Air Quality Monitoring in MinneapolisAir quality in Minneapolis is among the best in the country when compared to that of other major cities. There are however, reasons to be concerned about the trends of certain air pollutants. Minneapolis is committed to the monitoring of these air pollutants to ensure that the air quality in the region is safe and will continually work to reduce the pollutants in the air. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets standards for six major air pollutants known as criteria pollutants: nitrogen oxide (NO2), ozone (O3), sulfur dioxide (SO2), particulate matter (PM), carbon monoxide (CO) and lead (Pb). Minneapolis and the Twin Cities do not exceed any of these standards now, but ozone and particulates could be problems in the future. In addition to criteria pollutants, there are close to two hundred other hazardous substances in our air. The four EPA considers of greatest concern—benzene, formaldehyde, methyl chloride and chromium—are all at levels which should be reduced. Air pollution comes from three major sources: utilities; industry and transportation. Presently, more than half of our air pollution results from transportation. The conversion of the Riverside Coal Plant to natural gas will see enormous improvements in air quality city-wide. Similarly, toxic releases from industrial sources have shown dramatic decreases in recent years. But cars and other vehicles, trains and planes, which account for half of the air pollution today, have not shown similarly significant reductions in the recent past. National Air Quality Trends (PDF) Regional Air Quality Trends (PDF) Minneapolis Air Quality Trends (PDF) Point Sources of Pollution in Minneapolis Types of Air Emissions Complaints in Minneapolis (PDF) Air Emissions Complaints map in Minneapolis (PDF) Minneapolis Vehicle Idling OrdinanceMinneapolis has amended the vehicle idling ordinance. The amended ordinance calls for restricting idling of cars and other gas or diesel powered vehicles to no more than three minutes in a one hour period among other restrictions. Exhaust from an idling car carries a higher load of pollutants than a moving car, so reducing unnecessary idling is one easy way we can all do something to improve air quality. See more… Minneapolis Monitoring Station and ReportsTo see where the monitoring stations are located and to read reports generated from seven of the monitoring stations, click on the link below: |