VENTURA COUNTY AIR CLEANER; AREA ON TRACK TO MEET FEDERAL DEADLINE OF 2005.

Byline: David Greenberg Staff Writer

Dick Baldwin, executive officer of the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District, recently sent a tongue-in-cheek e-mail to Mark Boese, his friend of 15 years and an air-quality official in the San Joaquin Valley.

The San Joaquin Valley's unified district, representing eight counties, failed to meet last week's deadline for federal ozone standards and could soon join Ventura County on the Clean Air Act's ``severe'' category.

``I said, welcome to the elite world of severe nonattainment areas,'' Baldwin said.

Ventura County is one of only a handful of districts statewide that have been on the severe list since amendments to the federal Clean Air Act were passed nine years ago.

But stringent measures implemented by Baldwin's office have placed the county on track to make the Nov. 15, 2005, deadline for compliance - which means no more than three days with air quality below standards in three consecutive years.

``I'm thrilled with the progress we've made,'' Baldwin said. ``We've gone from violating the federal ozone standard 122 days in our worst year to two days this year. It is remarkable. In that same period of time, we've had substantial growth in our population of Ventura County.''

The Environmental Protection Agency's standard is 12 parts of ozone per 100 million parts of air. The county was below that standard in 1974, when it had slightly more than 400,000 residents, he said. Now the county has grown to nearly 750,000 residents.

Environmentalists are encouraged by the boost in air quality.

``Everything's looking pretty rosy,'' said Marc Chytilo, a lawyer for the Environmental Defense Center in Ventura. ``Nineteen ninety-nine was an exceptionally clean air-quality year, as was 1997. But it's certainly not a guarantee that the area is going to meet the attainment date of 2005.''

Since the Clean Air Act amendments, the district has imposed emission controls on stationary sources, such as gas stations, dry cleaners, power plants, auto body shops, degreasing operations and manufacturers, officials said.

The businesses installed emissions control equipment to reduce the amount of nitrogen oxides that seep into the air from combustion, which otherwise would cause ozone levels to increase.

The air pollution control board in late 2000 or early 2001 is also expected to implement new regulations controlling the sale of paints with high amounts of solvents, which are a reactive organic compound that also cause pollution.

``Paints are a substantial contributor to the county's overall ozone problem,'' Chytilo said. ``It all adds up. Controlling these emissions will improve air quality.''

In addition to the reduction in below-standard days, the number of first-stage smog alerts - when ozone levels exceed 20 parts per 100 million - has dropped from 25 in 1972 to none since 1982.

Peak ozone levels have also been cut in half - from 28 parts on the worst day in 1974 to 14 parts one day this year.

EPA guidelines categorize districts as being extreme, severe, serious, moderate, marginal or at the desired level of pollution.

The agency, however, does not improve a district's status level by level, so the county can only jump from severe to attainment.

If districts' status could improve one level at a time, Baldwin said he believes the county would already be off the severe list.

``At this time, we have no reason to believe we will not reach the standard,'' he said. ``Our plan is in place, it's working, and we're on schedule.''