isturbed per mile by hig

nway type

Road Type

Thousand

Total Affected

Acres Disturbed

Dollars per mile

Roadway Width (ft)*

per mile

Urban Areas, Interstate

9,636

94

11.4

Rural Areas, Interstate

4,796

89

10.8

Urban Areas, Other Arterials

4,829

63

7.6

Rural Areas, Other Arterials

2,643

55

6.6

Urban Areas, Collectors

4,829

63

7.6

Rural Areas, Collectors

2,643

55

6.6

The acres of land disturbed by road type can then be summed across all road types in a state to calculate
the total state-level acreage disturbed due to new road construction.

A.

-I

RC,

a,s

(4)

Where:

22-2


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As = Acres of land disturbed for all road construction in state s

RCas = Acres of land disturbed for construction of FHWA road type r in state s

The process used to distribute the state-level amount of acreage disturbed to the counties is discussed
in the next section.

22.2.2 Allocation procedure

Building permits data, used as a surrogate for road construction activity, from the U.S. Census Bureau
are used to allocate the state-level acres disturbed by road construction to the county-level [ref 3],
Specifically, the ratio of the county-to state-level number of building starts is calculated and multiplied
by the state-level acreage disturbed (from equation 4) to estimate the county-level acreage disturbed by
road construction.

Buildr

BFracc =	(5)

Buuds

Ac = As X BFracc	(6)

Where:

BFracc	=	The fraction of building starts in countyc

Buildc	=	The number of building starts in county c

Builds	=	The number of building starts in state s

Ac	=	Acres of land disturbed for road construction in county c

As	=	Acres of land disturbed for all road construction in state s

22.2.3 Emission factors

Due to regional variances in soil moisture and silt content, uncontrolled emissions factors for PM10 and
PM25 are adjusted for each county. The initial uncontrolled PM10 emissions factor from construction of
roads is 0.42 tons/acre-month [ref 4], This emission factor represents the large amount of dirt moved
during the construction of roadways, reflecting the high level of cut and fill activity that occurs at road
construction sites.

To account for the soil moisture level, the uncontrolled PM10 emissions are weighted using the 30-year
average precipitation-evaporation (PE) values from Thornthwaite's PE Index. Average precipitation
evaporation values for each state are estimated based on PE values for specific climatic divisions within
a state [ref 4], The average PE value for the test sites from which the PM10 emissions factor was
developed is 24. Equation 7 adjusts the county-level uncontrolled emissions factor based on this PE
value.

To account for the silt content, the uncontrolled PM10 emissions are weighted using average silt
content for each county. EPA uses the National Cooperative Soil Survey Microsoft Access Soil
Characterization Database to develop county-level, average silt content values for surface soil [ref 5],
The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Cooperative Soil Survey define silt content of
surface soil as the percentage of particles (mass basis) of diameter smaller than 50 micrometers (nm)
found in the surface soil. Note that this definition is different than the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency's definition that includes all particles (mass basis) of diameter smaller than 75 micrometers. This

22-3


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database contains the most commonly requested data from the National Cooperative Soil Survey
Laboratories including data from the Kellogg Soil Survey Laboratory and cooperating universities. The
average silt content for the test sites from which the PM10 emissions factor was developed is 9%.
Equation 7 adjusts the county-level uncontrolled emissions factor based on this silt content value.

24 Sc

UEFPM10c = EFPM1 o X —— X —-	(7)

PES 9%

Where:

UEFpmio,c = Uncontrolled PMioemission factor corrected for soil moisture and silt content in

state s and county c, in tons/acre-month
EFpmio = Initial PMio emissions for road construction, 0.42 tons/acre-month
PES = Precipitation-evaporation value for state s
Sc = Percent dry silt content in soil for county c

Once uncontrolled PMio adjustments have been made, uncontrolled PM2.5 emissions are set to 10% of
PMio.

UEFPm25,c = 0-10 x UEFpMio,c	(8)

Where:

UfFP/v)io,c = Uncontrolled PMio emission factor corrected for soil moisture and silt content in

state s and county c, in tons/acre-month
UEFPm25,c = Uncontrolled PM2.5 emission factor corrected for soil moisture and silt content in
county c, in tons/acre-month

Primary PM emissions are equal to filterable emissions as there are no condensible dust emissions from
road construction. Emission factors for these sources are provided in the "Wagon Wheel Emission Factor
Compendium" on the 2020 NEl Supporting Data and Summaries site.

22.2.4	Controls

Dust emissions from road construction are generally controlled by watering the construction site. The
Midwest Research Institute recommends using a control efficiency of 50% for PM10 and PM25
emissions from road construction [ref4],

EFP c = 0.50 X UEFpc	(9)

Where:

EFp,c = Controlled emissions factor of pollutant p in county c
UEFP/C = Uncontrolled emissions factor of pollutant p in county c

22.2.5	Emissions

The total annual dust emissions from road construction in each county are multiplied by the emissions
factors calculated in equation 9. The duration of construction activity for road construction is assumed
to be 12 months.

22-4


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Ep C — Ac x EFp c x M

(10)

Where:

Ac

EFpmio,c

EFpM25,c

M

Annual emissions of pollutant p in county c

Acres of land disturbed for road construction in county c

Controlled PMioemission factor corrected for soil moisture and silt content in state s

and county c, in tons/acre-month
Controlled PM2.5 emission factor corrected for soil moisture and silt content in county

c, in tons/acre-month
Duration of construction activity in months

22.2.6 Sample calculations

Table 22-3 lists sample calculations to determine the dust emissions from road construction. The values
in these equations are demonstrating program logic and are not representative of any specific NEI year
or county.

Table 22-3: Sample calculations for urban interstate, urban other arterial, and urban collector road

construction

Eq.

#

Equation

Values

Result

1

HSs,r = y $s,r
t—ict

$1,000 + $9,155,000

$9,156,000 spent on
urban interstate
construction

$1,276,000 + $2,471,000

$3,747,000 spent on
urban other arterial
construction

$2,583,000

$2,583,000 spent on
urban collector
construction

2

HSsr

nr 	

m's,r TDM

$9,156,000
6,895,000 $ per mile

1.328 miles of urban

interstate

constructed

$3,747,000
4,112,000 $ per mile

0.911 miles of urban
other arterial
constructed

$2,683,000
4,112,000 $ per mile

0.628 miles of urban

collector

constructed

3

RCa s r = RCms r x ADM

1.328 miles x 11.4 acres per mile =

15.1 acres disturbed
from urban
interstate
construction

22-5


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Eq.

#

Equation

Values

Result





0.911 rruZes x 7.6 acres per rruZe

6.9 acres disturbed
from urban other
arterial construction

0.628 rruZes x 7.6 acres per rruZe

4.8 acres disturbed
from urban collector
construction

4

As = ^ RCa,s

15.1 acres + 6.9 acres + 4.8 acres

26.78 acres
disturbed from
urban road
construction

5

Buildr

185 building starts in county

0.194 fraction of
building starts

J-} 1 / CvC/j

Builds

952 building starts in state

6

Ac = As x BFracc

26.78 acres x 0.194

5.20 acres disturbed
from urban road
construction

7

24

UEFpmio c = EFpmio x ——

P£s

x^

9%

0.42 tons/acre

24

— month x	

132

41,45%
x	

9%

0.3517 tons per
acre-month
uncontrolled PM10
emissions from road
construction

8

U E FpM2S,c. = 0-10

x UEFPM10,c

O.lOx 0.3517 tons/acre — month

0.0352 tons per
acre-month PM25
emissions from road
construction

9

EFPc — 0.50 X UEFpC

0.50 x 0.3514 tons per acre — month

0.1758 tons per
care-month
controlled PM10
emissions from new
road construction

0.50x 0.0352 tons per acre — month

0.0176 tons per
care-month
controlled PM25
emissions from new
road construction

10

EPiC Ac X EFp c X M

5.2 acres x 0.1758 tons/acre
— month x 12

10.98 tons PM10
from urban road
construction

5.2 acres x 0.0176 tons/acre
— month x 12

1.98 tons PM25 from
urban road
construction

22-6


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22.2.7	Improvements/Changes in the 2020 NEI

No changes were made to methods for the 2020 NEI. Activity data was updated to reflect best available
data for the NEI cycle.

22.2.8	Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands

Since insufficient data exists to calculate emissions for the counties in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin
Islands, emissions are based on two proxy counties in Florida: 12011, Broward County for Puerto Rico
and 12087, Monroe County for the US Virgin Islands. The total emissions in tons for these two Florida
counties are divided by their respective populations creating a tons per capita emission factor. For each
Puerto Rico and US Virgin Island county, the tons per capita emission factor is multiplied by the county
population (from the same year as the inventory's activity data) which served as the activity data. In
these cases, the throughput (activity data) unit and the emissions denominator unit are "EACH".

22.3 References

1.	Federal Highway Administration. Table SF-12A, State Highway Agency Capital Outlay -2020.

2.	Florida Department of Transportation. Generic Cost per Mile Models for 2020

3.	U.S. Census Bureau. 2015. Annual Housing Units Authorized by Building Permits. ASCII files by
State, MSA, County or Place, co2020a.

4.	Midwest Research Institute. 1996. Improvement of Specific Emission Factors (BACM Project No.
1). Prepared for South Coast Air Quality Management District.

5.	U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Cooperative Soil Survey, NCSS Microsoft Access Soil
Characterization Database.

6.	Midwest Research Institute. 1999. Estimating Particulate Matter Emissions from Construction
Operations, Final Report. Section 5.7.1. prepared for the Emission Factor and Inventory Group,
Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

22-7


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United States	Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards	Publication No. EPA-454/R-23-001v

Environmental Protection	Air Quality Assessment Division	March 2023

Agency	Research Triangle Park, NC


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