Air Quality Design Values
On this page:
- What is a Design Value?
- 2016 Design Value Reports
- 2016 Design Value Map Services
- Previous Design Value Reports
What is a Design Value?
A design value is a statistic that describes the air quality status of a given location relative to the level of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).
- Design values are defined to be consistent with the individual NAAQS as described in 40 CFR Part 50.Exit
- Design values are typically used to designate and classify nonattainment areas, as well as to assess progress towards meeting the NAAQS. To view a list of areas designated nonattainment, see EPA's Green Book site.
- Design values are computed and published annually by EPA's Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards and reviewed in conjunction with the EPA Regional Offices. Some of these design values can change after the date of publication for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to:
- EPA agreement that certain data were influenced by exceptional events and therefore not subject for comparison with the NAAQS,
- states retroactively entering or changing erroneous data based on later findings, and/or
- notification of a monitoring issue (e.g. network design, site combination, change in the regulatory status of a monitor) that would prompt a revision.
- The information listed in these reports and in these tables is intended for informational use only and does not constitute a regulatory determination by EPA as whether an area has attained a NAAQS.
- The information set forth in this report has no regulatory effect.
- To have regulatory effect, a final EPA determination as to whether an area has attained a NAAQS or attained a NAAQS as of its applicable attainment date can be accomplished only after rulemaking that provides an opportunity for notice and comment.
- No such determination for regulatory purposes exists in the absence of such rulemaking.
- This report does not constitute a proposed or final rulemaking.
2016 Design Value Reports
Each spreadsheet in the table below contains six tabs that provide design values for the most recent period, unless otherwise noted:
- Areas Previously Designated Nonattainment
- Violating Monitors in Areas Not Previously Designated Nonattainment
- Trends for Previously Designated Nonattainment Areas (last 10 design value periods)
- County-Level
- Monitor-Level
- Monitor-Level Trends (last 10 design value periods)
| 2016 Design Value Reports | Contacts |
|---|---|
| Carbon Monoxide Design Values, 2016 (XLSX)(1 pg, 314 K, 7/26/2017) | David Mintz Mintz.David@epa.gov (919) 541-5224 |
| Lead Design Values, 2016 (XLSX)(1 pg, 159 K, 7/26/2017) | Halil Cakir Cakir.Halil@epa.gov (919) 541-2416 |
| Nitrogen Dioxide Design Values, 2016 (XLSX)(1 pg, 514 K, 7/26/2017) | Ben Wells Wells.Benjamin@epa.gov 919) 541-7507 |
| Ozone Design Values, 2016 (XLSX)(1 pg, 926 K, 10/2/2017) | Ben Wells Wells.Benjamin@epa.gov 919) 541-7507 |
| PM10 Design Values, 2016 (XLSX)(1 pg, 836 K, 7/26/2017) | Brett Gantt Gantt.Brett@epa.gov (919) 541-5274 |
| PM2.5 Design Values, 2016 (XLSX)(1 pg, 2 MB, 7/26/2017) | Brett Gantt Gantt.Brett@epa.gov (919) 541-5274 |
| Sulfur Dioxide Design Values, 2016 (XLSX)(1 pg, 616 K, 1/11/2018) | Doug Solomon Solomon.Douglas@epa.gov (919) 541-4132 |
2016 Design Value Map Services
Map services for the 2016 Design Value Update are available in ArcGIS desktop, Google Earth, ArcGIS JavaScript, ArcGIS Explorer and ArcGIS.com.