Lexington Area Air Quality Program

 

	200 East Main Street Lexington, KY 40507
	(859) 233-POOL (7665)
	Fax: (859) 258-3163
	E-mail

During the Ozone Season, May 1 – September 30, when the air quality level is forecast to be approaching the level of unhealthy for sensitive groups an air quality advisory is issued. If the air quality is forecast to exceed the 8-hour air quality standard, an Ozone Action Day bulletin is issued. The advisories and Action Day bulletins promotes the voluntary efforts we can all take to help reduced air pollution. When an Advisory Day or an Action Day is forecast there will be a posting on this web site to help inform the public. 

The Daily Air Quality Forecast - Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (LMPO) - Transportation Planning for Fayette and Jessamine Counties

The Ozone Scale & Air Quality Index (AQI)
0 - 50	Good
51 - 100	Moderate
101 - 150	Unhealthy / Sensitive Groups
151 - 200	Unhealthy
201 - 300	Very Unhealthy
301 - 500	Hazardous

  

Click here to learn about the air pollution reduction and other environmental programs that help to protect the environment and the quality of life in the Lexington/Central Kentucky area.

The warm months of the Ozone Season, May 1 - September 30 have the highest rates of ground level ozone air pollution. The warm temperatures heats up the emissions from vehicles, factories, power plants and other sources which can cause an increase in the air pollution.

When the air pollution reaches a certain level we can have an exceedance (bad air day) of our air quality standard and we will call for an Ozone Action Day. During an Action Day the public is ask to take a number of voluntary measures to help reduce the air pollution in our area.

An increase in air pollution can affect a number of people that have certain health conditions such as asthma, respiratory problems, heart conditions and other medical problems. By working together we can all help reduce the air pollution in Lexington and Central Kentucky.

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Please click the "Cleaner Air Community" box to learn more about the voluntary actions we can all take to reduce air pollution.

Lexington Bluegrass Area Air Pollution Reduction Program:

This web page is part of the Lexington Area Metropolitan Planning Organization's efforts to monitor the Air Quality and the level of Ozone (ground level) air pollution in the Lexington Area and promote increased awareness of air quality issues. When the air quality level is forecast to be approaching the level of unhealthy for sensitive groups an air quality advisory is issued to the media and local, state and federal government officials. If the air quality is forecast to exceed the 8-hour air quality standard, an Ozone Action Day bulletin is issued. The advisories and Action Day bulletins promotes the voluntary efforts we can all take to help reduced air pollution.

Further, the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government and the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) have organized a Air Quality Advisory Committee. The primary goals of the Committee are to improve the community’s health, quality of life and livability through the reduction of air pollution.  

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Particulate Matter:

The Air Pollution called Particulate Matter is becoming more of a concern in Central Kentucky and other parts of the United States. The US Environmental Protection Agency has implemented a more stringent standard for the measurement of particulate matter called PM 2.5. Please use the following link to learn Important Information Concerning Particulate Matter Pollution.

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Forecasting and Monitoring of the 2007 Air Quality Season:

The 2007 Air Quality Season, May 1 – September 30, and the monitoring of the Lexington area’s Air Quality levels ended on September 30, 2007. The warm months of May – September have the highest levels of air pollution The Lexington Area Metropolitan Planning Organization staff employed in the LFUCG Division of Planning uses an Ozone and Particulate Matter (PM) air pollution forecasting model to predict the Air Quality Index level for the next day. A 3-day forecast was completed on Fridays.
An email announcing an Air Quality Action Day is sent to the media and local, state and federal government officials when the air quality level is forecast to reaches the level of unhealthy for sensitive groups which is an exceedance of the air quality standard. The Action Day bulletins are sent for both Ozone and PM air pollution. The Action Day bulletins promote the voluntary efforts we can all take to help reduced air pollution.

The daily forecast is updated daily, May 1 – September 30, and can be found by visiting the Lexington Area MPO web site, the LFUCG Air Quality web site and the EPA AIRNOW web site. By the end of September 153 days of air quality season forecast had been completed.

During the 153 days of the 2007 Air Quality Season, there was one (1) exceedances of the Ozone air quality standard and seven (7) of the PM standard in the Lexington area. During the summer of 2007 there were a number of days during the Air Quality Season when the air temperature was over 90 and even 100 degrees. Hot, dry temperatures generate the weather conditions that produce exceedances of the air quality standard.

Considering, the record high temperatures in Central Kentucky having only one (1) exceedance of the Ozone air quality standard speaks well for the local and state wide Ozone air pollution reduction efforts. A contributing factor in the seven (7) exceedances of the PM standard is the fact that the pollution level for PM pollution has been lowered from .065 parts per billion (PPB) of concentration to .036 PPB. With this in mind, the MPO/Division of Planning staff must continue to work and promote programs and projects that reduce both Ozone and PM air pollution.

Click here to get answers to Frequently Asked Questions about Ozone