Anything up with Denver air? (Colorado Springs, Louisville: homes, rent, health)

[Geezalator]

Yesterday the Dept of Health issued a red advisory.

http://apcd.state.co.us/psi/advisory.phtml

I viewed the advisory by accident, then checked Denver Air Quality Index on weatherbug.com. Rechecked again today. AFAIK AQI never left green, 'good' range. I'm just curious, was it noticeably poor air quality, locally?

thanks,
the Geez

[2bindenver]

not really. Denver proper is located in a bowl, and when the winds die off polluted air hangs over the city, until the winds blows it away.

We have no burn days when woodburning fireplaces are restricted, and a vehicle emission testing program designed to keep some pollutants out of the air.

[xxman777]

Denver is also much more likely to see bad pollution days during the winter unlike a lot of other cities which see their's in the summer. Denver would have less pollution problems then other major areas but because of the "bowl" effect it has as any problems as other places. It really isn't any worse then most major cities though.

[Bill_B]

Originally Posted by xxman777

Denver is also much more likely to see bad pollution days during the winter unlike a lot of other cities which see their's in the summer. Denver would have less pollution problems then other major areas but because of the "bowl" effect it has as any problems as other places. It really isn't any worse then most major cities though.

The air quality in the Twin Cities has been in the bad category for most days during November and I have noticed several days where the air quality in Denver was better than the air quality in the Twin Cities.

At least Denver is adding more light rail lines and improving public transit to provide an alternative to commuting by car, while the "Land of 10,000 Idiots" continues to frown on public transit and anything else that will reduce the dependency on cars for commuting.

[Geezalator]

Thanks for comments. I've been using the pollution index, by zip code, on homes.point2.com as a rough guide, but I'm not sure how scientific it is. For instance, I checked 15 of the central zips for Denver; most were 94, with a couple of 95s. The zip for central Colorado Springs is 94. The zip for Buena Vista is 95. The zip for Dinosaur is 102. The zip for Louisville is 92 (best I've seen so far).

The zip for my east San Diego County location is 104. The air is often hazy here, but in the winter we get some very clear days. Even in summer, the air does not make the eyes sting, like it can in LA.

From the numbers, it looks like I would be getting an improvement in air quality no matter where I went in CO.

[2bindenver]

Wait until Thursday. We are expecting a major frigid snowstorm in the mountains and freezing cold, possible snow in Denver on Wednesday.

[Bill_B]

Originally Posted by Geezalator

Thanks for comments. I've been using the pollution index, by zip code, on homes.point2.com as a rough guide, but I'm not sure how scientific it is. For instance, I checked 15 of the central zips for Denver; most were 94, with a couple of 95s. The zip for central Colorado Springs is 94. The zip for Buena Vista is 95. The zip for Dinosaur is 102. The zip for Louisville is 92 (best I've seen so far).

A site that I have been using frequently lately to compare air quality for major cities around the US is AIRNow at http://airnow.gov/

[rebagirl]

I live in L.A. County, and am hoping to move to Colorado. For a pretty accurate description of air quality, go to www.lungusa.org. It is part of the American Lung Association's site. There will be a small box to type in a zip code, and a report card for that particular county will come up. There are also lists of best/worse places for air quality on the site. Of course, L.A. ranks as the all-time worst year after year--absolutely disgusting!! Note--the criteria is extremely strict--so if a city gets a B or C, it could still only have 2-5 days of pollution per year. I have even compared cities that get F's. For example, there is a huge difference between an F in L.A. and an F in Atlanta. Look at the actual number of pollution days before freaking out over the letter grade. Hope this helps!

[Geezalator]

Bill_B and rebagirl, thanks for additional sites. It's good to get different presentations of datasets, it helps to visualize.

[trumpetmic]

I see the same warnings and I get pretty concerned for my children's health here in Denver.

So I started using a reel mower instead of gas (gas mowers aren't regulated and emissions are obscene).

I also found out there's a local mowing company using oldschool man-powered reel mowers: greenclippers.com

On top of all that, I'm thinking about switching to an electric car. Silent and clean!