The District compiles information on air quality trends within our county in order to monitor the effectiveness of our existing programs and to determine where additional efforts are necessary.
Air quality monitoring on the Nipomo Mesa over the past 20 years has shown that the particulate concentrations on the Mesa are significantly higher than other areas of San Luis Obispo County. Over the past decade the San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District (District) has performed supplemental monitoring and data analysis projects to better understand this problem. While these past efforts have helped to increase our understanding, they did not provide a definitive explanation of the source and scope of elevated particulate levels on the Mesa.
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) web site provides on-line access to environmental data for our county and locations around the state. Visit the Air Quality Information Page for more details.
To see air quality data for our county visit here: Real-Time Query Tool. The data for ozone is initially displayed but you can change the parameter used for the report - not all parameters are available from all stations. This data is updated hourly.
A year long particulate monitoring study was initiated by the District from April 2004 through March 2005 to better delineate the nature and extent of the particulate problem observed on the Mesa. Comprehensive sampling of both fine (PM2.5) and coarse (PM10) particulate matter was conducted across the Mesa. The results of this study are available in the Nipomo Mesa Particulate Study 2007.
Contact us for more information on this topic.