Region 1: EPA New England
8-HOUR OZONE NONATTAINMENT AREAS IN NEW ENGLAND
EPA designated nonattainment areas for the 2008 8-hour ozone standard.
In New England, the states operate a network of approximately 60 ozone monitoring stations during the ozone season (i.e., April 1 through September 30). To track changes in air quality, EPA maintains historical information about ground-level ozone exceedances, for every monitoring location in New England. For more information about the sources that contribute to the formation of ozone click here.
2008 8-hour Ozone Designations:
Scientific evidence shows that concentrations of ozone in the air can affect human health. EPA has set a strengthened National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone at 0.075 parts per million (ppm), averaged over 8-hours. The map above shows those areas in New England that have been designated nonattainmnet, or not meeting, this 2008 8-hour ozone standard.
Click here for a table (PDF) (1 pg, 16 K, about PDF) containing the exact boundary descriptions and classifications for the 2008 8-hour ozone nonattainment areas in New England. For more information about the 2008 ozone standard designations click here.
1997 8-hour Ozone Designations:
Click here for a map of the 1997 8-hour Nonattainment Areas. Click here for a table (PDF) (3 pp, 66 K, about PDF) containing the exact boundary descriptions and classifications for the 1997 8-hour ozone nonattainment areas in New England. (Note: Since the time of designations in June 2004, Maine's and New Hampshire's air quality has improved. The State of Maine and the State of New Hampshire have been redesignated to attainment, or meeting, the ozone standard.) Based on these designations, states were required to develop implementation plans by June 2007 outlining what actions they would take to meet the ozone standard. For more information on these plans, click here.
For more information on the national 1997 8-hour ground-level designations, visit http://www.epa.gov/airquality/ozonepollution/designations/1997standards/index.htm.