Air Quality Information for Park Districts

Why:

In October 2015, the US EPA revised the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for Ozone. Due to the tighter standards, more cautionary alerts are being called. High temperatures often trigger Air Pollution Action Days.

What Does it Mean:

On Air Pollution Action Days ground-level ozone concentrations are forecasted to pose a potential health hazard to sensitive populations, including individuals with respiratory or pulmonary conditions as well as active children and older adults. Sensitive individuals should take special precautions and follow their physician's prescribed regimen. All residents should keep cool and limit physical activity when air pollution levels are high.

Where:

Monitoring stations throughout the region report local air quality. View sub-regional information here.

Stay Informed:

Realtime air quality alerts are issued by the IEPA through the Illinois EnviroFlash system. Sign up to receive alerts here

Recommend Action for Park Districts:

• Inform residents directly, and staff who provide services to residents who may be sensitive to air pollution.
• Staff who work with sensitive individuals, or whose work exacerbates local air pollution conditions should sign up for direct, realtime air quality alerts through the Illinois EnviroFlash system alerts here.
• It may be advisable to consider air quality conditions in public programming or scheduling outdoor work.

• Encourage residents to access air quality alerts directly as well, through the Illinois EnviroFlash system.
• Add a free air quality widget to your  website to display current information automatically.   Instructions for installing the widget are here.
• Consider the Air Quality Flag Program for village hall or schools.  A simple colored flag can be flown to correspond to air quality conditions for the day.   
• Reduce Emissions From Park District Operations on Air Pollution Action Days
• Curtail the use of diesel-powered equipment, like lawnmowers. (or consider alternative fuel-powered equipment, like propane)
• Implement and enforce vehicle idling restrictions.
• Curtail some paving operations or other work that produces volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions.
• Encourage Residents and Businesses to Reduce Emissions

These good practices from Partners For Clean Air could be promoted promote year-round

1. Drive less: carpool, use public transportation, bike or walk
2. Keep your engine tuned, don't let your engine idle
3. When refueling: stop when the pump shuts off, avoid spilling fuel, and tighten your gas cap
4. Inflate tires to the recommended pressure
5. Use low-VOC paint and cleaning products, and seal and store them so they can't evaporate
6. Turn off lights when not in use 

For more information and assistance, contact: 

Deirdre McQuillen

Illinois EPA/Illinois Partners for Clean Air

Outreach Bureau of Air/Chair

Phone:  217-558-0073

Deirdre.McQuillen@Illinois.gov