Air Quality

One of primary duties of the Regional Air Pollution Control Agency is to monitor the air quality in our six-county jurisdiction and compare our air quality against U.S. EPA’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), which are set to be protective of public health.

In order to do this, we operate a network of air quality monitors. Currently, the network includes 15 monitors, dispersed over 12 locations, in five of our six counties. While U.S. EPA sets NAAQS for six primary, or criteria pollutants, RAPCA only monitors four:

• ozone,
• particulate matter
• carbon monoxide, and
• sulfur dioxide

We do not monitor for lead and nitrogen oxide because their current levels are well below the limits set by U.S. EPA.

If you're interested in monitoring data for the four pollutants above, please visit our air quality data section. To view today's air quality graphs, click here.

For more information about the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, please visit U.S. EPA's website.