By Wally Kennedy

wkennedy@joplinglobe.com

There might have been times in recent years when ground-level ozone during the summer was unacceptably high in the Joplin area, but local residents had no way of knowing it.

That’s about to change. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is planning to install an ozone monitor near Alba, and the department hopes to have it operational by May 1.

When the monitor becomes operational, local health departments will be able to access the data and alert residents when smog conditions become a health concern. Ozone is a primary component of smog. Ozone can be worsened by the presence of power plants and vehicles.

The project was explained to members of the Environmental Task Force of Jasper and Newton Counties on Wednesday by representatives of the Ozarks Clean Air Alliance. After the presentation, the task force voted to become a member of the alliance, saying it would benefit from the work the group has done to raise public awareness of the issue.

The alliance also has put together a clean-air action plan for Southwest Missouri. The draft plan is to be adopted by the alliance in February, according to Doug Neidigh, program manager of the Ozarks Center for Sustainable Solutions at Drury University in Springfield.

Neidigh said that by taking voluntary steps to reduce ground-level ozone pollution, Southwest Missouri might be able to avoid state action on the problem. If ground-level ozone exceeds the acceptable standard in a particular area in the state, the DNR could impose a State Implementation Plan to reduce ozone pollution in that area.

The group’s clean-air action plan, Neidigh said, could be viewed as having a “voluntary plan already in place for what is to come.”

The alliance was formed in 2007 to find ways that cities, businesses and industries could voluntarily reduce ozone emissions in the Springfield area. Ozone monitors there show that Springfield is teetering between compliance and noncompliance with federal ozone standards. A recent DNR study found that Jasper County had the second most ozone emissions in Southwest Missouri after Greene County. Newton County had the third most emissions.

Neidigh said it is likely that Southwest Missouri, one of the fastest growing areas in the state, will at some point be in noncompliance with federal ozone standards.

Encouraging people to drive less in the summer and reducing the time that vehicles are permitted to idle are two ways to reduce ozone emissions. Other steps include installing “intelligent” transportation systems in areas with traffic congestion, creating public transportation systems and retrofitting diesel-powered school buses to curb tailpipe emissions.

The Joplin City Council on Monday approved funding for the installation of adaptive signal controls at some busy intersections to improve traffic flow. The city also has expanded its public transportation system.

Paul Vitzthum, with the DNR, said the state also is installing ozone monitors at Cape Girardeau, Columbia and Jefferson City.