Air quality in Ohio in the early 1970s was reputed to be some of the worst in the nation. In 1975, there were 44 air pollution alerts. Much progress has been made due to the efforts of Ohio EPA, local air agencies that contract with Ohio EPA, industry environmental professionals and active citizens. It is truly a collaborative effort to achieve clean, healthy air. The following describes some information about the Division of Air Pollution Control (DAPC) as we strive to ensure compliance with the federal Clean Air Act and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act as part of its mission to attain and maintain air quality at a level that protects the environment and public health.

Local Air Agencies are contracted organizations located throughout the state that perform primarily the same functions as the Ohio EPA District offices. These agencies pre-date Ohio EPA and typically are part of a city, county, or health district organization. Although the number of local air agencies has declined since the 1970’s, the current contracted agencies continue to serve a critical role in air monitoring, permitting and compliance oversight in certain areas of the state in addition to performing certain activities directly for U.S. EPA and/or their parent organizations (e.g., indoor air quality). Below are links to the main web pages for each local air agency.

• City of Toledo, Division of Environmental Services
• Portsmouth City Health Department, Air Pollution Unit
• Regional Air Pollution Control Agency (RAPCA), Public Health-Dayton & Montgomery County
• Cleveland Department of Health, Division of Air Quality
• Southwest Ohio Air Quality Agency, a division of the Hamilton County Department of Environmental Services
• Canton City Health Department, Air Pollution Control Division
• Akron Regional Air Quality Management District
• Lake County General Heath District, Air Pollution Control

The Division of Air Pollution Control (DAPC) ensures compliance with the federal Clean Air Act and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act as part of its mission to attain and maintain air quality at a level that protects the environment and public health. The division reviews, issues and enforces permits for installation and operation of sources of air pollution and operates an extensive outdoor air monitoring network. The division also oversees an automobile emission testing program to minimize emissions from mobile sources.