Augusta has violated a stricter federal standard for measuring air pollution four times this year, increasing the likelihood it could face an unwanted "non-attainment" designation for flunking the U.S. Clean Air Act.

"It does look like we will be recommending the Augusta area for non-attainment for the new standard," said Jimmy Johnston, the manager of Georgia Environmental Protection Division's Air Protection Branch.

Generally, in non-attainment areas, it can be more difficult for industries to obtain -- or renew -- permits to release industrial emissions. It also means stricter controls on outdoor burning, which Augusta already has through summer burning bans. It can also make it more difficult to obtain federal transportation money.

The Environmental Protection Agency's new standard for ozone, unveiled in March, lowered the allowable concentration in the air to no more than 0.075 parts per million, stricter than the old standard of 0.085. In Augusta, all four violations this year -- ranging from 0.0077 to 0.082 parts per million -- would not have violated the old standard, but exceeded the new one.

Next March, EPD must make recommendations to EPA regarding which Georgia communities should be declared in non-attainment, Mr. Johnston said. The designations would take effect in 2010 and could trigger restrictions on industrial air permits and transportation projects.

Although the figures indicate Augusta will be recommended for non-attainment, EPD has not yet determined whether the proposed zone will be limited to Richmond County. "We need to decide if it will extend to some of the other counties," he said.

In general, most ozone violations occur between March and September, although the federally designated ozone season runs through October, said Susan Zimmer-Dauphinee, EPD's director of ambient air monitoring

Augusta, she said, had relatively few violations, compared to metro Atlanta, which had 29. Athens recorded five, Columbus recorded just one, Macon had six and the north Georgia region recorded seven.

Scott MacGregor, an adviser on air pollution issues for the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce, said non-attainment is calculated by taking the fourth-highest value of the year.

"You get three freebies, and the fourth value is what they record," he said, noting that EPA also uses a floating, three-year average to gauge compliance. Thus, communities with three or fewer violations would be recorded as being without any violations.

Augusta's air, he noted, might be getting more attention for its violations, but it doesn't mean there is more pollution.

"Things are actually getting better when you look at overall air quality, but at the same time we are tightening standards to better protect human health, so it sometimes seems like it's getting worse, with more violations than in past years," he said.

Ozone, a component of smog, is the unhealthful pollutant spewed by vehicle exhaust, fires and coal-fired power plants, and it has been shown to cause or aggravate a host of respiratory ailments.