Bakersfield most polluted city in USA (Fresno, Sacramento: environment, agriculture, smog)

[southwest1230]

Actually, just under LA.....how could it be that bad?

City Mayors: The most polluted US cities

[Roaddog]

Oh my goodness run for the hills. the sky is falling.

[kdog]

That's pretty interesting. In fact that whole southern end of the central valley ranked amongst the smoggiest areas, including Merced, Fresno, Visalia, as well as Bakersfield, etc. I would never have guessed that. The only thing I can think of is the smog from LA must settle in the central valley and be trapped by the mountains on either side. Places like Merced just don't seem big enough to generate that much pollution.

[viraj]

well thats dissappointing as a bakersfield resident, but i still feel its got enough green and freshness to make it more than pleasant overall

[jdavid93225]

Originally Posted by kdog

That's pretty interesting. In fact that whole southern end of the central valley ranked amongst the smoggiest areas, including Merced, Fresno, Visalia, as well as Bakersfield, etc. I would never have guessed that. The only thing I can think of is the smog from LA must settle in the central valley and be trapped by the mountains on either side. Places like Merced just don't seem big enough to generate that much pollution.

Actually, the prevailing winds would prevent most of the pollution from L.A. from ever going into the San Joaquin Valley. The pollution there is either from the valley itself, or from the Bay area and Sacramento area. Remember that this valley is a very large agriculture center. On the surface, it would seem that agriculture would not cause much pollution. The things to keep in mind are the fertilizers and pesticides that are used on most crops. In addition, there are trucks, tractors, and other farm vehicles that are used in the industry.

Most of the state's largest trucking firms are located in this valley, or at least have yards there. Many of the large nationwide firms also have yards there.

Besides all those things, there is still quite a bit of heavy industry in the valley, too. There are Generating Stations, Bottling and Canning factories, Refineries, Dairies, Food Processing Plants, Railroad Yards, and lots of other things All of these businesses also cause their share of the pollution.

Lastly, there are hundreds of thousands of vehicles on the road throughout the valley.

I thought you might like to know the source(s) of pollution in the San Joaquin Valley.

[MWJamesLDS]

I might believe that the winds would keep the smog from LA out of the Valley if we weren't having red air days due to the smoke from the fires making it up to the valley this week. Also, the smog comes in from the bay area as well. It all settles in the valley and stay. Places like Arvin, at the bottom corner of the valley have it the worst! The smog just sits there till it rains.

[Caliguy2007]

The Greenery does make it feel more pleasant,and all the Greenery actually helps clean the air as well

Originally Posted by viraj

well thats dissappointing as a bakersfield resident, but i still feel its got enough green and freshness to make it more than pleasant overall

[getnrdy]

Noticed this myself today. Running north on I-5 through the Grapevine, as I drove down into the valley, it was thick. I would have to agree that the valley is the worst in California. But, I live in Bakersfield and I accept the smog along with all the good things here. I don't have any problem breathing it. So, I will live with it for awhile.

[BeenAroundTheBlock]

I lived in Bakersfield for 4 years and they were some of the most miserable years I've ever had for allergies. Actually, I never had allergies or resperatory problems until I lived in CA. As one of the previous posters said the agriculture was one of the worst culprits. They would spray a defoliant on the cotton crops and it seemed like everyone I knew was at least affected in some way.

[mandom]

Originally Posted by getnrdy

So, I will live with it for awhile.

and this is exactly the root of the problem. respiratory diseases due to environmental causes take time to develop. the kids who grow up here and spend their whole lives here are the ones who will have chronic respiratory problems in the future. i know because i've seen my share of these types of cases. i guess it's part of the bakersfield "culture."

jdavid93225 hit the nail on the head regarding the source of the pollution. many people think that the central valley is the dumping ground for the pollution from LA and the bay area, but that's only partly true. the majority comes from pollutants generated in the central valley proper. there was some kind of environmental agency report floating around that confirmed this.

after 3 months here, i ended up getting a hepa air cleaner for the house, my only refuge from the air out there.