Dust is made up of fine particles of solid material (particulate matter, or PM). The monitoring stations measure two types of PM. PM10 is 10 micrometres or smaller in diameter. PM2.5 is 2.5 micrometres or smaller. About 40 PM2.5 would fit the width of a human hair.
PM sources include:
Vehicles travelling on unsealed road
Cropping, harvesting, stubble management, and soil disturbance on farmland
Earthmoving, material handling, stockpiles at mining sites
Wind erosion of exposed soil and disturbed land
Car and truck exhausts
Smoke from wood heaters
Smoke from fires
What the graphs show
The graphs show the total PM concentrations from all sources – not just the project site. The numbers vary with the time of day, weather, season, and local activities at the time. Hover your cursor over the graph lines to view the 24-hour average for a given date.
How we use the air quality measurements
We compare the air quality measurements at the northern and southern site boundaries against site-specific trigger levels. If PM concentrations approach those levels, DMS will investigate and adjust onsite practices, where necessary. The data gives us advance warning of heightened dust conditions. In turn, this allows us to adaptively manage site activities to make sure we meet the prescribed limits, at the boundary. We will report environmental monitoring data to the Donald Project Environmental Review Committee.
Northern boundary
The northern site boundary station reports the 24-hour average of PM10 and PM2.5. Between October 2024 and September 2025, before mining began, it recorded baseline data at an average daily PM10 concentration of 14.5 μg/m³.
North Boundary
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Current Reading
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Southern boundary
The southern site boundary station reports the 24-hour average of PM10 and PM2.5. Between October 2024 and September 2025, before mining began, it recorded baseline data at an average daily PM10 concentration of 14.4 μg/m³.
South Boundary
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Current Reading
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Live wind conditions
Wind direction and strength shape how airborne particles move across the landscape. This live wind map shows current conditions over the Donald Project site and surrounding area. Use it alongside the air quality readings to see where airborne particles may be coming from at any given time.
Station 673 — Wind
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24-Hour Average
--km/h
Avg wind speed
—km/h
Max wind speed
—km/h
Data points
—hrs
0–5 km/h
5–15 km/h
15–30 km/h
30+ km/h
Direction sensor currently offline — showing wind speed by hour. Chart will update to a true wind rose once the sensor is repaired.
More information
More information about air quality, including particulate matter and current air quality across Victoria, is available at EPA Victoria.
