DENVER—State health officials expect the Denver region to be found in violation of federal ozone limits because of high readings at a Jefferson County air monitor.
In an announcement Thursday, Paul Tourangeau, director of the state health department’s Air Pollution Control Division, said the data will be sent to the Environmental Protection Agency and that he expected the nine-county area would be designated as a “non-attainment area” for ozone.
“It compels us to move forward rapidly to develop plans for further reductions in ozone concentrations,” he said.
The violation isn’t official until the EPA reviews all the data and makes a formal decision. That isn’t expected until November.
Air is monitored at 12 stations and compared to readings in the previous two years. A violation at any one of them leads to non-attainment status for the entire region.
Meanwhile, the EPA has proposed tightening the ozone pollution standard of .084 parts per million to between .070 and .075 parts per million. A decision is expected in March.
