AMBIENT AIR MONITORING OPERATIONS 

Ambient air monitoring operations are the responsibility of the DEQ Air Quality Assessment Division, Air Analysis Section.   The Air Analysis Section maintains a statewide monitoring network, made up of stationary ambient air monitoring stations.   From these sites, Analysis personnel collect direct measurements of air pollutant concentrations, analyze, and interpret the data.   The data collected is used to track trends in air quality and to determine compliance with National Ambient Air Quality Standards.    Monitoring sites contain specialized instruments to measure concentrations of the pollutants ozone, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and respirable particulate matter, in accordance with federal air monitoring requirements.    The Analysis Section also measures concentrations of volatile organic compounds at selected sites throughout Louisiana.

The Section also reports daily air quality readings to the public in the following cities: Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, New Orleans, and Shreveport.    DEQ provides the information to radio and television news and to local newspapers, who report the air quality reading in a short air quality statement included in the daily weather report.  Hourly air quality readings are also available on this web site. 

⁽¹⁾ Not to be exceeded more than once per year. ⁽²⁾ Not to be exceeded more than once per year on average over 3 years. ⁽³⁾ To attain this standard, the 3-year average of the weighted annual mean PM_2.5 concentrations from single or multiple community-oriented monitors must not exceed 15.0 µg/m^{3  (4)} To attain this standard, the 3-year average of the 98th percentile of 24-hour concentrations at each population-oriented monitor within an area must not exceed 35 µg/m³ (effective December 17, 2006). ⁽⁵⁾ To attain this standard, the 3-year average of the fourth-highest daily maximum 8-hour average ozone concentrations measured at each monitor within an area over each year must not exceed 0.075 ppm (effective May 27, 2008).  ⁽⁶⁾  a) To attain this standard, the 3-year average of the fourth-highest daily maximum 8-hour average ozone concentraions measured at each monitor within an area over each year must not exceed 0.08 ppm.  b) The 1997 standard - and the implementation rules for that standard - will remain in place for implementation purposes as EPA undertakes rulemaking to address the transition from the 1997 ozone standard to the 2008 ozone standard. ⁽⁷⁾  a) The standard is attained when the expected number of days per calendar year with maximum hourly average concentrations above 0.12 is < one.  b) As of June 15, 2005, EPA revoked the 1-hour ozone standard in all areas except the 8-hour ozone nonattainment Early Action Compact (EAC) areas.

• Criteria Pollutants - What Are Criteria Pollutants?
• Air Toxics - What are Air Toxics? 

AMBIENT AIR MONITORING SITES

• Ambient Air Monitoring Sites Map - Interactive state map of ambient air monitoring sites with individual site documentation
• List of Monitoring Sites - listing of sites, physical addresses, and pollutants monitored
• Printable map of Ambient Air Monitoring Sites
• Site Abbreviations
  • Active Air Monitors
  • Inactive Air Monitors
• Mobile Air Monitoring Lab (MAML)

AMBIENT AIR MONITORING DATA

• Current AQI Information  
• Subscribe to EnviroFlash!
• Detailed 3-day AQI Forecast
• Air Quality Summaries - May 2009, June 2009, July 2009, August 2009, September 2009
• Ambient Air Monitoring Data and Reports
• Understanding the Air Quality Index (AQI)
• Revised Air Quality Index (AQI) for Ozone
• Map of 5-Parish Ozone Non-Attainment Area (under old ozone standards)

OTHER LINKS TO AIR QUALITY DATA

• AirData -- EPA's National Ambient Air Quality Database