Air Quality Analysis

Fontana City Council remains committed to its goal to Preserve the Local Environment. As such, Council instructed staff to conduct a thorough examination of the state of Fontana’s Air Quality.

In short, the examination aimed to answer the following questions: 

  1. What does science say about air quality today?
  2. How does Fontana rate on best practices regarding air quality?
  3. What, if anything, can the City do better?

Staff and representatives from consulting firm Ramboll presented the findings on September 14, 2021, during a City Council and Planning Commission workshop. 

Air Quality Analysis Findings

View the findings presented in the workshop PowerPoint here.

Key takeaways include:

  • Ozone concentration levels continue to fall each year within the South Coast Air Basin but the basin remains “in non-Attainment” of the Federal Standards.” Ozone Concentrations in Fontana, which show a nearly 40% improvement in the 16 year period studied, remain below the basin-wide maximum.
  • Air toxic cancer risk has decreased by 76% from 1998 to 2018 and is expected to decrease by an additional 20% by 2023
  • Though the California Air Resource Board (CARB) 2005 Guidance is referenced by many agencies, it was deemed outdated as it relies on air quality data from 1995 - 2005, rather than the most recent 10-year time frame.

Staff identified and retained Ramboll Consulting Firm. Dr. Laksmi Jayaram, Senior Management Consultant, Joseph Hower, PE, DEE, Principal and Vice-President, Mechanical Engineering and Dr. Julia Lester, PhD Chemical Engineer, led the comprehensive analysis. Their combined 78 years of air quality experience brought the necessary in-depth examination of compliance, air dispersion modeling and health risk assessments. 

Recommendations and Proposed Ordinance

As a part of the study, Ramboll made several recommendations to ensure air quality best practices. Recommendations will be considered by Council and Commission at a later date. 

View staff recommendations and proposed ordinance items here