LAKE COUNTY — Lake County is the cleanest county in California for air quality and is the only county in the state to place in the top 10 in the U.S. in a report issued Wednesday by the American Lung Association (ALA).
In addition, Lake County was also named the eighth cleanest county in the U.S. for clean air in the ALA”s annual State of the Air Report.
“It is great to have our local community nationally recognized by the American Lung Association for their desire to have and maintain clean and healthful air in Lake County,” Doug Gearhart, air pollution control officer for the Lake County Air Quality Management District, said.
The report graded state and local air quality on an “A” through “F” scale by comparing local ozone and small-particulate concentrations with the federal air quality standards.
In addition to being named the eighth cleanest county for annual particulate average concentrations, Lake County received an “A” grade for ozone, a “B” grade for short-term particulate pollution. Out of California”s 58 counties, Lake County is one of only nine that did not have any days of ozone air pollution levels in the unhealthful range.
The grading is based on three years of data from 2008 through 2010. The levels were affected slightly by the 2008 wildfires, with small particulate pollution exceeding the allowable limits as the fires were burning. Ozone in the air during the same three-year period never exceeded allowable levels.
Shasta and San Benito counties follow Lake County and are in the top 25.
The ALA grades are the latest recognition of a long history of air quality accomplishments in the county, according to Gearhart.
Gearhart said strong community support for clean air measures has enabled the county to comply in full with Federal Clean Air Standards and the more rigorous California standards for ozone and other air pollutants for the past 22 years.
Gearhart attributed the success of the program to the cooperation of local agencies, the fire protection districts within the county, CAL FIRE and the Lake County agricultural community and industry.
