Every year, a group known as the Environmental Citizens Advisory Committee comes together with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency to go over what the EPA found over the last year in terms of air quality throughout Allen County.
The EPA mainly monitors three areas for their air quality report, and have now released the levels for ozone formation, sulfur dioxide, and smaller matter that is equal to or lesser than a certain size in 2018. What they found was that the county stayed within the level requirements that are set by the EPA.
Getting the levels to that point, especially for ozone levels, comes from the county working together.
"It’s a group effort here in the county - we have our industry partners that are doing a great job as well, trying to mitigate some of their emissions, and if we all work together we can have a better, safer community," said Tom Berger, director of the Allen County EMA.
A big part of the ozone levels being where they are came from designated Ozone Alert Days, days when citizens were asked to put off activities like mowing their lawns until the evening on especially hot days in the summer.
The numbers for 2018 were positive news for Allen County - it's a chance put in the work and be sure that the county continues to have clean air.
"Preliminary data going forward for 2019 looks like we’re going down to .061 so we’re doing good, and we’re hoping that the actions that we’re taking here in Allen County are making the air a little better here for all the residents of the county," Berger said. "The lower the number goes the better for us here in the county, so if we can keep it low, get it lower - maybe a .059, .058 - it’s just better for us all around."
