Doing Our Share For Cleaner Air

DVRPC kicked off the 1998 Ozone Action season under the impressive bas-relief of the North Waiting Room of Philadelphia's 30th Street Station. Emphasizing the importance of public transportation in reducing motor vehicle emissions which contribute to ground-level ozone, this year's event brought together over sixty state and local officials, business partners and member of the media, who work collaboratively to inform the public of ways in which to improve and maintain the region's air quality.

The summer-long Ozone Action Program alerts the public to the danger of ground-level ozone and forecasts Ozone Action Days when levels are unhealthful. Ground-level ozone pollution is a by-product created when unburned pollutants from tailpipe emissions, fuel evaporation, and smokestacks bake in the sun. Unlike the ozone layer which helps protect us from harmful ultraviolet rays, ground-level ozone can cause health problems, particularly in the young, the elderly, and those with respiratory ailments. If left unchecked, ground-level ozone can even threaten the economic growth of the region, forcing us to spend money cleaning up the air instead of on other projects.

When an ozone action day is forecasted, employers, the media and DVRPC spread the news, asking people to reduce emissions by using transit or car pooling to work, refueling cars in the evening when the sun is down, and postponing lawn mowing with gas powered mowers. Unlike the two previous summers, high ozone days this season were scattered with no multi-day episodes. In all, the summer produced six ozone action days. The first, forecasted in late May, was the earliest in two years. The last day forecasted was in late August, much later than in previous summers.

While significant changes to the wastewater planning rules have been delayed, the continuing focus on watershed-oriented planning has moved ahead. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) has taken the lead in developing a watershed management plan for the Rancocas Watershed (including the Pompeston Creek to the Cooper River). DVRPC is expected to assume the lead for the Lower Delaware Tributaries (Newton Creek to Alloways Creek).

The New Jersey American Water Company is nearing completion of the pipeline that will supply water to those areas forced to cutback on Potomac-Raritan-Magothy (PRM) water use under the provisions of Water Supply Critical Area No. 2. Considerable consolidation has occurred among water purveyors as smaller systems find it more difficult to operate in this changing financial and regulatory environment. In addition, a series of studies has identified potential water quality problems with the Kirkwood-Cohansey surface aquifer. While water supplies are sufficient to meet our foreseeable needs, a variety of measures may be required to insure that water quality can be maintained to meet future water demands.

In September 1997, DVRPC prepared a report entitled Planning for Public Access to Pennsylvania's Coasts: An Inventory of Existing Conditions on behalf of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's (PADEP's) Coastal Zone Management Program. The report identifies 172 existing public access sites within Pennsylvania coastal zones, including 96 sites in the Delaware Estuary and 76 sites along Lake Erie. It presents a demographic profile of each coastal zone, including existing and forecasted population patterns, income characteristics of coastal zone residents, car ownership pattern, public transit accessibility and land use conditions.

The public access facilities range from boat ramps and fishing piers to non-motorized trails and waterfront parks. There are also many popular private commercial operations, such as ferries, marinas and restaurants, which provide access to these shores. The detailed inventory and analysis of existing public access sites in this report serve as the basis for developing a plan and policies to guide coastal public access decision making in Pennsylvania.