WNC sees improvement in air quality

ASHEVILLE - North Carolina has seen reductions in ground level ozone and other pollutants in the last 15 years, according to Bill Eaker, coordinator of the Land of Sky Clean Vehicles Coalition.

Eaker and others took part in the annual ozone season kickoff event and news conference Wednesday.

The event is an opportunity for air quality agencies to come together and talk about air quality conditions and trends, Eaker said. “Basically it’s giving us an annual report, a status report,” he said.

Ground level ozone is a harmful pollutant that forms in warm sunny weather. Too much ozone can lead to "code orange" days when the air is unhealthy for sensitive individuals. A code red day means the air is considered unhealthy for anyone.

Buncombe County hasn’t seen a code orange day since 2012, according to the Western North Carolina Regional Air Quality Agency.

Unhealthy ozone days were more common in the 1990s and early 2000s.

“In the 90s and probably early 2000s we were right on the verge of violating those standards,” Eaker said. “That’s what spurred many people in this region to band together to make the public and decision makers more aware of air quality issues, but also — even more importantly — what they could do at various levels to reduce emissions.”

The Clean Smokestacks Act of 2002 helped reduce emissions at coal burning power plants and improve air quality, Eaker said. Surrounding states and the Tennessee Valley Authority have also taken steps to reduce emissions, he said.

“It really has been an environmental success story, and we’re very pleased with the results,” Eaker said. “And that’s really the result of a lot of action at the local, state and federal level.”

Eaker said it’s still important to continue to make people aware of daily ozone levels and to work to continue to improve air quality.