The Townsville region is one of Queensland’s most active industrial region, mainly due to its direct access to a deep sea port.

Development proposals for the region prompted the need for an airshed management system to assist the Queensland Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with air quality management and the assessment of applications.

In 2005, the EPA commissioned Katestone to develop the Townsville Airshed Management System (TAMS). TAMS was configured based on a dispersion modelling study that incorporated site-specific meteorology, local geography, and existing natural and anthropogenic sources of air emissions.

TAMS was developed following Katestone’s innovative development of a similar system for Gladstone (GAMS), and was subsequently followed by airshed modelling systems for the Brisbane port area and the Newcastle airshed in NSW.

Ten years on, the system was still being used but changes in models and emissions meant that the system was in need of an upgrade. The system upgrade needed to keep the critical configuration and objectives of TAMS consistent from its inception, yet update the following:

• Configuration taking into account more recent developments in recognised regulatory techniques for modelling
• Update period for modelling
• Review and update of the emissions inventory of the industrial sources within the airshed
• Inclusion of background levels of emissions attributable to traffic and general sources

The TAPM system upgrade was undertaken by Katestone in February 2015.

Katestone remains the custodian of TAMS and undertakes industrial development scenario modelling for government. TAMS also provides a basis for industry to understand its impact on air quality and manage emissions.