Page 141 - Littleton, CO Comprehensive Plan

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52 Ozone Alert Days in 2018 for the greater Denver region.

Air quality planning and regulation under the federal Clean Air Act involves complex concepts and
terminology. Bottom line, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to reclassify the region
as “serious nonattainment” in the near future for the ozone standard. (The nine-county greater Denver region is currently
designated as “moderate non-attainment” for the 2008 eight-hour ozone standard of 75 parts per billion. The 2015
standard has a stricter standard of 70 parts per billion of ozone pollution in the air.) According to the EPA,
“Breathing ozone can trigger a variety of health problems including chest pain, coughing, throat irritation, and airway
inflammation. It also can reduce lung function and harm lung tissue. Ozone can worsen bronchitis, emphysema, and
asthma, leading to increased medical care.”

Meanwhile, the region is in better shape with two other key pollutants, carbon monoxide (CO) and particulate matter.
The region has had no violation of the CO standard since 1995, and the particulate matter standard was last exceeded
on three days in 1993. All aspects of air pollution are significant to Littleton’s land use and transportation planning
given how development and travel patterns contribute to air quality and livability.

Source: Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Regional Air Quality Council.

927
Acres of parkland in South Platte Park, comprising four major ecological communities.
South Platte Park is Littleton’s premier natural resource and includes 375 acres of aquatic resources
(43 percent of the park’s acreage), 216 acres of upland grassland (24 percent), 165 acres of wetland
and riparian area (19 percent), and 124 acres of upland woodland (14 percent). Based on the
extensive community engagement completed during 2018, the adopted Vision 2040 states that Littleton “will
remain a place where nature and city living intersect, can both be enjoyed, and are guarded with a fierce sense
of stewardship.” The Comprehensive Plan process will consider objectives and strategies for continuing to
advance this core community sentiment.
Source: South Platte Park Management Plan, South Suburban Park and Recreation District, 2017.