Enviromental notebook
State under limit in pollutants in ’18
Arkansas did not exceed federal standards for common pollutants that can harm health or the environment in 2018, according to the state Division of Environmental Quality’s annual State of the Air Report.
The pollutant that came closest to exceeding the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards in Arkansas was ozone, a gas formed in sunlight when volatile organic compounds mix with nitrogen oxides. Ozone is unhealthy to breathe and can cause respiratory problems, especially for sensitive groups, when it lingers at ground level.
According to the report, which relied on air monitoring data from 2018, Arkansas’ level of ozone was 87% of the federal standard when averaged over an eight-hour period.
Environmental quality officials presented the 2019 report’s findings to the Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission at the board’s Feb. 28 meeting.
Tricia Treece, an official with the division’s Office of Air Quality, told the commission that Crittenden County historically has seen high levels of ozone pollution and came close to exceeding the standard. “That’s something that we’re continuing to look at,” Treece said.
However, elsewhere in Arkansas, ozone levels declined from about 2012 to 2016, and since then have remained virtually flat, according to the report.
“Ozone is not only dependent on emissions of nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds and carbon monoxide — it’s also weather-dependent,” Treece said.
Crittenden County had only one day during the 2019 ozone season (May 1 to September 30) when unhealthy ozone pollution led to a “Code Orange” advisory being issued, meaning outdoor exertion is not recommended for people who are sensitive to pollutants. Northwest Arkansas and Central Arkansas saw zero “Code Orange” days.
Pulaski County had the second-highest level of ozone pollution, followed by Polk County, according to the report. Other pollutants such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and fine particulate matter fell far below the EPA’s standards.
The level of coarse particulate matter recorded in Pulaski County ticked up slightly from 2017 to 2018, but remained below the standard.
Recycle sites take plastic bags now
As of Monday, Pulaski County residents can drop off single-use plastic bags for recycling at green stations. The Regional Recycling and Waste Reduction District announced the new program last month to help keep plastic bags out of curbside recycling carts and landfills.
People who throw plastic bags into recycling bins, believing they are recyclable, contribute to problems at recycling facilities, where plastic bags can get tangled up and jam machinery.
District Executive Director Craig Douglass said in a news release Feb. 10 that more varieties of single-use plastic may be collected at green stations in the future, but the district is starting with plastic bags to gauge consumer interest.
“Residential customers in Pulaski County have become more informed on the need to recycle single-use plastic bags like grocery bags,” Douglass said in the statement.
In addition to plastic bags, green stations accept old electronic devices, household hazardous waste and glass. A list of the five green stations and where to find them is available at MyDoRight.com.
Watershed region to get U.S.’ $2.3M
A federal partnership will work to improve water quality in Northwest Arkansas and southeast Oklahoma through a multimillion-dollar investment in the region.
“Building Resilient Watersheds to Improve Drinking Water in the Ozark and Ouachita Highlands” is a new program under the Department of Agriculture’s Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership.
The USDA and the U.S. Forest Service will provide $2.37 million in funding to the Ozark-Ouachita region during fiscal 2020, according to a Feb. 26 announcement from the federal government.
The Ozark-Ouachita project will cover more than 5 million acres and six high-priority watersheds, according to the USDA. In addition to improving water quality for drinking, fishing and tourism, the project will seek to mitigate wildfire risks and improve habitats for at-risk species.
Project activities may include “replacing degraded and undersized stream crossings, restoring shortleaf pine forests, constructing permanent fire breaks, reducing fuel loads, conducting controlled burns, and conducting outreach to local communities,” according to a project summary.
The Ozark-St. Francis National Forest and the Ouachita National Forest collectively cover around 3 million acres, according to the Forest Service.
The USDA plans to invest more than $41 million across all landscape restoration projects nationwide in fiscal 2020.