New Reports States ‘Sioux Falls Air Quality’ is Getting Worse
A lot of people choose to move to South Dakota, and Sioux Falls in particular for our great quality of life. Things like no state income tax, relatively low cost of living, strong economy, wholesome values, friendly people, good healthcare system, low unemployment rates, clean air, etc.
However, there's a new report out that says we may need to strike the clean air part from the list.
The American Lung Association, recently released a report that states the air quality in the Sioux Falls metro area is worsening. According to Dakota News Now, the report looks at 2020-2022 and reflects the new annual particle pollution standard that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized in February.
The new report wasn't all bad, there is a bit of good news, it showed the ozone or smog level in the Sioux Falls metro area actually improved over the last report filed. Sioux Falls metro area fell from being ranked 111th-worst in the nation for smog to 116th.
When it comes to poor ozone levels, Minnehaha County averaged 0.3 unhealthy days per year, which by the way was good enough to earn a grade of B.
What is getting worse in terms of air quality for the city of Sioux Falls is Particle Pollution. Dakota News Now reports the Sioux Falls metro area averaged 2 unhealthy days per year, which is a C grade.
That grade moved Sioux Falls from the 59th worst in the nation to 56th.
For the past 25 years, the American Lung Association has been conducting its "State of the Air" report for the entire nation.
When it comes to overall ozone air quality, the city with the worst pollution rating in the nation is Los Angeles, while the city with the best ozone ranking according to the latest report is Albany-Schenectady, New York.
Source: Dakota News Now/American Lung Association