REAL TIME DATA

TNRCC Monitoring Sites (http://www.tnrcc.state.tx.us/airquality.html) provide access to the state’s network of monitoring stations. You can get hour by hour information on some kinds of air pollution in DFW or other areas of Texas. Depending on the monitoring station, you can get readings for ozone, nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, particulate matter and other pollutants, plus weather information.

OZONE/SMOG POLLUTION DATA

Texas ozone season begins in May and ends in October. This means that anytime during these months ozone pollution, or smog, can reach unhealthy levels. All levels of government now use a system to rank the danger of smog. Instead of generic "Ozone Action Days," they'll be "Air Pollution Watches" and "Warnings" - just like thunderstorms and tornados - with color-coded levels of severity. Watches will be issued in anticipation of dangerous air days, while Warnings are issued immediately when one of the area monitors records "unhealthful" air. All this information is supposed to be sent via TV and radio weathercasters for broadcast. You can also get real time and projected ozone concentrations on the internet at the TNRCC and EPA web sites and get yourself on a TNRCC e-mail list that notifies you of all local DFW Watches and Warnings as soon as the standard is threatened or exceeded.

Ozone Tracking Tools

Ozone Animation Maps of DFW and Other Texas Areas (http://www.tnrcc.state.tx.us/airquality.html) These are computer generated maps produced by the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission that show the concentration of ozone pollution, or smog on an hourly basis in the DFW area and other "non-attainment" areas of Texas . DFW is in Region 4. Maps for previous days going back at least two years. Be sure to watch the Midlothian area just southeast of Dallas for evidence of ozone pollution from the cement plants. For example, you can bring up the ozone maps for DFW for August 2nd of 2000 and see a specific pollution plume originating around the Midlothian plants.

EPA’s Ozone Animation Maps for the U.S., including DFW (http://www.epa.gov/airnow/) EPA's Ozone Mapping Project Archives: daily ozone maps for DFW and the nation: hour by hour animation, 1 Hour peak concentrations and 8 hour peak concentrations in DFW area. Maps for previous days going back to 1999. This is EPA’s version of the same mapping that can be found through the TNRCC, applied to the entire country. It’s also a gateway to other air quality information, most of it related to ozone pollution.

Current hourly ozone data from individual monitoring sites (www.tnrcc.state.tx.us/cgi-bin/monops/daily_average) This allows you to track ozone pollution levels at individual monitoring stations operated by the Texas Natural Resource Commission located throughout DFW and other parts of Texas. Monitoring Site # C94 in DFW is located immediately south of TXI in Midlothian. Ozone Watch and Warning E-mail notification sign-up. (www.tnrcc.state.tx.us/air/monops/o3emailnotify.html) Use this TNRCC site to get on a serve list that notifies you of official ozone watches and warnings in DFW and other parts of Texas. Watches are announced when air pollution levels are anticipated to reach unhealthy levels the next day. Warnings are issued approximately thirty minutes after a monitoring station actually records unhealthy levels of pollution in your part of Texas.