Ozone Monitoring Project

Ozone, or smog, is a dangerous pollutant that poses a serious threat to human health. It is not emitted directly into the air, but rather is created through a process of chemicals, nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that combine in the air and are heated by the sun to form ozone. Houston’s weather and location is perfect for the formation of ozone. Ozone is formed on warm, sunny days with little to no wind and no rain. But the sea breeze coming from the Gulf of Mexico also helps move the ozone polluted air around the Houston region. In the early morning the winds come from the Northwest carrying pollution from the Houston Ship Channel (where a large concentration of NOx and VOCs have been measured) and push these pollutants out to sea. When the afternoon temperatures heat up, the winds switch directions and move clockwise carrying the pollutants north of the city. For the Houston area the ozone season runs from March through November.

Air Alliance Houston’s ozone monitoring project, which began in early 2005, was developed so that the monitors could be deployed by citizens. Dedicated to reducing air pollution and protecting public health and environmental quality through research, education and advocacy in the greater Houston area, we focused on ozone at unmonitored locations around the Houston region. We located volunteers who could host ozone monitors in Fort Bend, Liberty and Waller Counties and then hired a Web developer to create a Web site for the ozone data that went live with the start of the 2008 ozone season.

Most likely this was the first community-based, networked air quality monitoring system anywhere in the world. As soon as the network was brought online, the higher than expected ozone concentrations predicted by our mapping software were confirmed. The Fort Bend monitor attracted the most attention, as the ozone levels recorded by our monitor are significantly higher than the nearest Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) monitors, located in Harris County. Air Alliance Houston’s efforts to bring attention to the lack of monitors in Fort Bend County resulted in one of Air Alliance Houston’s clearest victories. With the help of State Rep. Dora Olivo and Ft. Bend County Judge Bob Hebert and armed with our monitoring data, we convinced the TCEQ of the need for a monitor in Ft. Bend County. After several rounds of meetings and reminders, the TCEQ found the funds to install a monitor at the University of Houston Sugar Land campus in time for the start of the 2009 ozone season. The web page for the University of Houston - Sugar Land C-696 monitor, 14000 University Blvd can be viewed at http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/cgi-bin/compliance/monops/site_photo.pl?cams=696.

In 2011 Air Alliance Houston initiated a pilot program providing an air monitor at James Berry Elementary School in the Houston Independent School District (HISD). Air Alliance Houston is a proud sponsor of this environmental magnet school and sought the opportunity to provide a service which would not only serve the community but would provide for the students a tool for learning the science of ozone and its effect on health.

Greg Broyles, an AAH board member since 2004, has from the beginning of the program been invaluable in maintaining the citizen-based monitoring program. Greg earned his Master in Public Health from the University of Texas - School of Public Health and has been involved in improving the region’s air quality for nearly eight years. Greg was responsible for not only arranging the installation but the actual install of the Aeroqual Ozone Monitor S930 and the HOBO remote monitoring system. This equipment is a gift to the school and will provide real-time ozone monitoring, temperature and humidity. We are committed to keeping the equipment operational and if needed, assist in developing ideas for curriculum using the data from the ozone monitor and weather station. We are excited about the potential benefits from this equipment and look forward to working more with Berry Elementary School.