Regional Air Quality
Vehicles and other mobile sources, including trucks, locomotives, buses, motorcycles, agricultural equipment and construction equipment cause approximately 70 percent of our region's air pollution problem. When weather conditions are right, exhaust from these sources reacts with the sun's ultraviolet rays to form unhealthy levels of ground-level ozone.
Because the Sacramento Valley is shaped like a bowl, ozone pollution presents a serious problem in the summer when an inversion layer traps pollutants close to the ground. This lid prevents pollutants from escaping into the upper atmosphere causing poor air quality for residents.
The Alternative Transportation Division's goal is to help improve air quality by providing and encouraging the use of transportation modes other than driving alone.
What you can do to improve air quality
Resources