Located in the Hercules Glades Wilderness near Branson, this air monitoring station provides data to help federal and state agencies assess regional haze. It's part of a program called Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE), charged with improving visibility in national parks larger than 6,000 acres and national wilderness areas larger than 5,000 acres.
Of the approximately 155 national parks and wilderness areas in the program, two are in Missouri: Mingo National Wildlife Refuge and Hercules Glades. El Dorado Springs in eastern Missouri is a former IMPROVE protocol site. It provided data on regional haze and visibility in an area where no Class I park or national park existed. In 2016, EPA ceased funding it and eight other protocol sites.
Pollutants
Fine Particulate Matter (PM 2.5)
The primary National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), based on health effects, for fine particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, PM2.5, is 35 micrograms per cubic meter of air (μg/m3) averaged over 24 hours (98th percentile, averaged over three years) and 12 μg/m3 annual average (averaged over three years).
- Annual PM2.5 design values
- 24-Hour PM2.5 design values
- Map of PM2.5 sites
- Additional information about Particulate Matter State Planning efforts
Technical issues can affect ability to deliver quality data. Access a table of symbols with explanation of the problems they represent.
This site does not include a continuous monitor or NAAQS compliance monitoring. Visit the following website to access data for this air monitoring site.
Highway 160
Forsyth, MO 65744
United States
Air Pollution Control Program
Division of Environmental Quality
P.O. Box 176
Jefferson City, MO 65102-0176
United States