What is Source Sampling?
Permitted facilities may be required to quantify emissions from sources or stacks. The Source Sampling Section provides oversight to these facilities to ensure they perform these tests correctly and are able to demonstrate compliance with federal and state standards.
There are two main categories of stationary source tests: Compliance demonstrations and Relative Accuracy Test Audits.
A compliance demonstration (also known as a performance test or stack test) measures the amount of a specific pollutant or pollutants being emitted through regulated stacks at a facility. The main goal of these tests is to determine initial and/or ongoing compliance with federal and state regulations.
A Relative Accuracy Test Audit (RATA) measures the performance of a continuous emission monitor (CEM) operating at a source’s emission point. The audit test is a quality assurance performance test used to validate the data collected with a CEM. If the CEM reports a concentration within an allowable percentage of the concentration found using the reference method, then the CEM passes the audit.
60 Day Protocol Notification Requirement
If you are required to conduct a performance test, you must submit a completed Compliance Test Protocol form DEP form 6028 or an approved test protocol to the Division for Air Quality a minimum of 60 days prior to the scheduled test date. For detailed information on filling out this form, please refer to DEP form 6028 Instructions.
The division will review your compliance test protocol to determine whether a pretest meeting is required.
Audit Sample Requirement
Certain reference methods require audit samples to be utilized in compliance demonstrations. Please refer to EPA's Emission Measurement Center support page for more information.
https://www.epa.gov/emc/emc-technical-support
When is My Test Report Due?
A final test report must be submitted to the Division for Air Quality 45 days after the test has been completed. This 45-day requirement is listed in Section G – General Provisions of the facility’s current permit. Federal regulation may require a shorter or longer time period for the test report to be submitted. It is the facility's responsibility to meet all federal and state regulations.
The Source Test Report Format guidance document provides a summary of how a test report should be organized and formatted before it is submitted to the division.
How to Submit
All test protocols, test notifications, test reports and any test-related documentation should be submitted to the division's Source Sampling Section via eForms. First-time users will be required to create an account. Documents submitted through the eForm website are limited to 100MB.
For more information, please contact Ben Markin.