The South Coast Air Basin—SCAB (or SoCAB) is one of several regional air basin areas designated by the state of California, for the purpose of air quality management and

air pollution Air pollution is the contamination of air due to the presence of substances in the atmosphere that are harmful to the health of humans and other living beings, or cause damage to the climate or to materials. There are many different typ ...

control in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

. The SCAB district was created in 1969. and includes all of

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

and the non-desert regions of

Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, with 9,861,224 residents estimated as of 2022. It is the ...

Riverside County Riverside County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,418,185, making it the fourth-most populous county in California and the 10th-most populous in the Uni ...

, and

San Bernardino County San Bernardino County (), officially the County of San Bernardino, is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, and is located within the Inland Empire area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 2,181, ...

. The region covers approximately 17100 km² and includes much of the

Greater Los Angeles Area Greater Los Angeles is the second-largest metropolitan region in the United States with a population of 18.5 million in 2021, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino Coun ...

, which is home to approximately 18 million people.

South Coast Air Quality Management District—AQMD

Initially, the SCAB had four air-quality management agencies, one for each of the four counties. In 1977, the legislature merged these four agencies into the South Coast Air Quality Management District—South Coast AQMD. The SCAB is the smoggiest region of the U.S., and the South Coast AQMD provides hourly reports throughout the district. The South Coast AQMD has jurisdiction over stationary sources of pollution, while the

California Air Resources Board The California Air Resources Board (CARB or ARB) is the "clean air agency" of the government of California. Established in 1967 when then-governor Ronald Reagan signed the Mulford-Carrell Act, combining the Bureau of Air Sanitation and the Moto ...

has jurisdiction for mobile sources of pollution, including automobiles and trucks. Since 2011 the South Coast AQMD also manages portions of two other desert air basins: the

Salton Sea The Salton Sea is a shallow, landlocked, highly saline body of water in Riverside and Imperial counties at the southern end of the U.S. state of California. It lies on the San Andreas Fault within the Salton Trough that stretches to the Gulf o ...

Air Basin in Riverside County, and the

Mojave Desert The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily in ...

Air Basin in Los Angeles, Kern, and San Bernardino Counties.

South Coast AQMD governing board

The governing board has thirteen members selected by a combination of city, county, and state agencies. "The South Coast Air Quality Management District is the regional government agency responsible for air pollution control. AQMD regulations must be approved by the state

Air Resources Board The California Air Resources Board (CARB or ARB) is the "clean air agency" of the government of California. Established in 1967 when then-governor Ronald Reagan signed the Mulford-Carrell Act, combining the Bureau of Air Sanitation and the Moto ...

and the

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon pro ...

References

Bibliography

* * * * ;Aerial photos and maps * *

External links

Official South Coast Air Quality Management District—SCAQMD website
{{coord missing, California Air pollution in California Southern California Geography of Los Angeles County, California Geography of Orange County, California Geography of Riverside County, California Geography of San Bernardino County, California Environment of California Inland Empire Special districts of California

South Coast Air Quality Management District—AQMD

South Coast AQMD governing board

See also

References

Bibliography

External links