City of Fontana logoFontana City Council remains committed to its goal to Preserve the Local Environment, as such Council instructed staff to conduct a thorough examination of the state of Fontana’s Air Quality. Staff and representatives from consulting firm Ramboll presented the findings on September 14.

Key takeaways include:

  • Ozone exposure, nitrogen dioxide concentration, and particulate matter in Fontana are below the federal standards
  • Air toxic cancer risk has decreased by 76% from 1998 to 2018 and is expected to decrease by an additional 20% by 2023
  • Though the California Air Resource Board (CARB) 2005 Guidance is referenced by many agencies, it was deemed outdated as it relies on air quality data from 1995-2005, rather than the most recent 10-year time frame.

“One of the City Council’s most important goals is to preserve the local environment for generations to come and to create a healthy economic and environmental future,” stated Mayor Acquanetta Warren. “In an effort to not only preserve, but strengthen the local environment, staff brought in a world-renowned consultancy to assess our air. The study shows that air quality in the last 20 years has improved drastically.”

Staff identified and retained Ramboll Consulting Firm. Dr. Laksmi Jayaram, Senior Management Consultant, Joseph Hower, PE, DEE, Principal and Vice-President, Mechanical Engineering and Dr. Julia Lester, PhD Chemical Engineer, led the comprehensive analysis. Their combined 78 years of air quality experience brought the necessary in-depth examination of compliance, air dispersion modeling and health risk assessments.

As a part of the analysis, Ramboll made several recommendations to ensure air quality best practices. Recommendations will be considered by Council at a later date. If the recommendations are accepted and ultimately adopted, Fontana will solidify its position as the most progressive environmentally friendly developing community in Southern California.

“As Fontana moves forward, we will ensure that warehouses adhere to a rigorous environmentally-friendly ordinance that will be the first of its kind in California,” said Deputy City Manager Phil Burum.

To learn more, visit https://www.fontana.org/Economic-Development