Greater Roanoke Valley Asthma and Air Quality Coalition
Air Quality


Ozone

Ozone Profile - includes a description of ozone, ozone impacts, steps you can take to reduce ozone, Roanoke ozone data, and Roanoke emissions that contribute to ozone formation.

Air Pollution and Health Impacts Profile - brief summary of recent studies

AQI Matrix - Air Quality Index color coded and defined for values for PM 2.5 and Ozone pollutants, along with health cautionary statements. UPDATED to reflect new March 12, 2008 Ozone standard. New 2008 Ozone Standard compared to Old 1997 Ozone Standard 2008 compared to 1997 AQI Matrix

View a Good Air Quality Day versus a Bad Air Quality Day in the Roanoke Valley.

March 12, 2008: EPA announces new Ozone Standards

March 12: 2008: American Lung Association statement on new ozone standard


Roanoke Valley DEQ Ozone Monitor and data:

East Vinton Elementary School - Vinton
Roanoke AQI ozone days chart - tracks the last several years ozone data by air quality index from the East Vinton Elementary School monitor.
Monthly AQI charts displaying graph of daily AQI for PM 2.5 and Ozone (ozone displayed from May to September).


Ozone forecasts and current data: in Roanoke the ozone season and daily forecasts generally run from May through September.

- Sign up for the Roanoke area Ozone Action Day Alert Program. Receive alerts whenever ozone levels are forecast to be unhealthy

- Virginia DEQ

- U.S. EPA

- NOAA-EPA forecast guidance

- daily forecasts are also available via Roanoke media outlets such as during local television news weather segments, local weather updates on the weather channel on cable outlets, and in the weather section of the newspaper.


Roanoke area ozone Early Action Compact

To determine if an area is in compliance with the ozone 8 – hour health standard, EPA takes the fourth highest reading for three consecutive years then averages them. To be in compliance (attainment), the 3-year average must be 84 ppb or lower. If the average is 85 ppb or higher, then the area is out of compliance (non-attainment). In April 2004, EPA designated the Roanoke area as nonattainment for the new 8-hour ozone standard based on the 3-year average from 2001 - 2003.

However, Roanoke has entered into an Ozone Early Action Plan (EAP), which will defer implementation of the 8-hour standard. If Roanoke meets the EPA deadlines for the EAP, the EAP will allow Roanoke to defer the stigma and requirements of being designated as nonattainment. Roanoke did meet the March 31, 2004 EPA EAP milestones, thus nonattainment status has been deferred until September 30, 2005. If Roanoke continues to meet the EPA requirements, then nonattainment status will be deferred again. By 2007, Roanoke’s 3-year average from 2005 – 2007 must fall below the 85 ppb standard or the area will fall back into the requirements of being a nonattainment area. The EAP was submitted to EPA in March 2004 and will be incorporated into the State Implementation Plan (SIP) by December 2004.

Roanoke Valley government leaders agreed to the EAP in December 2002. Shortly after, the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission formed an ozone task force to formulate the plan. The Greater Roanoke Valley Asthma and Air Quality Coalition has been an active participant on this task force.

For more on the Early Action Plan please check out the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission website at: www.rvarc.org or this Virginia DEQ webpage: http://www.deq.virginia.gov/air/emissions/reozone.html .