It’s a new season here in Central Texas. Sure, the wide swaths of bluebonnets are usually a good clue that spring has sprung, but now that we’re in Ozone Season, it’s official.
Mayor Lee Leffingwell, together with the Clean Air Force of Central Texas, announced the start of Ozone Season this past weekend. From April 1 to Oct. 31, Central Texans are encouraged to proactively reduce their ozone emissions. “Basically anything that limits your driving or electricity use will help make a positive difference in the quality of air we are breathing,” Leffingwell said in a statement.
The Enivironmental Protection Agency sets health standards for ground-level ozone, and Travis County (as well as the surrounding counties of Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, and Williamson) is already dangerously close to that limit.
The CAF also honored local meteorologists for their efforts in increasing awareness of air quality concerns. For more about this weekend’s kickoff, or to learn more about air quality or other CAF events, visit www.cleanairforce.org. To read more about the EPA’s ozone standards, see “Austin Falling Short on Clean Air,” July 22, 2011.
This article appears in March 30 • 2012.