Air Quality Alert, Action Day Issued for Thursday

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued an air quality alert for Fairfield and New Haven counties — and specifically for the town of Greenwich—between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. Thursday and the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is calling for an Air Quality Action Day, meaning ozone levels in the region could “approach or exceed unhealthy standards.”

Ozone levels are expected to rise over 100 on the Air Quality Index (a scale of 200) in some areas, which could be unhealthy for sensitive individuals, such as “active children and adults with respiratory disease, such as asthma,” according to the DEEP.

The DEEP is predicting the worst air quality along the shoreline in Greenwich, Groton, Madison, New Haven, Stratford and Westport, with moderately unhealthy levels expected in Danbury, East Hartford, Middletown and Stafford.

See the DEEP’s Air Quality Index page for town-specific information.

The DEEP is also asking citizens to take voluntary actions to help reduce the amount of ground-level ozone Thursday and stay below federal standards:

• Drive Less
  • Walk or ride a bicycle
  • Use public transportation
  • Combine errands
  • Join a carpool or vanpool

• Be a Smart Driver
  • Drive at fuel-saving, moderate speeds
  • Tune your car regularly
  • Avoid idling
  • Test vehicle emissions on time

• In the Yard
  • Use electric or hand powered equipment
  • Reduce use of garden chemicals

• Around the House
  
  • Buy environmentally friendly cleaners
  • Avoid using aerosol products
  • Select water-based paint