| Description: |
Preliminary results from an automated emissions monitoring system at the Boulder Reservoir indicate a strong correlation between air quality in the area and oil and natural gas development in neighboring Weld County, with northeasterly winds consistently bringing higher levels of ethane, propane and methane that are not attributable to urban emissions or vehicles.
<br><br>
The findings, compiled from thousands of data points taken since April of last year, identify sources of airborne pollutants known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), ozone precursors that can adversely affect Boulder County's air quality.
<br><br>
In the presence of sunlight, ozone is created through the chemical reaction of VOCs and nitrogen oxides (NOx), causing particularly high levels of ozone pollution during summer months. Ozone levels in the Denver Metro/North Front Range area are above the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone as set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Clean Air Act.
<br><br>
[Source: University of Colorado | Boulder]
|
 |
