The City collaborates with the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District (Air District) to support improved regional air quality. These efforts include the expansion of air quality monitoring efforts in Sacramento, specifically prioritizing locations in the north and south of the city that have been identified with community input as a high priority for air pollution control initiatives.

Additionally, many actions that the City is working on to advance climate action and adaptation will also improve air quality in the Sacramento region.  

Photo of the Sacramento skyline with Tower Bridge and the Sacramento River in the foreground open_in_full

Air Quality Monitoring Pilot

The City partnered with the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District (Air District) on an Air Quality Monitoring Pilot to help build community resilience to air pollution, including from wildfire smoke.

There are three key elements:

  • Distribution of 200 free portable air quality sensors
  • Neighborhood air quality monitoring
  • Air quality education materials, developed in partnership with the Sacramento Academic and Vocational Academy (SAVA)

Learn more about these elements below and in this Pilot factsheet (11.5MB). Explore other regional air quality monitoring efforts in this factsheet.

Have more questions about this project? Read through the Frequently Asked Questions or email PortableSensors@airquality.org

200 free portable air-quality sensors distributed in Sacramento

The Pilot distributed 200 free portable Purple Air sensors to Sacramento residents, businesses, schools, and public facilities. These sensors collect outdoor air quality data and close gaps in air quality sensors in high-need, underserved neighborhoods.

Recipients were selected based on geography and other criteria to ensure equitable distribution among neighborhoods. Focus areas of this project included North Sacramento, South Sacramento and outside of Downtown/Central City.

To see real-time outdoor air quality information—including data from the sensors distributed through this pilot—and fire information, explore the AirNow Fire and Smoke Map.

Neighborhood air quality monitoring

Air pollution can vary greatly from one area to another – even within the same community. To better understand air quality in Sacramento, a van equipped with research-grade air monitoring instruments was driven throughout the City of Sacramento in Spring 2023. This monitoring effort captured air quality information block-by-block to identify areas most impacted by harmful pollutants.

Explore a summary of the results in this StoryMap, or review the following in-depth resources:

Actions to take during wildfire smoke events

To help residents make informed decisions during wildfires and other unhealthy air quality events, the Sac Metro Air District and its partners have created air quality action charts designed for the public, businesses, and schools. The charts, as well as other tools, can be found on their Wildfire Smoke Information page.

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