County Air Quality on Rise, but Ozone Level Is Still a Problem

Air quality in San Diego County improved markedly in 1986, but the region will not meet the mandated standard for ozone by the year-end deadline set by federal officials, according to a report released by the county Air Pollution Control District.

The voluminous tome, presented to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, must be prepared annually by air pollution control agencies nationwide to demonstrate their progress toward meeting air quality standards ushered in by the federal Clean Air Act.

According to the report, San Diego has reduced emissions of pollutants and is moving toward compliance with the tougher standards set by the act. In particular, there were no smog alerts in the region during all of 1986, the first time that has occurred in 12 years.

“Clearly, 1986 was a very good year for air quality,” said Lynn Eldred, a spokeswoman for the district. “Controls on industry and the automobile smog check program have significantly reduced emissions in the region. We had 11 smog alerts in 1978 and not a single one last year.”

Eldred also said emissions of hydrocarbons have been reduced by five tons over the previous year. While the daily emission of hydrocarbons was 305 tons in 1978, it was at 217 tons per day in 1986.

Ozone Standards

But as for ozone, one of the principal components in smog that is a nemesis for those with respiratory problems, San Diego isn’t faring so well.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has set a Dec. 31 deadline for agencies to be in compliance with standards for ozone. The agency allows a district to exceed the federal clean air standard for ozone for three days a year. Last year in San Diego, such excesses occurred on 45 days, down from 90 in 1978. As of last month, the region had been in violation for six days, meaning it has already exceeded the allowable number.

“It’s a problem, and despite sticking to our state implementation plan for emission reductions, we just won’t be meeting the standard,” Eldred said.

Part of San Diego’s failure to comply is blamed on so-called “transport pollution” from Los Angeles. R.J. Somerville, chief of the local air pollution control district, has said that even if everyone moved away from San Diego, the area’s air would be plagued by drifting pollutants from the north.

But Eldred said officials also suspect a computer program used back in 1982 to chart the emission reductions that would be necessary to meet the new federal standards underestimated the task.

“We don’t think it was sufficiently accurate to bring us into compliance,” she said.

Also, officials have focused their efforts on reducing hydrocarbon emissions, as it has been seen as the major contributor to ozone. Now, air quality experts believe nitrogen oxide emissions--generated by power plants and automobiles--may also need to be better controlled.

It is unclear what sort of consequences failing to meet the federal standard could have for San Diego, which is among 10 California communities that are not expected to meet the deadline. The EPA has wide authority to cut off federal funds for highways and sewage treatment plants, can impose moratoriums on certain types of projects and can regulate facilities that are major pollution generators.

But local officials say their discussions with EPA lead them to believe San Diego will be spared such sanctions. Not only is San Diego beset by smog from Los Angeles, but the city has made great strides in its implementation of the state’s stringent smog check program.

An EPA spokesman could not be reached for comment late Tuesday.

The largest polluter in the county is San Diego Gas & Electric Co., which generates 25% of all industrial pollution. The utility is followed by the Navy, which puts out 5% of the pollution, and Kelco and San Diego Pipeline Co., with 3% each.