Sacramento's hot summers were once plagued with smoggy skies, but after decades of work, officials say our air quality is the best it's been in 25 years.
Remember when the city used to have several Spare the Air days each month during the summer? It was not that long ago, but now those air quality warnings are getting rare as pollution levels plummet.
Sacramento's Air Quality District, an agency whose mission is to reduce smoggy skies, is celebrating its 30th anniversary. Executive director Alberto Ayala says a decade ago, pollution levels in Sacramento ranked the fifth worst in the nation and the region faced federal sanctions.
The years of 2016 and 2017 each had 17 spare the air days. In 2018 there were 20, but last year, there were only two, and so far this year, there's only been one.
"We've made a lot of progress. Everybody can breathe a deep sigh of relief," said Sarah Aquino, a district board chairperson.
Air district officials say pollution levels have gone down 30% over the last 25 years, even as Sacramento's population continues to grow.
Millions of dollars have been spent to reduce ozone and particulate levels. There are big initiatives like replacing diesel school buses with zero-emission vehicles and smaller projects like swapping out gas-powered lawn tools for electric and converting wood-burning fireplaces.
"The reality is when everybody does a little bit we make a big difference," said Eric Guerra, a district board member.
Encouraging more people to switch to battery-powered cars has also been a big help.
"Electric vehicles don't have a tailpipe, and if you don't have a tailpipe, there's no pollution coming," Ayala said.
The district says Sacramento is now meeting the 2008 federal air quality standards, and that is ultimately helping save lives.
"The very young, the very elderly, people who have health issues, poor air quality can be a very serious public health issue for them," Aquino said.
The air district still has more work to do. There are more stringent ozone standards that are still not being met, and the district is hoping to reach those levels within the next six years.
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