Interstate 80, San Francisco Contribute To Placer County's Poor Air Quality
PLACER COUNTY (CBS13) — If you're heading to the foothills of Placer County and are expecting clean mountain air, you may want to think again.
A recent report shows most of Placer County is failing to reach state air quality standards.
It seems counter intuitive when you have an area that has so much greenery and and not a lot of industry to have such poor air quality. The vast majority of the county is known for quaint communities like Auburn.
Those who live in the area say they wouldn't expect their air is not as good as the state says it should be.
"We've been out of compliance with the state standard for a very long time," said Ann Hobbs with the Placer County Air Pollution Control District.
Despite numbers being better than in years past, she says they continue to work to lower their ozone levels. But it's a tough task.
"A lot of it is from transport, a lot of it comes in from combustion sources like vehicles, motor vehicles," she said.
It's something they can't control with Interstate 80 running right through the county. But it's more than that—the area's beautiful landscape seems to be a gathering spot for pollution being pushed in as far as the Bay Area.
"We're able to do a little bit of control, and then we look the state government and the federal government for additional controls," she said.
Dr. Michael McCormick says for many it's a surprise that the air quality is not better, than that those with asthma should take notice.
"The ozone that gets pushed up and the pollution that gets pushed up against the foothills and all the nooks and crannies where it can get concentrated, it's not uncommon for people to move here and sometimes their asthma is worse," he said.