John Perlich, City Public Information, 427-6957
John McGauley, County Public Information, 449-3242
Fort Wayne, Ind. -- The City of Fort Wayne and Allen County are working together to reduce ozone pollution. For the past year, an ozone task force made up of city and county officials and community leaders have been meeting to develop strategies to improve government performance and raise public awareness about the impact of ozone pollution.
The City has implemented several programs to help reduce ozone. Seven hybrid vehicles have been purchased to replace older vehicles. The new vehicles will save the City $112,000 in fuel costs. The hybrid vehicles increase fuel efficiency and reduce ozone pollution. More than 300 City vehicles that previously ran on diesel fuel now run on biodiesel fuel. Emissions have been lowered at the City's asphalt plant resulting in a savings of $40,000. Cleaner burning methane gas is now used at the City's Water Pollution Control Plant. As a result, the City no longer purchases nearly 8,000 gallons of diesel fuel each year.
"We are moving in the right direction to reach attainment levels set by the Environmental Protection Agency," said Fort Wayne Mayor Graham Richard. "We must be committed to a clean environment to attract new businesses and jobs to our community. Quality of life issues are key elements to building a better city."
In 2004, the Allen County Commissioners created the Ozone Task Force to develop ways to reduce the amount of smog-producing materials emitted into the air during the warm summer months. Recommendations focused on education and voluntary steps for reducing emissions. County departments with older diesel-fueled equipment will install retrofits in the future to lower emissions. On ozone-action days, the County will post signs at the City- County Building, highway barns and other facilities to alert employees. The Allen County Highway Department has undertaken several road projects to reduce congestion that leads to ozone pollution. Those projects include expansions and extensions of Hillegas, Coldwater and Union Chapel roads.
"Ground-level ozone pollution is the most wide-spread air quality problem in the United States," said Linda Bloom, president of the Allen County Board of Commissioners. "This is an important quality of life issue that our community needs to address. Children, people with lung disease and even active, healthy adults feel the effects of ozone pollution. Fortunately, this is a problem that we can do something about."
"Ozone can cause significant health problems for people with asthma, especially children, and others who enjoy exercising outside," said Dr. Deborah McMahan, Health Commissioner. "Therefore, we need to develop the habit of checking the ozone levels when planning our outdoor activities."
Citilink will again this year provide its free downtown summertime lunch trolley. The free rides began today. The trolleys will be powered by soy biodiesel fuel. Citilink has also purchased 12 small buses with more efficient diesel engines.
City Utilities and AquaIndiana customers will receive a bill stuffer focusing on ozone in their June bill describing ways they can help reduce ozone pollution. Below is a list of some of those proactive measures.
- Delay lawn mowing until after 6 p.m. -- an hour of lawn mowing produces as much harmful exhaust as driving an average vehicle for 200 miles.
- Refuel your vehicle later in the day -- gas vapors escaping while filling your tank and especially "topping-off" contribute significant smog producing chemicals into the air.
- Slow down -- driving 55 mph instead of 65 mph reduces air pollution by 10%.
- Avoid using drive-thru windows -- sitting in a vehicle while waiting for food or a bank statement can increase engine run time by more than 20% per day.
- Conserve energy -- turning off lights and turning up the thermostat can improve air quality by reducing energy needs from power plants.