Why don’t Ozone Maps include Chico? How are the boundaries of the map defined?
The area served by the Ozone Maps primarily includes the federal Sacramento Ozone Non-attainment Area identified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as having a severe ground-level ozone air pollution problem. This area includes all of Sacramento and Yolo counties and portions of El Dorado, Placer, Sutter and Solano counties. Chico is not located within this area, and therefore, is not depicted in the Ozone Maps. However, ozone data from Chico are used to define the northern boundary of the Ozone Maps, so the Maps will be helpful to those living north of the Sacramento region. In addition, the Map does extend south into northern San Joaquin County to include areas served by Sacramento TV stations, which broadcast Ozone Maps during news and weather reports. To view nationwide maps, please visit www.epa.gov/airnow.
