Air Quality

Did you know that in Cabarrus County, the predominant cause of air pollution is ground level ozone? Ozone is caused primarily by mobile source emissions from the burning of fossil fuels in automobiles and other motor vehicles.

​Cabarrus County strives to do its share to help improve the overall air quality in our region.

NC Air Quality Index color code

• Cabarrus County has implemented policies and is working towards creating a greater employee awareness towards improving our overall air quality.
• Cabarrus County has established a No Idling Fuel Filling policy for General Service vehicles.
• Cabarrus County has 34 Hybrids in its fleet - many of which have replaced the less fuel efficient Crown Victoria.
• An electric lawn mower is used by the Cabarrus County Grounds Maintenance Department.

Individual citizens can do a great deal to help reduce air pollution outdoors as well. Simple, but effective ways include:

Drive less. Combine trips, walk, bike, carpool or vanpool, and use buses, subways or other alternatives to driving. Vehicle emissions are a major source of air pollution. Support community plans that provide ways to get around that don’t require a car, such as more sidewalks, bike trails and transit systems.

Don’t burn wood or trash. Burning firewood and trash are among the largest sources of particles in many parts of the country. If you must use a fireplace or stove for heat, convert your wood stoves to natural gas, which has far fewer polluting emissions. Compost and recycle as much as possible and dispose of other waste properly; don’t burn it. Support efforts in your community to ban outdoor burning of construction and yard wastes. Avoid the use of outdoor hydronic heaters, also called outdoor wood boilers, which are much more oxygen polluting than wood stoves.

Make sure your local school system requires clean school buses, which includes replacing or retrofitting old school buses with filters and other equipment to reduce emissions. Make sure your local schools don’t idle their buses, a step that can immediately reduce emissions. Get involved. Participate in your community’s review of its air pollution plans and support state and local efforts to clean up air pollution.

Find your local air pollution control agency

Use less electricity. Turn out lights and use energy efficient appliances. Generating electricity is one of the biggest sources of pollution, particularly in the eastern US.

How you drive is just as important as the type of vehicle you drive to conserve fuel and reduce harmful emissions.

Smart driving tips