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News Release 479
OZONE SEASON COMES TO AN END FOR KANSAS CITY AREA
Volume 34-479 |
Contact: Renee Bungart |
(For immediate release) |
573-751-4465 |
JEFFERSON CITY, MO, OCT. 30, 2006 -- As the 2006 ozone season ends tomorrow (Oct. 31), Missouri Department of Natural Resources analyses shows air quality in the Kansas City area continues to maintain the standard. Although the department recorded exceedances of the 8-hour ozone standard on 15 days, the three-year average upon which compliance is based stayed below the standard.
"The department recognizes that maintaining good air quality can be attributed not only to the control measures that are already in place, but to the voluntary efforts of Missouri citizens and partnerships who are committed to protecting community health," said Department of Natural Resources Director Doyle Childers. "As always, these efforts are much appreciated."
It is possible, however, that the Kansas City area will be in violation of the federal ambient air quality standard by next summer. The monitoring averages for the 2004 through 2006 period were uncharacteristically low because of the unusually cool summer temperatures in 2004. If we experience a typical summer in 2007, the new three-year monitoring average may result in violations of the standard.
Kansas City is designated as a "maintenance area" due to previous violations of the federal ozone standard. A "maintenance area" is an area that has achieved compliance and has proven to EPA that the standard was achieved through enforceable controls and has shown through computer modeling that it will continue to "maintain" the standard.
The Kansas City area will have contingency control measures that can be put into place in the event the area violates the ozone standards. These conditions will be included in a "maintenance plan." Local governments, industry and citizens will have opportunities to voice their opinions on the plan.
Effectively reducing ozone precursors, such as oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) will be necessary to keep the region in attainment. That is why the Kansas City community is also working on a plan to implement voluntary efforts to reduce pollution, known as the Clean Air Action Plan. These voluntary efforts include industries using best management practices, drivers refueling later in the evening, homeowners and businesses delaying lawn maintenance, and using mass transportation at a reduced cost on high ozone days.
"The department hopes to develop an equitable combination of measures so that one group does not have to carry the entire weight of the reductions," said David Lamb, Operations Section Chief with the Air Pollution Control Program. "If we can not document sufficiently to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that our maintenance plan will avoid future violations of the standard, then EPA could elect to redesignate the area to nonattainment." If redesignation occurs, the department will have to develop a much more detailed State Implementation Plan for the area, which would include more stringent rules.
Ozone season begins April 1 and ends Oct. 31. Throughout the season, monitors in the Kansas City area record the ozone levels at five sites in Missouri and three sites in Kansas.
Ground-level ozone is produced when volatile organic compounds mix with oxides of nitrogen on warm, sunny days with little or no wind. Man-made sources of VOCs and NOx include power plants, automobiles and trucks and other business and industries.
Exposure to ground-level ozone, or smog, can attribute to health problems. Those who suffer from asthma, heart disease, emphysema and other respiratory diseases could experience increased breathing difficulty. Long-term exposure to high levels of ozone can even cause healthy adults to experience breathing difficulty, especially those who exercise or work outdoors.
For more information on ozone, contact the department's Air Pollution Control Program at 800-361-4827 or 573-751-4817.
For news releases on the Web, visit www.dnr.mo.gov/newsrel. For a complete listing of the department's upcoming meetings, hearings and events, visit the department's online calendar at www.dnr.mo.gov/calendar/search.do.
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