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AIR <br /> A. Description <br /> Climate may be the single most important factor influencing smog <br /> concentrations in the San Joaquin Valley air basin. Violations of smog <br /> standards in the basin have historically occurred between April and October, <br /> with the worst violations occurring when the temperatures approach or <br /> exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit. <br /> Tracy is located approximately in the middle of the Sacramento/San Joaquin <br /> Valley, which is about 500 miles long and 100 miles wide. The trough-like <br /> configuration of the valley forms an ideal trap for pollutants. <br /> Mountain ranges surrounding the valley restrict the horizontal airflow and <br /> often present temperature inversion, which prevent the air from rising <br /> vertically above the height of the mountains. Despite the northwesterly <br /> prevailing winds, the geography forms a bowl and the inversions act as a <br /> lid on the bowl,. preventing the escape of pollutants that enter the valley's <br /> atmosphere. As the level of the inversion lowers, the pollutants are trapped <br /> in a smaller volume of air, increasing their concentration (Tracy General Plan, <br /> 1982). <br /> San Joaquin County has been designated as being within the San Joaquin- <br /> Stanislaus County Air Quality Maintenance Area (AQMA), established in an <br /> effort to meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). <br /> B. Environmental Impacts <br /> Will the proposal result in: Yes Maybe No <br /> 1. Substantial air emissions or <br /> deterioration of ambient air <br /> quality? _X <br /> 2. The creation of objectionable <br /> odors? X <br /> 3. Alteration of air movement, <br /> moisture, or temperature, or <br /> any change in climate, either <br /> locally or regionally? X <br /> 20 <br />