RECOMMENDED DESIGNATION STATUS FOR GEORGIA COUNTIES 

Page 1 

County Name Designation Recommendation 

 

Appling Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Atkinson Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Bacon Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Baker Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Baldwin Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Banks Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Barrow Nonattainment 

Bartow Nonattainment 

Ben Hill Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Berrien Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Bibb Nonattainment 

Bleckley Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Brantley Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Brooks Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Bryan Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Bulloch Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Burke Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Butts Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Calhoun Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Camden Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Candler Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Carroll Nonattainment 

Catoosa Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Charlton Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Chatham Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Chattahoochee Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Chattooga Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Cherokee Nonattainment 

Clarke Nonattainment 

Clay Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Clayton Nonattainment 

Clinch Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Cobb Nonattainment 

Coffee Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Colquitt Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Columbia Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Cook Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Coweta Nonattainment 

Crawford Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Crisp Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Dade Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Dawson Attainment/Unclassifiable 
RECOMMENDED DESIGNATION STATUS FOR GEORGIA COUNTIES 

Page 2 

County Name Designation Recommendation 

 

Decatur Attainment/Unclassifiable 

DeKalb Nonattainment 

Dodge Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Dooly Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Doughtery Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Douglas Nonattainment 

Early Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Echols Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Effingham Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Elbert Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Emanuel Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Evans Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Fannin Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Fayette Nonattainment 

Floyd Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Forsyth Nonattainment 

Franklin Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Fulton Nonattainment 

Gilmer Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Glascock Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Glynn Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Gordon Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Grady Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Greene Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Gwinnett Nonattainment 

Habersham Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Hall Nonattainment 

Hancock Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Haralson Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Harris Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Hart Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Heard Partial Nonattainment 

Henry Nonattainment 

Houston Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Irwin Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Jackson Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Jasper Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Jeff Davis Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Jefferson Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Jenkins Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Johnson Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Jones Attainment/Unclassifiable 
RECOMMENDED DESIGNATION STATUS FOR GEORGIA COUNTIES 

Page 3 

County Name Designation Recommendation 

 

Lamar Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Lanier Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Laurens Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Lee Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Liberty Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Lincoln Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Long Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Lowndes Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Lumpkin Attainment/Unclassifiable 

McDuffie Attainment/Unclassifiable 

McIntosh Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Macon Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Madison Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Marion Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Meriwether Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Miller Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Mitchell Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Monroe Partial Nonattainment 

Montgomery Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Morgan Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Murray Partial Nonattainment 

Muscogee Nonattainment 

Newton Nonattainment 

Oconee Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Oglethorpe Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Paulding Nonattainment 

Peach Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Pickens Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Pierce Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Pike Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Polk Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Pulaski Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Putnam Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Quitman Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Rabun Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Randolph Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Richmond Nonattainment 

Rockdale Nonattainment 

Schley Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Screven Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Seminole Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Spalding Nonattainment 
RECOMMENDED DESIGNATION STATUS FOR GEORGIA COUNTIES 

Page 4 

County Name Designation Recommendation 

 

Stephens Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Stewart Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Sumter Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Talbot Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Taliaferro Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Tattnall Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Taylor Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Telfair Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Terrell Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Thomas Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Tift Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Toombs Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Towns Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Treutlen Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Troup Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Turner Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Twiggs Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Union Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Upson Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Walker Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Walton Nonattainment 

Ware Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Warren Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Washington Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Wayne Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Webster Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Wheeler Attainment/Unclassifiable 

White Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Whitfield Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Wilcox Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Wilkes Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Wilkinson Attainment/Unclassifiable 

Worth Attainment/Unclassifiable 
Georgia Department of Natural Resources

Environmental Protection Division • Air Protection Branch

4244 International Parkway • Suite 120 • Atlanta • Georgia 30354

404/363-7000 • Fax: 404/363-7100

Noel Holcomb, Commissioner

Carol A. Couch, Ph.D., Director

Richard Schutt

Chief, Air Planning Branch

Air, Pesticides & Toxics Management Division

U.S. EPA, Region 4

61 Forsyth Street, S.W.

Atlanta, Georgia 30303

Re: Recommended Designations of Ozone Non-Attainment Areas in Georgia

Dear Mr. Schutt:

Our March 12, 2009, submittal contains Georgia EPD’s recommendations for the designation

status of each county in Georgia under the revised 8-hour ozone standard. As indicated in that

letter, we have recommended the following 8-hour ozone nonattainment areas:

• Atlanta Ozone Nonattainment Area (21 counties): Barrow, Bartow, Carroll, Cherokee,

Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Hall, Henry,

Newton, Paulding, Rockdale, Spalding, Walton, and a section of Heard County

• Athens Ozone Nonattainment Area (1 county): Clarke County

• Augusta Ozone Nonattainment Area (1 county): Richmond County

• Columbus Ozone Nonattainment Area (1 county): Muscogee County

• Macon Ozone Nonattainment Area (2 counties): Bibb County and a section of Monroe

County

• Murray County Nonattainment Area (1 county): a section of Murray

With this letter we are supplying additional information regarding the selection methodology

used to arrive at the aforementioned recommendations. These recommendations were developed

in accordance with the boundary guidance provided by the U.S. EPA. The attached technical

analysis document provides the background information on the nonattainment designation

process, the selection criteria used to evaluate each area, and the application of those criteria in

making the recommendations. It is our hope that this information will aid EPA in reviewing and

approving EPD’s recommendations for the designations.
Richard Schutt

Page 2.

If you have any questions or need more information, please contact me at (404) 363-7016.

Sincerely,

James A. Capp

Chief, Air Protection Branch

Attachment

c: Jimmy Johnston, Air Protection Branch
1

 
 

  

   


  
 
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#$$
!



This document contains the Georgia Environmental Protection Division’s (EPD) technical

analysis for designating nonattainment areas in Georgia under the 2008 revised primary and

secondary ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). This analysis has been

conducted in accordance with U.S. EPA’s December 4, 2008, memorandum “Area Designations

for the 2008 Revised Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards.” The 159 counties in

Georgia have been evaluated and identified as attainment, nonattainment, or unclassifiable on the

basis of available information.

Air Quality Data and Potential Nonattainment Areas

Federal Reference Method (FRM) measurements of ozone concentrations in Georgia, during the

most recent three consecutive years (2006-2008), were analyzed and used to identify sites

currently violating the revised 2008 ozone NAAQS. These quality-assured and certified ozone

measurements are stored in EPA’s Air Quality System (AQS) database. Design values (DV)

were calculated for each monitor (Tabled 1 and Figure 1) by averaging the fourth-highest daily

maximum 8-hour average ozone concentrations for three consecutive years. If the 2006-2008

DV for a monitor is greater than 0.075 ppm, the monitor is violating the standard. Among the 23

ozone monitors in Georgia, there are 17 violating monitors, which are located within six Core

Based Statistical Areas (CBSAs) or Combined Statistical Areas (CSAs) (see Table 1). These

CBSAs/CSAs are (1) Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville, GA-AL, (2) Athens-Clarke County,

GA, (3) Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC, (4) Columbus-Auburn-Opelika, GA-AL, (5)

Dalton, GA, and (6) Macon-Warner Robins-Fort Valley, GA. DVs for monitors in counties of

South Carolina for Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC CBSA are also provided, as well as DVs

for monitors in counties of Alabama for Columbus-Auburn-Opelika, GA-AL CSA (Table 1).

Finally, 2006-2008 DVs for two monitors in Hamilton, TN (Chattanooga-Cleveland-Athens, TNGA CSA) are also violating the revised 2008 ozone NAAQS.

The CAA specifically states that if an “ozone or carbon monoxide nonattainment area [is]

located within a metropolitan statistical area or consolidated metropolitan statistical area” then

the boundaries of the areas are “by operation of law to include the entire metropolitan statistical

area or consolidated metropolitan statistical area.” In addition, U.S. EPA’s December 4, 2008

memorandum “Area Designations for the 2008 Revised Ozone National Ambient Air Quality

Standards” recommends that:

--- “...the Core Based Statistical Area (CBSA) or Combined Statistical Area (which includes 2 or

more adjacent CBSA’s) associated with the violating monitor(s) serve as the starting point or

“presumptive” boundary for evaluating the geographic boundaries of an ozone nonattainment

area. CBSA is a collective term that refers to both metropolitan and micropolitan statistical

areas, which are distinguished based on population size. Each CBSA consists of a county or

counties containing at least one urban core plus adjacent counties that have a high degree of

social and economic integration with the urban core as measured by commuting ties. EPA

recommends starting with this presumption because the factors used to establish the CBSAs and
2

CSAs are similar to the factors EPA plans to consider in determining whether a nearby area is

contributing to the violation(s) of the standard.”

The following CBSAs/CSAs,

1

in which one or more violating monitors are located, will be

evaluated as potential nonattainment areas. Counties with violating monitors are identified

separately from other counties in the CBSAs/CSAs.

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville, GA-AL (CSA, includes 33 counties)

Counties with violating monitors: Cobb, Coweta, Dawson, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton,

Gwinnett, Henry, Paulding, Rockdale

Other Counties: Barrow, Bartow, Butts, Carroll, Chambers (AL), Cherokee, Clayton, Forsyth,

Hall, Haralson, Heard, Jasper, Lamar, Meriwether, Newton, Pickens, Pike, Polk, Spalding,

Troup, Upson, Walton

Athens-Clarke County, GA (CBSA, includes 4 counties)

County with violating monitor: Clarke

Other Counties: Madison, Oconee, Oglethorpe

Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC (CBSA, includes 6 counties)

Counties with violating monitors: Richmond, Aiken (SC)

Other Counties: Burke, Columbia, McDuffie, Edgefield(SC)

Chattanooga-Cleveland-Athens, TN-GA (CSA, includes 9 counties)

County with violating monitors: Hamilton (TN)

Other Counties: Catoosa, Dade, Walker, Bradley (TN), McMinn (TN), Marion (TN),

Polk (TN), Sequatchie(TN)

Columbus-Auburn-Opelika, GA-AL (CSA, includes 7 counties)

County with violating monitor: Muscogee

Other Counties: Chattahoochee, Harris, Marion, Lee (AL), Macon (AL), Russell (AL)

Dalton, GA (CBSA, includes 2 counties)

County with violating monitor: Murray

Other County: Whitfield

Macon-Warner Robins-Fort Valley, GA (CSA, includes 7 counties)

County with violating monitors: Bibb

Other Counties: Crawford, Houston, Jones, Monroe, Peach, Twiggs

1 CSAs and CBSAs were obtained from the most recent update on statistical area definitions issued by the federal

Office of Management and Budget, OMB Bulletin No. 08-01 issued November 20, 2007.
3

Nine-Factor Analysis for Nonattainment Area Boundaries

The nonattainment area boundaries are evaluated using nine factors, as described in U.S. EPA’s

December 4, 2008 memorandum “Area Designations for the 2008 Revised Ozone National

Ambient Air Quality Standards.”

1) Air quality data;

2) Emissions data (location of sources and contribution to ozone concentrations);

3) Population density and degree of urbanization (including commercial development);

4) Traffic and commuting patterns;

5) Growth rates and patterns;

6) Meteorology (weather/transport patterns);

7) Geography/topography (mountain ranges or other air basin boundaries);

8) Jurisdictional boundaries [e.g., counties, air districts, existing nonattainment areas,

reservations, metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs)]; and

9) Level of control of emission sources,

In this analysis, any county that is currently designated nonattainment or maintenance under the

1997 ozone NAAQS will automatically be recommended as a nonattainment county.

Next, the following quantitative data were used to evaluate Factors 2, 3, 4, and 5.

1) Emission data: 2005 National Emissions Inventory Data for counties in Georgia and

Tennessee. Downloaded from http://www.epa.gov/ttn/chief/net/2005inventory.html.

Updates for point source emissions in Hamilton County, Tennessee, were provided by

the state. Emissions from counties in Alabama were provided by Alabama Department

of Environmental Management. Emissions from counties in South Carolina were

provided by South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.

2) Population Density: Population density for 2000 from U.S. Census Bureau.

Downloaded from

http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DatasetMainPageServlet?_program=DEC&_submen

uId=people_1&_lang=en&_ts= .

3) Percent Urbanization: Percent urbanization for 2000 from U.S. Census Bureau.

Downloaded from

http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DatasetTableListServlet?_ds_name=DEC_2000_SF2

_U&_type=table&_program=DEC&_lang=en&_ts=247507573134 .

4) Percent Population Growth: Estimated population growth (absolute) from 2000 to 2007.

Population estimates for 2000 and 2007 are from the U.S. Census Bureau. Downloaded

from http://www.census.gov/popest/counties/CO-EST2007-popchg2000_2007.html.

5) Traffic: 2007 Daily Vehicular Miles Traveled (VMT) by county based on HPMS data

are provided by states.

Detailed data for each county in the potential nonattainment areas are listed in Table 2. The 25

th

percentile values of each factor for 16 counties in Georgia with violating monitors are used as the

screening criteria (Table 3). If values are higher than the screening criteria, a score of one is

assigned to that factor, except for “Emission NOx” which was assigned a value based on the

magnitude of the NOx emissions in that county. The “Emission NOx” category was treated

differently due to the importance of this category in the formation of ozone. Specifically, the
4

score for the “Emission NOx” category was calculated as the ratio of each county’s NOx

emissions to the NOx emissions screening criteria (Table 3) and rounded to the nearest whole

number. If the total score of these factors for a county is greater than four, the county may be

recommended as a nonattainment county after consideration of other factors, such as

meteorology, geography, jurisdictional boundaries, and level of control of emissions, on a

qualitative basis.

The 25

th

percentile values were used instead of the minimum values as screening criteria due to

low emission levels and low anthropogenic activities in some counties with a violating monitor

(e.g., Murray and Dawson counties). This is consistent with U.S. EPA guidelines, as described

in the December 4, 2008 memorandum “Area Designations for the 2008 Revised Ozone National

Ambient Air Quality Standards”:

“In addition to nearby areas with sources contributing to nonattainment, ozone concentrations

in a local area may be affected by long-range transport of ozone and its precursors (notably

nitrogen oxides). In certain parts of the country, such as the eastern Untied States, ozone is a

widespread problem. Where this is the case, the CAA does not require that all contributing

areas be designated nonattainment, only the nearby areas. Regional strategies, such as those

employed in the Ozone Transport Region and EPA’s NOx SIP Call are needed to address the

long-range transport component of ozone nonattainment, while the local component must be

addressed through local planning in and around the designated nonattainment area.”

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville, GA-AL

Quantitative Criteria – Scores of quantitative factors by county are listed in Table 4. Scores are

calculated for 33 counties in this area. The scores for the 20 counties currently designated as

nonattainment for the 1997 ozone standard are ranked from high to low, showing a range of

scores from zero (Spalding) to 15 (Fulton). Next, the remaining 12 counties in the AtlantaSandy Springs-Gainesville, GA-AL CSA were ranked and evaluated. Of these remaining

counties, only Heard county (score of five) has a score exceeding the threshold of four.

Regarding the emissions data criteria, there are no power plants and no major point sources

located in Dawson County. Nearly all ozone precursor emissions inventoried for Dawson

County are from area- or transportation-related activity. Because of the low level of emissions,

Dawson County receives no points for the emissions data criteria when conducting the

quantitative analysis. Emissions originating in Dawson County both do not contribute to

violations in either Dawson County or anywhere in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville, GAAL CSA. Ozone violations recorded at the Dawsonville monitor are primarily the result of the

transport of ozone or ozone precursors.

Meteorology – There are no meteorology factors identified that affect the area with the exception

of Dawson County. Wind rose analysis in Appendix B demonstrates the correlation between

wind direction and violations at the Dawsonville monitor. The wind rose correlates wind

direction and all 1-hour average ozone monitor readings that are higher than 75 ppb. The

illustration clearly demonstrates the association between violations of the standard and emissions

originating from metro Atlanta located due south and power plants located due west of

Dawsonville.
5

Geography/topography – There are no geographical factors identified that affect the area.

Jurisdictional – All counties in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville, GA-AL CSA except

Chambers County, Alabama, are within Georgia and fall within the jurisdiction of Georgia EPD.

Though Chambers County has been included in the nine-factor analysis for nonattainment area

boundaries, no attainment/nonattainment recommendation has been made for this county.

The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) is the federally designated MPO for all or portions of

18 counties within the 19-county Atlanta Urbanized Area: Barrow, Bartow, Cherokee, Clayton,

Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Newton, Paulding,

Rockdale, Spalding, and Walton. ARC is directly responsible for developing a long-range

Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) and short-range Transportation Improvement Program that

conform to the air quality goals established in the SIP, according to the guidelines outlined in the

federal Metropolitan Planning and Transportation Conformity regulations. A small portion of

the Atlanta Urbanized Area extends into Hall County. In February 2003, the Gainesville-Hall

County MPO (GHMPO) was designated for the Gainesville Urbanized Area; the planning

boundary for the GHMPO covers Hall County in its entirety. Hall County is included in

Atlanta's existing ozone and PM2.5 nonattainment areas. The ARC performs the planning and

technical work required by the Transportation Conformity Rule, including, by agreement with

the GHMPO, the emissions modeling for all 20 counties that comprise the Atlanta Ozone

Nonattainment area, including Hall County and Carroll County (which is not part of any MPO),

and documents the analysis in a combined Conformity Determination Report.

Dawson County is not part of the Atlanta Urbanized Area or MPO. The inclusion of Dawson in

the Atlanta nonattainment area would create significant regional planning problems, further

complicating the metropolitan transportation planning process, including scheduling and

conformity. Extensive technical work required to expand the transportation model would take at

least two years.

The 33 counties in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville, GA-AL CSA include 21 existing

nonattainment whole or partial counties under the 1997 ozone standard and the 1997 annual

PM2.5 standard. Twenty of these counties comprise the current Atlanta ozone nonattainment

area. The same 20 counties and part of one other county in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville,

GA-AL CSA are part of the Atlanta PM2.5 nonattainment area. See Appendix G for maps of

the existing nonattainment areas.

Level of Control of Emissions – All of the counties listed are either part of the Atlanta 8-hour

ozone nonattainment area or have been designated as part of an area that contributes to the level

of ozone in the Atlanta 8-hour ozone nonattainment area in accordance with Georgia Air Quality

Control Rule 391-3-1-.03(8)(e). Therefore, the level of NOx and VOC emissions controls in

these counties is more stringent than in other areas of the state. In addition to the existing rules,

Georgia Power’s Plants Bowen, Branch, Hammond, McDonough, Scherer, Wansley, and Yates

contain affected units under the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) and the Georgia Multipollutant

Rule.

As mentioned previously, there are no power plants and no major point sources located in

Dawson County. Total annual NOx emissions are 851.7 tons (2005 inventory) of which 65% is

from mobile sources, 19% is from non-road sources, and 15% is from area sources. Therefore,

there are no large emission sources that can be controlled. The 2006-2008 design value is 77

ppb, which is only 2 ppb from meeting the standard. Therefore, the Dawson monitor should
6

meet the standard very soon and it would not be appropriate to link it to the rest of Atlanta.

Conclusion – Based on both quantitative and qualitative factor analysis conducted by Georgia

EPD, the following 21 Georgia counties are recommended to be designated nonattainment under

the revised 2008 ozone NAAQS: Barrow, Bartow, Carroll, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta,

DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Hall, Heard (partial), Henry, Newton,

Paulding, Rockdale, Spalding, and Walton. The recommended Heard County partial area is

identical to the existing partial county boundary of the existing PM2.5 nonattainment area (see

appendix D for definition of partial-county boundaries).

Note that this list contains all counties that are currently designated as nonattainment under the

1997 ozone NAAQS and one partial county

2

designated as nonattainment under the 1997 PM2.5

NAAQS.

Athens-Clarke County, GA

Quantitative Criteria – Scores of quantitative factors by county are listed in Table 5. Scores are

calculated for four counties in this area. The score for Clarke County with a violating monitor is

the highest (four). The scores for the other three counties in this area are ranked from high to

low, and are all equal to or smaller than one. These three counties are recommended as

attainment counties according to these quantitative criteria.

Geography/topography – Athens-Clarke County, GA CBSA is contiguous to Atlanta-Sandy

Springs-Gainesville, GA-AL CSA.

Meteorology – There are no meteorology factors identified that affect the area.

Jurisdictional – All counties are within Georgia and fall within the jurisdiction of Georgia EPD.

Madison-Athens-Clarke-Oconee Transportation Study is the MPO for Athens-Clarke County and

includes all of Athens-Clarke County, the northern half of Oconee County, and the southern

portion of Madison County. There are no other jurisdictional issues associated with this area.

Level of Control of Emissions – Clarke, Madison, and Oconee counties have been designated as

part of an area that contributes to the level of ozone in the Atlanta 8-hour ozone nonattainment

area in accordance with Georgia Air Quality Control Rule 391-3-1-.03(8)(e). Therefore, the

level of NOx and VOC emissions controls in these counties is more stringent than in other areas

of the state.

Conclusion – Based on both quantitative and qualitative factor analysis conducted by Georgia

EPD, the following Georgia county is recommended to be designated nonattainment under the

revised 2008 ozone standard: Clarke.

Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC

Quantitative Criteria – Scores of quantitative factors by county are listed in Table 6. Scores are

calculated for six counties in this area. The score for Richmond County with a violating monitor

2 The Heard County partial area is part of the Atlanta PM2.5 nonattainment area.
7

is seven. The scores for the other five counties in this area are ranked from high to low, showing

no other Georgia counties with a score higher than the threshold value of four. Based on this

analysis, no other counties in Georgia are recommended as nonattainment.

Meteorology – There are no meteorology factors identified that affect the area.

Geography/topography – There are no geographical factors identified that affect the area.

Jurisdictional – Burke, Columbia, McDuffie, and Richmond County in Augusta-Richmond

County, GA-SC CBSA are within Georgia and fall within the jurisdiction of Georgia EPD.

Though two other counties in this CBSA area (Aiken and Edgefield County in South Carolina)

have been included in the nine-factor analysis for nonattainment area boundaries, no

attainment/nonattainment recommendation has been made for these counties.

The Augusta-Richmond County Planning Commission, the MPO for this bi-state area, includes

the urbanized portions of Aiken County, South Carolina, and Columbia and Richmond Counties

in Georgia. In cooperation with the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) and the

South Carolina Department of Transportation, the MPO is responsible for carrying out the

transportation planning process. Georgia agencies take the lead for the Augusta area,

coordinating all of the planning/modeling work with the adjacent state and member

cities/counties.

Level of Control of Emissions – Richmond and Columbia Counties are part of an Early Action

Compact Area for the 1997 ozone standard. As a result, additional open burning restrictions

(which is both a NOx and a VOC control measure) apply in both counties and Stage I vapor

recovery at gas stations (a VOC control measure) applies in Richmond County.

Conclusion – Based on both quantitative and qualitative factor analysis conducted by Georgia

EPD, the following Georgia county is recommended to be designated nonattainment under the

revised 2008 ozone standard: Richmond.

Chattanooga-Cleveland-Athens, TN-GA

Quantitative Criteria – Scores of quantitative factors by county are listed in Table 7. Scores are

calculated for nine counties in this area, as well as one adjacent county with high emissions from

point sources (Jackson County in AL). The score for Hamilton County in Tennessee with a

violating monitor is the highest (nine). The scores for the other eight counties in this area are

ranked from high to low, showing no other Georgia counties with a score higher than the

threshold value of four. Based on this analysis, no counties in Georgia are recommended as

nonattainment in this area.

Meteorology – There are no meteorology factors identified that affect the area.

Geography/topography – Jackson County in Alabama is contiguous to the ChattanoogaCleveland-Athens, TN-GA CSA. Due to a large EGU and a large non-EGU source in this

county, this county has been included in the nine-factor analysis for this CSA.

Jurisdictional – Catoosa, Dade and Walker County in Chattanooga-Cleveland-Athens, TN-GA

CSA are within Georgia and fall within the jurisdiction of Georgia EPD. Though six other
8

counties in this CSA (Bradley, Hamilton, McMinn, Marion, Polk, and Sequatchie County in

Tennessee) have been included in the nine-factor analysis for nonattainment area boundaries, no

attainment/nonattainment recommendation has been made for these counties.

For the Chattanooga area's transportation planning and conformity processes, Tennessee

agencies take the lead role. The Chattanooga-Hamilton County/North Georgia Transportation

Planning Organization (TPO), located in Chattanooga, is the MPO for Hamilton County in

Tennessee and the northern portions of Dade, Walker, and Catoosa Counties in Georgia. The

TPO coordinates with GDOT and with Georgia's member cities/counties, and manages the travel

demand modeling for the bi-state planning area. Georgia DOT prepares the emissions analyses

and required documentation for transportation conformity in Walker and Catoosa, the Georgia

counties designated nonattainment under the 1997 annual PM2.5 standard, and provides them to

the TPO for inclusion in the conformity determinations.

The three Georgia counties in Chattanooga-Cleveland-Athens, TN-GA CSA include two existing

nonattainment counties under the 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS.

Level of Control of Emissions – Catoosa, Walker, and Hamilton (TN) Counties are part of an

Early Action Compact Area for the 1997 ozone standard. As a result additional VOC and NOx

control measures are required in these counties. For the Georgia counties, the additional control

measures are open burning restrictions (which is both a NOx and a VOC control measure) and

Stage I vapor recovery at gas stations (a VOC control measure).

Conclusion – Based on both quantitative and qualitative factor analysis conducted by Georgia

EPD, no Georgia counties are recommended to be designated nonattainment under the revised

2008 ozone standard.

Columbus-Auburn-Opelika, GA-AL

Quantitative Criteria – Scores of quantitative factors by county are listed in Table 8. Scores are

calculated for seven counties in this area. The score for Muscogee County, with a violating

monitor, is the highest (5). The scores for the other six counties in this area are ranked from high

to low, showing all Georgia counties with scores equal to or smaller than one.

Meteorology – There are no meteorology factors identified that affect the area.

Geography/topography – There are no geographical factors identified that affect the area.

Jurisdictional – Chattahoochee, Harris, Marion, and Muscogee in Columbus-Auburn-Opelika,

GA-AL CSA are within Georgia and fall within the jurisdiction of Georgia EPD. Though three

other counties in this CSA (Lee, Macon and Russell County in Alabama) have been included in

the nine-factor analysis for nonattainment area boundaries, no attainment/nonattainment

recommendation has been made for these counties.

The Columbus-Phenix City Metropolitan Planning Organization is the MPO for the Columbus

region, and includes the counties of Muscogee and Chattahoochee in Georgia and parts of

Russell and Lee in Alabama. All of the local governments within the Columbus MSA

(Chattahoochee, Harris, Marion, Muscogee in Georgia and Russell in Alabama) are eligible to

participate in the MPO process. As with the Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC area, Georgia
9

agencies take the lead for this bi-state area, coordinating the planning/modeling work with the

adjacent state and member cities/counties.

Level of Control of Emissions – There are no factors regarding level of control of emissions

identified that affect this area.

Conclusion – Based on both quantitative and qualitative factor analysis conducted by Georgia

EPD, the following Georgia county is recommended to be designated nonattainment under the

revised 2008 ozone standard: Muscogee.

Macon-Warner Robins-Fort Valley, GA

Quantitative Criteria – Scores of quantitative factors by county are listed in Table 9. Scores are

calculated for seven counties in this area. The score for Bibb County, with a violating monitor,

is six. The scores for the other six counties in this area are ranked from high to low, showing

two Georgia counties (Houston and Monroe) with scores higher than the threshold value of four.

Meteorology – There are no meteorology factors identified that affect the area.

Geography/topography – There are no geographical factors identified that affect the area.

Jurisdictional – All counties are within Georgia and fall within the jurisdiction of Georgia EPD.

Bibb and part of Monroe County were originally designated as nonattainment under the 1997

ozone standard. They now form the Macon ozone maintenance area.

This area falls under the transportation planning jurisdictions of two independent MPOs and, for

non-urbanized areas, GDOT. The Macon MPO handles the transportation planning requirements

for Bibb County and part of Jones County. With GDOT, they also are responsible for the existing

Macon transportation conformity requirements. Warner Robins is an independent MPO that

handles the transportation planning requirements for Houston County and part of Peach County.

Of the seven Georgia counties in the Macon-Warner Robins-Fort Valley CSA, Bibb and part of

Monroe form the Macon ozone maintenance area under the 1997 ozone standard and the Macon

nonattainment area under the 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS.

Level of Control of Emissions – In response to the 1997 ozone standard, all seven of the counties

and seven cities within the CSA formed the Middle Georgia Clean Air Coalition (MGCAC). As

a result of MGCAC activities, ozone season open burning restrictions (a NOx and VOC control

measure) were adopted into Georgia’s air quality regulations. MGCAC also adopted a number

of voluntary measures including public education initiatives, school bus retrofits, commuter

strategies, a resolution supporting anti-idling measures, and alternative fuel policies. A summary

of the major initiatives of MGCAC is shown in Appendix A. Also, Jones and Monroe counties

have been designated as part of an area that contributes to the level of ozone in the Atlanta 8-

hour ozone nonattainment area in accordance with Georgia Air Quality Control Rule 391-3-1-

.03(8)(e). Therefore, the level of NOx and VOC emissions controls in these counties is more

stringent than in other areas of the state.

Of the 6894 tons/year of NOx emissions from Houston County, 3608 tons/year are from on-road

mobile sources and 1894 tons/year are from major point sources. Interstate 75 runs through a
10

major portion of Houston County and thirty-four percent of the vehicle miles traveled (VMT) is

attributable to interstate traffic. Since on-road mobile source emissions are generally

proportional to VMT, 36% of the on-road mobile NOx emissions (about 1227 tons/year) are

from interstate traffic which could not be reduced as part of an attainment SIP. As a measure to

reduce mobile emissions, Robins Air Force Base, the largest employer in Houston County, has

been working closely with the Georgia DOT and Clean Air Campaign to provide commuter

option services in order to reduce vehicle emissions.

Of the 1894 tons/year of point source emissions, all but 21 tons per year are emitted by two

industrial facilities (Cemex in Clinchfield - 1184 tons/year and Anchor Glass in Warner Robins

– 689 tons/year). All of the 1184 tons/yr from Cemex is emitted by the facility’s cement kiln.

Cemex burns tires in the cement kiln as a method of reducing NOx emissions. This NOx control

measure was determined to constitute RACT for LaFarge Building Materials in Atlanta (the only

other portland cement facility in Georgia) as part of the Atlanta 1-hour ozone attainment SIP.

All of the 689 tons/year of NOx from Anchor Glass is emitted by the facilities two glass melting

furnaces. Glass melting furnace No. 1 is equipped with oxy-firing, a control measure to reduce

NOx, that has been recognized as RACT for ozone in other states. Thus, two of the three

significant point sources within Houston County are already equipped with emission reduction

measures that have been recognized as RACT.

Conclusion – Based on both quantitative and qualitative factor analysis conducted by Georgia

EPD, the following Georgia counties are recommended to be designated nonattainment under the

revised 2008 ozone standard: Bibb and Monroe (partial). The Division has determined that, due

to the significant level of control of both mobile and point source NOx emissions and the various

jurisdictional issues (not in existing ozone nonattainment area, separate MPO), Houston County

is not included in the recommended nonattainment area even though the quantitative score for

this county (six) is above the presumptive threshold level (greater than four). The recommended

Monroe County partial area is slightly different than the existing partial county boundary of the

existing ozone maintenance area and PM2.5 nonattainment area (see Appendix D).

Dalton, GA

Quantitative Criteria – Scores of quantitative factors by county are listed in Table 10. Scores are

calculated for two counties in this area. The score for Murray County, with a violating monitor,

is zero. The score for the other county in this area (Whitfield) is five, which is higher than the

threshold value of four.

Meteorology –In Georgia, high ozone days occur under the influence of several meteorological

conditions, including air stagnation events and “leftover” ozone buildup in an air layer close to

the earth’s surface. The violations of the ozone national air quality standard at Fort Mountain

(located in Murray County) appear to occur for different reasons. The Fort Mountain site is

located at 2400 feet and experiences different weather condition than the other ozone monitors

throughout the state. EPD has evaluated the conditions when an exceedance occurs and finds

that the violations at Fort Mountain have largely been due to long-range transport of ozone from

out of state, typically from the Tennessee Valley. Pollution from these out-of-state sources is

carried long distances by the upper level winds, which impact on the Fort Mountain monitoring

site. The impact of any local sources of ozone or ozone precursor pollution on the Fort Mountain

site is very minimal. For more details see Appendix F.
11

Geography/topography – The monitor in Murray County is located at Fort Mountain in the

Cohutta Wilderness Area (a Federal Class I area). This high elevation monitor is especially

susceptible to impacts from long-range transport; therefore, only the portion of Murray County

that forms the current Murray County ozone maintenance area should be included in the

nonattainment area.

Jurisdictional – Murray and Whitfield Counties are within Georgia and fall within the

jurisdiction of Georgia EPD. A portion of Murray County was originally designated as

nonattainment under the 1997 ozone standard. This portion of Murray County now forms the

Murray County ozone maintenance area.

The Dalton-Whitfield County MPO, housed within the North Georgia Regional Development

Center (RDC), does the transportation planning for Whitfield County. Georgia DOT does the

transportation planning for the existing Murray County ozone nonatttainment area.

Level of Control of Emissions – There are no factors regarding level of control of emissions

identified that affect this area.

Conclusion –Based on both quantitative and qualitative factor analysis conducted by Georgia

EPD, the following Georgia county is recommended to be designated nonattainment under the

revised 2008 ozone NAAQS: Murray (partial). The recommended Murray County partial area is

identical to the existing Murray County ozone nonattainment area (see Appendix D for definition

of partial county boundaries).
12

RECOMMENDATIONS

Georgia EPD recommends the following areas in Georgia be designated nonattainment under the

revised 2008 ozone standard:

 Atlanta Ozone Nonattainment Area (21 counties): Barrow, Bartow, Carroll, Cherokee,

Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Hall, Heard

(partial), Henry, Newton, Paulding, Rockdale, Spalding, and Walton.

 Athens Ozone Nonattainment Area (1 county): Clarke.

 Augusta Ozone Nonattainment Area (1 county): Richmond.

 Columbus Ozone Nonattainment Area (1 county): Muscogee.

 Macon Ozone Nonattainment Area: Bibb and Monroe (partial).

 Murray County Ozone Nonattainment Area: Murray (partial).

References

U.S. EPA (2008) Area Designations for the 2008 Revised Ozone National Ambient Air Quality

Standards. December 4, 2008 memorandum.
13

Figure 1. Ozone monitors and CSA/CBSA boundaries associated with potential

nonattainment areas in Georgia under the 2008 ozone NAAQS. Ozone design values are

based on 2006-2008 ozone data (except monitors in South Carolina which are based on

2005-2007 ozone data). Nonattainment area boundaries under the 1997 ozone NAAQS are

outlined in red, and nonattainment area boundaries under the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS are

outlined in blue.
14

Table 1. 2006-2008 DVs and 2005-2007 DVs of 8-hr ozone at FRM monitors.

AIRS_ID County Station Name 2006-2008 DV 2005-2007 DV

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville, GA-AL

13-067-0003 Cobb, GA Kennesaw 0.085 0.087

13-077-0002 Coweta, GA Newnan 0.084 0.085

13-085-0001 Dawson, GA Dawsonville 0.077 0.079

13-089-0002 De Kalb, GA South DeKalb 0.093 0.093

13-097-0004 Douglas, GA Douglasville 0.087 0.090

13-113-0001 Fayette, GA Fayetteville 0.086 0.089

13-121-0055 Fulton, GA Confederate Ave. 0.087 0.090

13-135-0002 Gwinnett, GA Gwinnett 0.089 0.090

13-151-0002 Henry, GA McDonough 0.094 0.095

13-223-0003 Paulding, GA Dallas / Yorkville 0.080 0.083

13-247-0001 Rockdale, GA Conyers 0.094 0.094

Athens-Clarke County, GA

13-059-0002 Clarke, GA Athens 0.082 0.083

Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC

13-245-0091 Richmond, GA Augusta 0.080 0.081

13-073-0001 Columbia, GA Evans 0.074 0.074

45-003-0003 Aiken, SC SC Aiken - Jackson 0.077

45-011-0001 Barnwell, SC SC Barnwell -Barnwell 0.073

45-037-0001 Edgefield, SC SC Edgefield - Trenton 0.070

Chattanooga-Cleveland-Athens, TN-GA

47-065-4003 Hamilton, TN TN-Chatt VAAP 0.084 0.084

47-065-1011 Hamilton, TN TN-Sequoyah 0.083 0.083

Columbus-Auburn-Opelika, GA-AL

13-215-0008 Muscogee, GA Columbus Airport 0.078 0.080

13-215-1003 Muscogee, GA Columbus Crime Lab 0.073 0.073

01-113-0002 Russell, AL AL - Phenix city 0.074

01-113-0001 Russell, AL AL - Russell Co 0.075

Macon-Warner Robins-Fort Valley, GA

13-021-0013 Bibb, GA Macon West 0.080 0.081

13-021-0012 Bibb, GA Macon SE 0.078 0.079

Dalton, GA

13-213-0003 Murray, GA Fort Mountain 0.078 0.079

Other area

13-055-0001 Chattooga, GA Summerville 0.073 0.076

13-261-1001 Sumter, GA Leslie 0.073 0.074

13-127-0006 Glynn, GA Brunswick 0.066 0.065

13-051-0021 Chatham, GA Savannah 0.066 0.067
15

Table 2. Quantitative factors for all counties of interest by CSA/CBSA area. County names

in bold represent counties with violating monitors.

FIPS County

Emission N

O

X (tpy)

Emission V

O

C (tpy)

Population Density (Person/miles2)

Urbanization (%)

Absolute Population Growth

V

M

T(miles/day)

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville, GA-AL (CSA, include 33 counties)

13067 Cobb 26,157 26,539 1,786.7 99 79,173 17,869,685

13077 Coweta 16,936 5,513 201.6 54 28,781 3,895,843

13085 Dawson 852 1,325 75.8 0 5,184 656,417

13089 DeKalb 22,646 32,119 2,482.7 100 68,136 20,381,808

13097 Douglas 4,174 4,766 462.5 80 31,796 4,191,150

13113 Fayette 3,535 4,530 463.1 78 14,058 2,848,500

13121 Fulton 38,376 41,618 1,543.5 98 174,887 31,292,202

13135 Gwinnett 22,824 29,558 1,359.9 97 179,945 18,766,956

13151 Henry 8,842 7,167 369.8 73 64,453 6,221,939

13223 Paulding 3,204 5,185 260.6 60 44,900 3,081,957

13247 Rockdale 3,147 4,086 536.7 85 11,485 2,759,090

13013 Barrow 2,802 3,299 284.5 47 20,572 1,851,387

13015 Bartow 34,036 7,273 165.5 58 16,133 4,901,274

13035 Butts 1,639 1,398 104.6 21 4,030 982,899

13045 Carroll 4,695 6,445 174.9 48 23,947 3,426,503

13057 Cherokee 5,992 8,679 334.9 75 60,608 5,235,049

13063 Clayton 13,030 9,649 1,658.4 99 33,825 7,294,490

13117 Forsyth 4,641 6,778 435.8 65 58,398 3,968,912

13139 Hall 7,481 10,885 353.8 67 39,262 4,868,071

13143 Haralson 1,545 3,239 91.1 17 2,882 1,126,045

13149 Heard 15,906 1,325 37.2 0 300 373,826

13159 Jasper 804 1,255 30.8 0 2,172 487,126

13171 Lamar 897 1,199 86.1 42 991 761,968

13199 Meriwether 1,765 2,013 44.8 16 219 930,936

13217 Newton 3,680 4,588 224.3 56 33,135 2,906,994

13227 Pickens 1,192 1,701 99.0 22 7,128 1,021,360

13231 Pike 583 831 62.7 0 3,404 516,717

13233 Polk 1,933 2,819 122.5 48 3,211 1,157,612

13255 Spalding 2,482 3,856 295.1 59 4,337 1,874,590

13285 Troup 3,857 6,075 142.0 56 4,609 2,684,391

13293 Upson 1,134 1,907 84.8 56 -53 758,642

13297 Walton 2,886 3,943 184.4 41 21,584 2,178,455

01017 AL-Chambers 1,855 3,134 61.3 50 -1,799 1,277,477

Athens-Clarke County, GA (CBSA, include 4 counties)

13059 Clarke 4,421 6,970 840.2 91 12,098 2,731,323

13195 Madison 3,332 1,848 90.6 4 2,150 900,547

13219 Oconee 1,643 2,041 141.2 49 4,992 1,285,949

13221 Oglethorpe 642 1,053 28.6 0 1,253 452,002
16

FIPS County

Emission N

O

X (tpy)

Emission V

O

C (tpy)

Population Density (Person/miles2)

Urbanization (%)

Absolute Population Growth

V

M

T(miles/day)

Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC (CBSA, includes 6 counties)

13245 Richmond 14,184 16,388 616.5 92 -2,278 5,123,371

45003 SC-Aiken 12,155 11,369 132.9 61 9,575 4,682,448

13033 Burke 1,593 2,124 26.8 25 477 959,189

13073 Columbia 3,869 6,415 307.9 74 19,315 2,558,186

13189 McDuffie 1,511 2,175 81.7 39 300 948,394

45037 SC-Edgefield 1,218 2,004 49.0 21 894 620,070

Chattanooga-Cleveland-Athens, TN-GA (CSA, include 9 counties)

47065 TN-Hamilton 17,534 19,880 567.6 90 22,070 9,986,801

13047 Catoosa 3,239 3,737 328.4 71 8,610 2,206,657

13083 Dade 1,702 1,335 87.1 21 921 1,004,519

13295 Walker 2,363 3,962 136.7 56 3,433 1,595,362

47011 TN-Bradley 4,989 6,191 267.6 66 7,240 2,915,936

47107 TN-McMinn 8,567 4,869 113.9 41 2,960 2,108,025

47115 TN-Marion 5,503 2,239 55.7 21 368 1,892,547

47139 TN-Polk 829 948 36.9 0 -429 555,269

47153 TN-Sequatchie 630 712 42.8 0 1,947 392,886

01071 AL-Jackson 23,166 6,492 50.0 23 -1,000 2,317,981

Columbus-Auburn-Opelika, GA-AL (CSA, include 7 counties)

13215 Muscogee 6,540 12,385 861.4 97 544 4,288,796

13053 Chattahoochee 576 1,246 59.8 79 -5,563 250,927

13145 Harris 1,593 2,246 51.1 3 5,277 1,182,016

13197 Marion 435 901 19.5 0 -155 259,748

01081 AL-Lee 4,490 6,650 189.1 67 14,976 3,640,079

01087 AL-Macon 1,740 4,186 39.5 50 -1,740 1,755,993

01113 AL-Russell 4,977 8,552 77.6 64 520 2,204,989

Macon-Warner Robins-Fort Valley, GA

13021 Bibb 9,689 14,348 615.6 85 851 5,730,948

13079 Crawford 598 782 38.4 0 53 398,811

13153 Houston 6,894 8,051 294.0 85 19,760 3,673,648

13169 Jones 1,562 1,815 60.0 19 3,526 885,206

13207 Monroe 21,537 3,221 55.0 24 3,307 2,655,916

13225 Peach 1,957 2,071 156.7 64 1,834 1,478,725

13289 Twiggs 1,044 1,111 29.4 0 -292 866,520

Dalton, GA

13213 Murray 1,894 2,024 106.0 28 3,890 898,487

13313 Whitfield 7,761 8,415 288.0 68 9,273 3,817,277
17

Table 3. Criteria of quantitative factors based on information for counties in Georgia with

violating monitors. 25th percentile values of each factor for the 16 counties are used as the

screening criteria.

FIPS County

Emission N

O

X (tpy)

Emission V

O

C (tpy)

Population Density (Person/miles2)

Urbanization (%)

Absolute Population Growth

V

M

T(miles/day)

13151 Henry 8,842 7,167 369.8 73 64,453 6,221,939

13247 Rockdale 3,147 4,086 536.7 85 11,485 2,759,090

13089 DeKalb 22,646 32,119 2,482.7 100 68,136 20,381,808

13135 Gwinnett 22,824 29,558 1,359.9 97 179,945 18,766,956

13121 Fulton 38,376 41,618 1,543.5 98 174,887 31,292,202

13067 Cobb 26,157 26,539 1,786.7 99 79,173 17,869,685

13097 Douglas 4,174 4,766 462.5 80 31,796 4,191,150

13113 Fayette 3,535 4,530 463.1 78 14,058 2,848,500

13077 Coweta 16,936 5,513 201.6 54 28,781 3,895,843

13059 Clarke 4,421 6,970 840.2 91 12,098 2,731,323

13021 Bibb 9,689 14,348 615.6 85 851 5,730,948

13223 Paulding 3,204 5,185 260.6 60 44,900 3,081,957

13245 Richmond 14,184 16,388 616.5 92 -2,278 5,123,371

13215 Muscogee 6,540 12,385 861.4 97 544 4,288,796

13213 Murray 1,894 2,024 106.0 28 3,890 898,487

13085 Dawson 852 1,325 75.8 0 5,184 656,417

25

th 3,452 4,707 343 69 4,861 2,826,147

Data are ranked by 2006-2008 DVs in each county from high to low.
18

Table 4. Evaluation of quantitative factors for Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville, GA-AL

CSA.

FIPS County

1997 Ozone Nonattainment

1997 PM2.5 Nonattainment

Emission N

O

X (tpy)

Emission V

O

C (tpy)

Population Density (Person/miles2)

and Urbanization (%)

Absolute Population Growth

V

M

T(miles/day)

Total

Ratio 1 1 1 1

13121 Fulton Y Y 11 1 1 1 1 15

13067 Cobb Y Y 8 1 1 1 1 12

13089 DeKalb Y Y 7 1 1 1 1 11

13135 Gwinnett Y Y 7 1 1 1 1 11

13077 Coweta Y Y 5 1 1 1 8

13151 Henry Y Y 3 1 1 1 1 7

13097 Douglas Y Y 1 1 1 1 1 5

13113 Fayette Y Y 1 1 1 1 4

13223 Paulding Y Y 1 1 1 3

13247 Rockdale Y Y 1 1 2

13015 Bartow Y Y 10 1 1 1 13

13063 Clayton Y Y 4 1 1 1 1 8

13057 Cherokee Y Y 2 1 1 1 1 6

13139 Hall Y Y 2 1 1 1 1 6

13117 Forsyth Y Y 1 1 1 1 1 5

13045 Carroll Y Y 1 1 1 1 4

13217 Newton Y Y 1 1 1 3

13013 Barrow Y Y 1 1

13297 Walton Y Y 1 1

13255 Spalding Y Y 0

13149 Heard Y 5 5

13285 Troup 1 1 2

13227 Pickens 1 1

13085 Dawson 1 1

13035 Butts 0

13143 Haralson 0

13159 Jasper 0

13171 Lamar 0

13199 Meriwether 0

13231 Pike 0

13233 Polk 0

13293 Upson 0

01017 AL-Chambers 0
19

Table 5. Evaluation of quantitative factors for Athens-Clarke County, GA CBSA.

FIPS County

Emission N

O

X (tpy)

Emission V

O

C (tpy)

Population Density (Person/miles2)

and Urbanization (%)

Absolute Population Growth

V

M

T(miles/day)

Total

Ratio 1 1 1 1

13059 Clarke 1 1 1 1 4

13219 Oconee 1 1

13195 Madison 0

13221 Oglethorpe 0

Table 6. Evaluation of quantitative factors for Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC CBSA.

FIPS County

Emission N

O

X (tpy)

Emission V

O

C (tpy)

Population Density (Person/miles2)

and Urbanization (%)

Absolute Population Growth

V

M

T(miles/day)

Total

Ratio 1 1 1 1

13245 Richmond 4 1 1 1 7

45003 SC-Aiken 4 1 1 1 7

13073 Columbia 1 1 1 1 4

13033 Burke 0

13189 McDuffie 0

45037 SC-Edgefield 0
20

Table 7. Evaluation of quantitative factors for Chattanooga-Cleveland-Athens, TN-GA

CSA.

FIPS County

1997 Ozone Nonatt

1997 PM2.5 Nonatt

Emission N

O

X (tpy)

Emission V

O

C (tpy)

Population Density (Person/miles2)

and Urbanization (%)

Absolute Population Growth

V

M

T(miles/day)

Total

Ratio 1 1 1 1

47065 TN-Hamilton Y 5 1 1 1 1 9

01071 AL-Jackson Y 7 1 8

47011 TN-Bradley 1 1 1 1 4

47107 TN-McMinn 2 1 3

47115 TN-Marion 2 2

13047 Catoosa Y 1 1 2

47153 TN-Sequatchie 0

13295 Walker Y 0

13083 Dade 0

47139 TN-Polk 0

Table 8. Evaluation of quantitative factors for Columbus-Auburn-Opelika, GA-AL CSA.

FIPS County

Emission N

O

X (tpy)

Emission V

O

C (tpy)

Population Density (Person/miles2)

and Urbanization (%)

Absolute Population Growth

V

M

T(miles/day)

Total

Ratio 1 1 1 1

13215 Muscogee 2 1 1 1 5

01081 AL-Lee 1 1 1 1 4

01113 AL-Russell 1 1 2

13053 Chattahoochee 1 1

13145 Harris 1 1

13197 Marion 0

01087 AL-Macon 0
21

Table 9. Evaluation of quantitative factors for Macon-Warner Robins-Fort Valley, GA

CSA.

FIPS County

1997 Ozone Nonatt or Maintenance

1997 PM2.5 Nonattainment

Emission N

O

X (tpy)

Emission V

O

C (tpy)

Population Density (Person/miles2)

and Urbanization (%)

Absolute Population Growth

V

M

T(miles/day)

Total

Ratio 1 1 1 1

13021 Bibb Y Y 3 1 1 1 6

13153 Houston 2 1 1 1 1 6

13207 Monroe Y 6 6

13079 Crawford 0

13169 Jones 0

13225 Peach 0

13289 Twiggs 0

Table 10. Evaluation of quantitative factors for Dalton, GA CBSA.

FIPS County

1997 Ozone Nonatt or Maintenance

1997 PM2.5 Nonattainment

Emission N

O

X (tpy)

Emission V

O

C (tpy)

Population Density (Person/miles2)

and Urbanization (%)

Absolute Population Growth

V

M

T(miles/day)

Total

Ratio 1 1 1 1

13313 Whitfield 2 1 1 1 5

13213 Murray Y 0 0
22

APPENDIX A

Major Initiatives of the Middle Georgia Clean Air Coalition

Category Initiative(s)

Burn Ban

Lobbied Georgia DNR to initiate a seasonal burn ban for all MGCAC

counties each May through October.

Public Education Created a web page and sponsored Earth Day celebrations. Middle

Georgia CAN! (Clean Air Network) worked to educate the

community on new rulings through television, printed collateral

material and email marketing

School Buses School bus study served as basis for award of a 2005 US EPA grant

for $225,000 to retrofit 18 Bibb, Houston, and Monroe County buses

with particulate filters. Eleven Bibb County buses have been

retrofitted thus far. Additional Federal funding that may be available

for additional retrofits is awaiting approval by the Georgia Dept. of

Transportation (GDOT).

Commuter

Strategies

Partnered with GDOT and Middle Georgia Clean Cities Coalition

(MGCCC) to perform a survey of commuter programs with area

employers. Survey is now serving as the basis for the

implementation of commuter strategies. Middle Georgia CAN! is an

initiative of the MGCAC administered by MGCCC. Middle Georgia

CAN! partnered with the Macon Transit Authority on its Customer

Appreciation Day. Worked to educate the public on the

environmental benefits of using public transit.

Truck Stop

Electrification

Pursuing funding options for implementing Truck Stop Electrification

(TSE) at a truck stop in Middle Georgia.

Strategy For The

Future

MGCAC has published a comprehensive strategy as a guide to

achieve and maintain attainment.

Anti-Idling

Resolution

The MGCAC counties and cities have passed a resolution supporting

anti-idling by all residents.

Alternative Fuels

Resolution

The MGCAC approved a resolution for the development of policies

in each city and county to support the purchase and use of alternative

fuels in government fleets and school buses and to require requestfor-purchase decisions to favor suppliers meeting alternative fuel

standards.

Other Initiatives MGCAC is currently working to implement Landfill Gas to Energy

Generation, Energy Savings Performance Contracts, Energy Star

Programs, and the adoption of “green” Municipal Procurement

Policies.
23

APPENDIX B

Wind rose data from the Dawsonville Ozone Ambient Monitoring Station (2006-2008).

The percentages of each direction refer to the percent of occurrence when ozone concentrations

are higher than 75 ppbv
24

APPENDIX C

NOx Control Measures

The following is a list of the NOx control measures that are required in the Georgia counties

contained in this technical analysis and are not required state-wide.

FIPS County

391-3-1-.02(2)(yy) – Emissions of Nitrogen

Oxides from

Major Sources

391-3-1-.02(2)(bbb) –

Gasoline Marketing

391-3-1-.02(2)(jjj) –

N

Ox Emissions form Electric

Utility Steam

Generating Units

391-3-1-,02(2)(lll) –

N

Ox Emissions from Fuelburning Equipment

391-3-1-.02(2)(m

m

m) –

Nox Emissions from

Stationary Gas Turbines and Stationary Engines

used to Geneate Electricity

391-3-1-.02(2)(nnn) –

N

Ox Emissions from Large

Stationary Gas Turbines

391-3-1-.02(2)(rrr) –

N

Ox Emissions from

S

mall

Fuel-Burning Equipment

391-3-1-.02(2)(sss) –

Multipollutant Control for

Electric Utility Steam

Generating Units

391-3-1-.02(5)(b)1 &2 –

Open Burning (May-Sept.

restrictions)

391-3-1-.03(8) – Permit Requirements

(Nonattainment N

S

R and additional –

Additional

Requirements for Electrical Generating Units ...)

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville, GA-AL CSA

13013 Barrow X X X X X X X X

13015 Bartow X X X X X X X X X X

13035 Butts X X X X X X

13045 Carroll X X X X X X X X

13057 Cherokee X X X X X X X X X

13063 Clayton X X X X X X X X X

13067 Cobb X X X X X X X X X X

13077 Coweta X X X X X X X X X X

13085 Dawson X X X X X X

13089 DeKalb X X X X X X X X X

13097 Douglas X X X X X X X X X

13113 Fayette X X X X X X X X X

13117 Forsyth X X X X X X X X X

13121 Fulton X X X X X X X X X

13135 Gwinnett X X X X X X X X X

13139 Hall X X X X X X X X

13143 Haralson X X X X X X

13149 Heard X X X X X X X X

13151 Henry X X X X X X X X X

13159 Jasper X X X X X X

13171 Lamar X X X X X X

13199 Meriwether X X X X X X

13217 Newton X X X X X X X X

13223 Paulding X X X X X X X X X

13227 Pickens X X X X X X

13231 Pike X X X X X X

13233 Polk X X X X X X

13247 Rockdale X X X X X X X X X

13255 Spalding X X X X X X X X
25

FIPS County

391-3-1-.02(2)(yy) – Emissions of Nitrogen

Oxides from

Major Sources

391-3-1-.02(2)(bbb) –

Gasoline Marketing

391-3-1-.02(2)(jjj) –

N

Ox Emissions form Electric

Utility Steam

Generating Units

391-3-1-,02(2)(lll) –

N

Ox Emissions from Fuelburning Equipment

391-3-1-.02(2)(m

m

m) –

Nox Emissions from

Stationary Gas Turbines and Stationary Engines

used to Geneate Electricity

391-3-1-.02(2)(nnn) –

N

Ox Emissions from Large

Stationary Gas Turbines

391-3-1-.02(2)(rrr) –

N

Ox Emissions from

S

mall

Fuel-Burning Equipment

391-3-1-.02(2)(sss) –

Multipollutant Control for

Electric Utility Steam

Generating Units

391-3-1-.02(5)(b)1 &2 –

Open Burning (May-Sept.

restrictions)

391-3-1-.03(8) – Permit Requirements

(Nonattainment N

S

R and additional –

Additional

Requirements for Electrical Generating Units ...)

13285 Troup X X X X X X

13293 Upson X X X X X X

13297 Walton X X X X X X X X

Athens-Clarke County, GA CBSA

13059 Clarke X X X X X X

13195 Madison X X X X X X

13219 Oconee X X X X X X

13221 Oglethorpe

Chattanooga-Cleveland-Athens, TN-GA CSA

13033 Burke

13073 Columbia X

13189 McDuffie

13245 Richmond X

Chattanooga-Cleveland-Athens, TN-GA CSA

13047 Catoosa X

13083 Dade

13295 Walker X

Columbus-Auburn-Opelika, GA-AL CSA

13053 Chattahoochee

13145 Harris

13197 Marion

13215 Muscogee

Macon-Warner Robins-Fort Valley, GA CSA

13021 Bibb X

13079 Crawford X

13153 Houston X

13169 Jones X X X X X X

13207 Monroe X X X X X X X X

13225 Peach X

13289 Twiggs X

Dalton, GA CBSA

13213 Murray

13313 Whitfield
26

APPENDIX D

Definitions of Partial-County Areas

Heard County Partial Area: The northeast portion that extends north of 33 degrees 24 minutes

(north) to the Carroll County border and east of 85 degrees 3 minutes (west) to the Coweta

County border.

Monroe County Partial Area: From 150'west of the US Hwy 23/Georgia Hwy 87 centerline at

33 degrees, 04 minutes, 30 seconds, proceed westward to 83 degrees, 49 minutes, 45 seconds;

proceed due south to 150'north of the Georgia Hwy 18 centerline, proceed eastward 150'north

of and parallel to the Georgia Hwy 18 centerline to 150'west of the US Hwy 23/Georgia Hwy 87

centerline, proceed northward 150'west of and parallel to the US Hwy 23/Georgia Hwy 87

centerline to 33 degrees, 04 minutes, 30 seconds.

Murray County Partial Area: The area enclosed to the east by Murray County's eastern border,

to the north by latitude of 34.9004 degrees, to the west by longitude 84.7200 degrees, and to the

south by 34.7040 degrees. All mountain peaks within the Chattahoochee National Forest area of

Murray County that have an elevation greater than or equal to 2,400 feet and that are enclosed by

contour lines that close on themselves.
27

APPENDIX E

Figure E-1: Map of Atlanta nonattainment area recommendations for the revised 2008 ozone

NAAQS.
28

Figure E-2: Map of Athens nonattainment area recommendations for the revised 2008 ozone

NAAQS.
29

Figure E-3: Map of Augusta nonattainment area recommendations for the revised 2008 ozone

NAAQS.
30

Figure E-4: Map of Columbus nonattainment area recommendations for the revised 2008 ozone

NAAQS.
31

Figure E-5: Map of Macon nonattainment area recommendations for the revised 2008 ozone

NAAQS.
32

Figure E-6: Map of Murray County nonattainment area recommendations for the revised 2008

ozone NAAQS.
33

APPENDIX F

Meteorological Discussion of Fort Mountain Ozone Episodes

Fort Mountain is an interesting air quality site since the mountaintop is well exposed to

different meteorological conditions throughout the year. These conditions affect ozone

measurements during the summertime. Some possible meteorological influences that can affect

ozone concentrations at Fort Mountain are buildup of residual ozone due to the rising and

lowering of the mixing height during highly stable conditions and air stagnation events. The

residual ozone is ozone that is mixed above the top of the mixed layer from the previous day’s

concentration and trapped aloft, and transported by low-level jet within that layer. Fort

Mountain is better exposed to the residual ozone than urban sites around metro Atlanta, since it

typically stays above the top of the mixing height during nighttime hours. Another

meteorological influence that can affect ozone concentrations at Fort Mountain is transport from

other high ozone regions or forest fire smoke areas. A third, but rare meteorological factor that

can affect ozone levels at Fort Mountain is by stratospheric intrusion through a cutoff low

tropopause fold mechanism. These episodes are rare this far south in latitude, since the jet

stream position is typically further north, except during the transition seasons. The synoptic

description of a transport episode, which could have contributed to the ozone violation at Fort

Mountain on September 20, 2003, is given below.

On September 19, 2003, Fort Mountain was situated on the leading edge of an

approaching cold front with a weak surface trough over north Georgia. The front became

occluded over the Southeast and began to pull a warm front northward. It is common in the

Southeast for strong cold fronts to drag a surface low and warm front high in boundary layer

Gulf moisture northward. A warm frontal passage typically occurs several hours ahead of the

actual cold front passage, especially during the transition months when jet stream dynamics is

strongest. On September 20, the occluded front was positioned just north of Fort Mountain,

leaving the site in the warm-air sector. On September 21, the occluded front drifted to the south

of Fort Mountain with strong high-pressure building to the north. The progression of this front is

shown in the synoptic surface charts given in the Appendix. A much stronger Canadian cold

front and associated trailing deep upper level trough approached Fort Mountain from the

northwest on September 22. This frontal passage was accompanied by heavy precipitation on

September 22.

The 12Z sounding for September 19 shows good drying and NW flow at 850mb, which is

due to subsidence. Wind rose data verified the NW flow to be the dominant direction for

September 19 (see Appendix). Vertical motion back trajectories were run from Fort Mountain

back 12 and 24 hours duration preceding the frontal passage. These trajectories indicated

possible transport from the Tennessee Valley towards the Fort Mountain region late on

September 19 and early on September 20. On September 21, the frontal passage occurred and

winds shifted to a more easterly component, which brought in cleaner Atlantic air. This easterly

component is verified by the 12Z sounding on Sept 21, and 12 -and 24-hour back trajectory

analysis for 800Z on September 21. Wind rose data on September 20 and 21 shows a

predominant SSE wind component. From this transport and wind analysis it seems reasonable

that at least some transport from the Tennessee Valley occurred and contributed to elevated

ozone levels at Fort Mountain. The gradual ozone buildup that occurred on September 19 and

September 20 could be attributed to the pooling up and transport of higher concentration ozone

ahead of the approaching cold front. Of particular interest was the observation that several

locations in the Tennessee Valley reported elevated ozone levels on September 17 and 18. On

September 18, one-hour average peak concentration values of 80-90 ppbv were observed just

NW of Chattanooga.
34

Two other regional ozone episodes were observed and analyzed which gave Fort

Mountain 8-hour ozone violations. The reason these two particular cases were chosen is because

six other high elevation stations (five in the Great Smokey Mountains and 1 in upstate South

Carolina) experienced 8-hour violations on the same days (June 10, 2000 and September 10,

2002) and under different synoptic regimes. These episodes had different synoptic features,

which illustrate how Fort Mountain can experience elevated ozone levels under different

meteorological conditions. One episode (June 10, 2000) had a strong upper level ridge over the

Southeast with the Atlantic High positioned of the South Carolina coast. The second episode

(September 10, 2002) had a developing tropical low off the South Carolina coast and an

associated Atlantic subtropical ridge. Upper air and surface meteorological charts for the June

10, 2000 and September 10, 2002 regional ozone episodes are presented in the Appendix.

Balloon rawinsonde data and satellite imagery show both cases had a strong upper level highpressure ridge as the dominant synoptic feature with good surface and mid-level drying.

A strong surface and upper level ridge situated just off the east coast dominated the

meteorology for the Southeast from June 9-11, 2000. GOES infrared images show very little

clouds, other than a few fair weather cumulus, with strong drying in the lower and middle levels.

The 12Z sounding on June 10 also shows a fairly strong inversion at the 800mb level and good

subsidence with light and variable winds aloft. Upper-level charts indicated a ridge axis

extended over north Georgia. Low-level winds were predominantly light, associated with a

weak pressure gradient, and southeasterly, as part of the return flow off the east coast high. The

synoptic conditions for the time period of September 9-11, 2002, were similar to the above in

regards to a very dry atmosphere and light/variable winds. However, the southeast region was

wedged between an area of low pressure moving up the east coast and a ridge of high pressure in

the Midwest. The tropical low is shown just off the North Carolina coast in the 850mb level

height and isotherm chart. The 12Z sounding on September 10 shows a good pocket of dry air

near 500mb with light winds aloft. There is some high-level moisture near 300mb, which could

be indicative of the cirrus outflow from the tropical system to the east. Satellite imagery shows a

few clouds associated with scattered convection from Alabama westward, but little in Georgia

with a pocket of dry air settled in place. Both of these cases show that residual buildup of ozone

can occur at Fort Mountain under highly stable and subsident conditions during regional air

stagnation episodes, even though the synoptic regimes can be different.
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46

APPENDIX G

Existing Nonattainment Boundaries