Spotlights

Fort Collins Fine Particle Monitor

Thanks to the installation of a new fine particle monitor in Fort Collins this summer, citizens can now track fine particle pollution more closely.

To see hourly air pollution measurements in Fort Collins, including fine particle levels, click here.

To register for EnviroFlash, an e-mail and pager notification system that provides subscribers with instant air quality information that can be customized for individual needs, click here.

To see the Colorado daily smoke advisory and outlook issued by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, click here.

Summer Ozone Season Ends

Ozone concentrations were lower during the summer of 2009 than they were in 2008, likely due to a combination of meteorology, the economy and tighter emissions controls/regulations. The CPDHE called 11 Ozone Action Alert days in the summer of 2009.

The Fort Collins West ozone monitor recorded only one value that exceeded the national health standard in 2009. Yet as result of two prior years of elevated readings, the Fort Collins West monitor is in violation of the new ozone health standard. The new standard is 0.075 parts per million and the Fort Collins West site is 0.078 PPM (3-year average of the 4th high reading).

Learn more about ozone planning and reduction efforts in Colorado here.

Climate Action Plan - 2008 Status Report Released in July 2009

A decade ago Fort Collins was among the first wave of communities in the nation to commit to reducing local greenhouse emissions. In 2008 City Council updated the community goals and Climate Action Plan. The first progress report was released in July 2009.
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Current Features

Just Say No to Idling

The brown cloud - infamously ugly with the potential to cause health problems. Motor vehicles are the number one contributor to the brown cloud in Fort Collins, emitting more than 110 tons of pollutants EVERY DAY. We can do something about it by decreasing automotive engine idling. If your car is running but you're not moving, you're idling. Idling for more than 10 seconds consumes more gas than restarting the engine, so you'll save money too.

A recent survey suggests that almost half of Fort Collins drivers warm up their vehicles unnecessarily on cold winter mornings (engines warm up most efficiently while being driven, not while idling!) This adds up to 3,000 hours of idling each morning! Over one winter season, this adds up to 100,000 gallons of gasoline burned worth over $200,000, all while going nowhere!