The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District announced an air alert to go into effect Monday; the same day a lot of kids go back to school.
The district says when you have more traffic on the roads, combined with triple digit temperatures, and stagnant air flow, it can lead to unhealthy conditions.
It is now asking drivers to carpool, avoid idling when picking up and dropping off students and limit the amount of driving overall.
But a nonprofit group called the Central Valley Air Quality Coalition has an issue with this alert. It wants to see more alerts. Members of the coalition call it "politics". They say there should have been over 50 alerts called for this year alone.
Kevin Hall, Executive Director of the Central Valley Air Quality Coalition, says, "The valley air board is trying to shave the tip off the iceberg, and they're ignoring the bulk of the problem."
"Historically we've seen a correlation between back to school traffic and ozone elevation. We're going along fine and then we see an elevation," says Janelle Schneider, San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District.
The district says if the high ozone levels continue, the valley could be in violation. The federal penalty for that is $29 million. A bill that valley businesses and drivers have to pick up. The alert will start Monday and continue through Tuesday and possibly even further.
TXT 24
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