Tulsa Area Escapes Ozone Season Close Call

NewsOn6.com

TULSA, OK -- This week marks the end of the 2009 Ozone Alert season in the Tulsa area and officials say they plan on celebrating what they are calling a "successful ozone season." 

The Ozone Alert program is holding an "End of Season" event Saturday at River Parks at the 41st Street Plaza in Tulsa.

The 19th Ozone Alert season officially ended with the Tulsa area staying off the Environmental Protection Agency's dirty air list.

In a news release from INCOG, the Ozone Alert Program brings citizens, business, industry and government in the Tulsa metropolitan area together to voluntarily reduce ozone-forming emissions on days vulnerable to high ozone levels.

Going into the 2009 ozone season, it was assumed that Tulsa would be in violation of the EPA's standard of 0.075 parts per million by the summer's end. However, this season ends successfully. 

INCOG officials say part of the reason was cooler weather, which only brought six days of ozone exceedances.   

"Many Ozone Alert company coordinators doing their part, local area businesses helping out, the entire community taking necessary action steps all summer long - that's what the Ozone Alert! Program is all about," said Nancy Graham, INCOG's Air Quality Program Manager.

The Ozone Alert Program works toward cleaner air quality because of the many business, citizen and local organization's all doing their part.

INCOG officials say the 2009 Ozone Season ‘Final Report Card' will be released at Saturday's event.