Summary: No wonder Willow Park is developing the air quality of a larger city. In fact, Parker County has to continue emission testing when 90% of Texas counties no longer require a vehicle safety inspection. Surrounding development, I20, and local weather, make Willow Park and East PC "the perfect nesting ground for ozone formation.”
Latest Update:Tuesday, July 18, 2023
Select #Tags for additional articles:#AreaGrowth
Air Quality in Willow Park and Parker County
No wonder Willow Park is developing the air quality of a larger city. In fact, Parker County, adjacent to Tarrant County, is one of seventeen (17) of the 254 Texas counties that still require vehicle emissions inspections -- no surprise Parker County has to continue emission testing when 90% of Texas counties no longer requires a vehicle safety inspection. [1]
Ground-level ozone, also known as smog is created "when pollutants from transportation, commercial operations and natural sources combine with sunlight and heat." “We’re just, like, the perfect nesting ground for ozone formation,” Narvaez said. “With low wind, ozone tends to form and then it’ll stay instead of being blow off by the wind. A lot of our summers are not very windy days, and humidity tends to drive it as well.” [2]
In addition...
Development is stampeding from all sides of Willow Park.
Willow Park Civics Blog > Growth and Development, index of blogs and other articles on the growth and development in and around Willow Park.
I20 runs though the southern and most populated part of Willow Park and then on to disect Texas from east to west
What happens in Fort Worth does not stay in Fort Worth.
Willow Park is only twenty (20) miles from the center of Fort Worth.
Fort Worth is growing at "top ten" rates
Willow Park Civics Blog > Fort Worth gained the highest number of new residents of any city in the country
Parker County, adjacent to Tarrant Couty, is one of seventeen (17) of the 254 Texas counties that still require emissions inspections.
[1] Willow Park Civics Blog > Gone! TX Vehicle Safety Inspections... but not quite for Parker Co. 21 June 2023
[2] What’s going on with air quality warnings in North Texas this summer? All your questions, answered, Fort Worth Report, 17 July 2023, Excerpts
If you’re not familiar with the science behind air quality alerts — and why North Texas has struggled to reduce ground-level ozone, also known as smog — you’re not alone. Smog is created when pollutants from transportation, commercial operations and natural sources combine with sunlight and heat.
Through July 10, the region tallied 16 days where smog exceeded healthy levels. Those numbers are roughly similar to most previous summers at this point... More unhealthy ozone days are on the horizon as the region enters its hottest season in July and August, she said.
“We’re just, like, the perfect nesting ground for ozone formation,” Narvaez said. “With low wind, ozone tends to form and then it’ll stay instead of being blow off by the wind. A lot of our summers are not very windy days, and humidity tends to drive it as well.”
North Texas faces fines if air quality doesn’t improve.
Residents can plan ahead for poor air quality days by using an email alert service run by Air North Texas, a campaign led by the council of governments.
Additional Willow Park Civis Research
• EPA > AirNow.gov > Air Quality Index (AQI) > Fort Worth
• TCEQ
• Today's Texas Air Quality Forecast > Dallas-Fort Worth
Comments