The U.S. EPA announced on Tuesday, Nov. 10, its intent to redesignate the Salt Lake City and Provo “non-attainment” areas to “attainment” for the 2006 24-hour fine particulate matter (PM2.5) National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) under the Clean Air Act.
Read about Utah DEQ’s regulatory interests in US Environmental Protection Agency.
By Ann Brown and Karen Stewart, Guest Bloggers DEQ invites guest bloggers to share their thoughts on issues that impact our environment. We appreciate their insights and the opportunity to broaden the conversation with others in the community. Winter in Utah brings to mind crystal clear blue skies, snow-capped mountains, and a long ski season.…
By Donna Kemp Spangler It doesn’t take a scientist to know Utah has prolonged periods of bad air during the winter. But it does take a team of local and national scientific researchers to understand more fully why we have bad air. For years, the Utah Department of Environmental Quality’s air-quality scientists have been focused…
By Ken Bousfield Recent news reports about the presence of hexavalent chromium (chromium-6) in the drinking water in several northern Utah counties have raised concerns among residents about the safety of the state’s drinking water. Fortunately, the levels found in the Davis, Weber, and Box Elder County drinking-water systems are below the California state standard,…
By Bo Call You may have heard about the low-cost air quality sensors that people have been using to collect personal air quality data during high pollution periods. The question I often get is, “Do they really work?” And all I have to say is, “Well, it depends.” The regulatory monitors we use at DEQ…
By Brandy Cannon Businesses and other sources that emit pollutants into the air often require permits, which set limits on the amount of pollution they can release. Permit writers at the Division of Air Quality (DAQ) are always looking for ways to improve air quality and reduce emissions, particularly the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that contribute…