MIDDLE SCHOOL - ROOF Air Monitoring Station, Minturn, Colorado

MIDDLE SCHOOL - ROOF is an operational air monitoring station located at 1950 S Main St in Minturn, Eagle County, Colorado. The station is part of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment's monitoring network, which feeds data into the US EPA Air Quality System (AQS). This facility plays a role in tracking criteria pollutants and other atmospheric parameters in the region. The station operates under the regulatory framework of the US Clean Air Act, which mandates ambient air quality monitoring to ensure compliance with National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). Typical air monitoring stations in Colorado measure pollutants such as ozone, particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide. The siting of this station on a school roof provides representative data for community exposure in a mixed residential and commercial area. Environmental monitoring in Eagle County is important due to its location in the Rocky Mountains, where air quality can be influenced by both local sources (e.g., traffic, wood burning) and transported pollution from the Front Range. Data from this station supports public health assessments and regulatory compliance, helping to protect sensitive populations such as schoolchildren and residents in the mountain valley.

Minturn is a small town in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, where air quality is influenced by mountain meteorology, including valley inversions that can trap pollutants. The station's location on a school roof provides representative sampling of community exposure. Monitoring in this region typically focuses on ozone and particulate matter, which are of concern due to local traffic and regional transport from urban areas. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment coordinates with the US EPA to ensure data quality and regulatory compliance.