Utah’s metro area ranked one of worst in the nation for ozone

SALT LAKE CITY — The Salt Lake-Provo-Orem area ranked as a metro with the 9th most high ozone days in the nation according to a report from the American Lung Association. 

But it’s much lower than it was two decades ago.

Related: Utah air quality is deteriorating and could get worse

From 2021 to 2023, there was an average of 25.7 high ozone days per year. While that number is high in the nation it’s much lower than it was back in the early 2000s. Data shows there were many more high ozone days from 1996 to 2009. And it’s only been the past couple of years that ozone levels are rising again.

Director of the Utah Division of Air Quality, Bryce Bird, said Utah’s ozone is better thanks to local and national regulations and changes over the years, but there is still  so much that can be done.

“Over the pass 20 years we’ve put regulations in place to reduce the contribution … We’re still identifying these strategies. Identifying things we can do locally. But it may be something that will take a consorted effort across the county and perhaps around the world,” said Bird. 

And while local regulations have helped reduce our ozone levels there’s a lot we can’t control.

“Over 80% the the big emissions are things we can’t control. So if you removed all the human activity in the Wasatch front area about 83 to 85% of those emissions will still be here,” said Bird.

Utah has had no high ozone days so far this year, but they are expected to begin next month.