An emission inventory constitutes the starting point for any attempt to control emissions to the atmosphere. As long as such controls deal with average yearly concentrations, inventories giving total annual emissions of the various sources of pollutants are sufficient. The Regional Air Pollution Study has, however, as its first goal the validation of atmospheric dispersion models, which attempt to predict ambient pollutant concentrations on an hourly basis. Therefore, emission values derived from total annual emissions are largely inadequate, and the RAPS emission inventory was conceived to provide the needed time resolution and accuracy by measuring and recording hourly emissions. Thus, the emission inventory for the Regional Air Pollution Study (RAPS) at St. Louis is distinguished from existing emission inventories by two factors: its time and space resolution and its accuracy. This report proposes an approach to the problem of assembling a 'precision' inventory for the St. Louis Interstate Air Quality Region. It states the nature of the problem and the rationale for choosing the St. Louis area as a 'test chamber' the pollutants of interest are also discussed briefly. The mechanism for the acquisition of data and their preparation prior to entry into a data bank, as well as a time schedule to accomplish these aims, are also described.

EPA Project Officer: James Southerland. Prepared by Science Center, Rockwell International for the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency. "October 1974." Final report. Includes bibliographical references. "EPA-450/3-74-054." PB 246 638.