Let’s say it’s a sunny day, the clouds have been swept away, and you’d like to be on your way to where the air is sweet.
The Douglas County Health Department (DCHD) can tell you where that is in the Omaha-Council Bluffs metro area.
The health department’s air quality team manages a website dedicated to air quality monitoring. The site features in-depth, real-time data from 23 different instruments about the health of our community’s air.
“It’s a general snapshot of our community’s air quality. The air we breathe is an important component of public health, and we wanted to provide this educational resource so everyone can stay informed,” said Chrissy Stewart, the lab scientist on the air quality team at DCHD.
The air quality monitoring website is brimming with data, including:
- The current temperature, pressure, humidity, wind direction and speed
- The current Air Quality Index (AQI) number and color level
- The AQI forecast for tomorrow
- A breakdown of the air pollutant levels (ozone, particulate matter and carbon monoxide)
- A map of the nine air quality monitoring sites in our community, with details from each site
- A list of community resources
“Basically you’re seeing all the air quality instruments and their readings,” Chrissy said.
Care About the Air
For people with lung conditions, for people who work outside, for elderly people or people with children, the state of our air is of great importance, and can be a determining factor as to whether they go outside or not. This website can be a lifeline.
And for everyone else, the quality of our air is just as important.
“Even though the majority of the time our air quality is fine, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be aware,” Chrissy said. “As our population increases, traffic increases, which is a big contributor to pollution in our air.”
As a scientist and a community resident, she’s a believer in the impact little steps can make on our air quality. She recommends limiting car driving and idling, and encourages people to try to get all errands accomplished in one trip, for example.
If you have any questions about the website or our air quality, feel free to reach out to the DCHD team at 402-444-7489.
“We can answer any questions or better explain something,” Chrissy said. “We’re always here to help.”