TIME:             4:00 p.m. PST

BURN BAN REMOVED FROM YAKIMA COUNTY

TODAY’S AIR QUALITY:

Air quality is Moderate (Yellow) for the upper valley.

• Air quality is Good (Green) for Toppenish area.
• Dispersion is expected to improve.
• Ventilation is expected to improve.

Please Note:  Restrictions may differ within the exterior boundaries of the Yakama Reservation.  The Yakama Nation is addressing air quality issues in conjunction with the EPA, under the Federal Air Rules for Reservations (FARR).  For up-to-date information there, please call 1-800-424-4EPA (1-800-424-4372) and ask for the FARR Hotline or visit the Federal Air Rules for Reservations (FARR) website for the current burn status at www.epa.gov/r10earth/FARR.htm .

The ban took effect last Friday, Feb. 1. A Stage 1 ban prohibits use of uncertified wood-burning devices, including wood stoves, inserts and fireplaces, and all outdoor burning.

These activities may resume now. However, local residents should think twice because smoke caused by burning easily builds up at this time of year, when stagnant air conditions can trap smoke close to the ground.

Fine particles in smoke are so small they can easily get into your lungs. Once there, they can cause heart and breathing problems, and even death. Children, people with asthma and respiratory illnesses, and adults older than 65 are most at risk.

By limiting or avoiding burning, residents of Okanogan County can help prevent air quality from deteriorating to the point that burn bans are needed. And by following restrictions when burn bans are called, they can help limit the time period the bans are in effect.

A 2009 Ecology analysis estimates that fine particles contribute to about 1,100 deaths and about $190 million in health-care costs each year in Washington.

For burn ban updates:

• Check local media reports.
• Call Ecology’s daily burn decision hotline (1-800-406-5322 in Washington).
• Check Ecology’s burn bans web page.

The Washington State Department of Health recommends that people who are sensitive to air pollution limit time spent outdoors, especially when exercising. Air pollution can trigger asthma attacks, cause difficulty breathing, and make lung and heart problems worse.

Ecology recommends that people limit vehicle trips, combine errands or use public transportation to reduce air pollution.

You can track air quality in your area by using the Washington Air Quality Advisory (WAQA). This is Ecology’s tool for informing people about the health effects of air pollution, including fine particles. It uses color-coded categories to show when air quality is good, moderate or unhealthy.

For more information about WAQA, see this Ecology fact sheet: https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/publications/publications/0802022.pdf.

The Stage 1 ban applies to the use of uncertified wood-burning devices (including wood stoves, inserts and fireplaces) and to all outdoor burning. Ecology’s burn bans don’t apply on tribal reservations, where the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has jurisdiction.

Smoke from outdoor burning and wood-burning devices builds up where cold air is trapped near the ground. Fine particles in smoke are so small they can easily get into your lungs. Once there, they can cause heart and breathing problems, and even death. Children, people with asthma and respiratory illnesses, and adults older than 65 are most at risk.

Under a Stage 1 ban:

• Use of uncertified wood-burning devices – including fireplaces, wood stoves and inserts – is prohibited unless they are a home’s only adequate source of heat. Uncertified units typically were built before 1990 and lack a certification label on the back of the unit.
• All outdoor burning – including residential, agricultural and forest burning – is prohibited.
• Use of certified wood-burning devices and pellet stoves is allowed. Ecology recommends burning hot fires using only clean, dry wood.
• No excessive smoke is allowed from any wood-burning device beyond a 20-minute start-up.

Burn ban violators are subject to civil penalties. You can report violators by calling Ecology’s smoke complaint hotline (1-866-211-6284).

A 2009 Ecology analysis estimates that fine particles contribute to about 1,100 deaths and about $190 million in health-care costs each year in Washington.

For burn ban updates:

• Check local media reports.
• Call Ecology’s daily burn decision hotline (1-800-406-5322 in Washington).
• Check Ecology’s burn bans web page.
• Go online to www.waburnbans.net.

The Washington State Department of Health recommends that people who are sensitive to air pollution limit time spent outdoors, especially when exercising. Air pollution can trigger asthma attacks, cause difficulty breathing, and make lung and heart problems worse. Air pollution is especially harmful to people with lung and heart problems, people with diabetes, children, and adults over age 65.

Ecology recommends that people limit vehicle trips, combine errands or use public transportation to reduce air pollution.

You can track air quality in your area by using the Washington Air Quality Advisory (WAQA). This is Ecology’s tool for informing people about the health effects of air pollution, including fine particles. It uses color-coded categories to show when air quality is good, moderate or unhealthy.

For more information about WAQA, see this Ecology fact sheet.

 TIME:            5:00 p.m. PST

SUBJECT:    UPPER YAKIMA COUNTY ONLY – STAGE 1 BURN BAN CALLED

A Stage 1 Burn Ban has been declared for the Upper Yakima County area only.  This burn ban has been called due to an inversion and poor ventilation. 

• Low and mid-level sharp inversions are projected to start Saturday, February 2^nd at approximately 1:00 A.M., continuing through Sunday.
• Ventilation category is poor.
• Dispersion category is poor.
• No Agricultural Burning –  allocations are 0 piles per request for both Upper and Lower County Areas while the burn ban is in place
• Air quality can change rapidly; please keep watching and we will update the situation as necessary.

 Please Note:  Restrictions may differ within the exterior boundaries of the Yakama Reservation.  The Yakama Nation is addressing air quality issues in conjunction with the EPA, under the Federal Air Rules for Reservations (FARR).  For up-to-date information there, please call 1-800-424-4EPA (1-800-424-4372) and ask for the FARR Hotline or visit the Federal Air Rules for Reservations (FARR) website for the current burn status at www.epa.gov/r10earth/FARR.htm .

 Reminder:

  During a Stage 1 Burn Ban:

1.     All Outdoor Burning, including Agricultural burning, is prohibited;

2.     The use of any fireplace, uncertified wood stove or uncertified fireplace insert is prohibited unless it is the only adequate means of heating a home;

3.     Certified wood stove, certified fireplace insert or pellet stove/insert use is allowed;

4.     No excessive smoke (over 20% opacity) is allowed from any wood burning device beyond a 20-minute start-up; and

5.     All violations of the burn ban are subject to civil penalty.

Thank you for your cooperation.

The Stage 1 ban applies to the use of uncertified wood-burning devices (including wood stoves, inserts and fireplaces) and to all outdoor burning. Ecology’s burn bans do not apply on tribal reservations, where the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has jurisdiction.

Smoke from outdoor burning and wood-burning devices builds up where cold air is trapped near the ground. Fine particles in smoke are so small they can easily get into your lungs. Once there, they can cause heart and breathing problems, and even death. Children, people with asthma and respiratory illnesses, and adults older than 65 are most at risk.

Under a Stage 1 ban:

• Use of uncertified wood-burning devices – including fireplaces, wood stoves and inserts – is prohibited unless they are a home’s only adequate source of heat. Uncertified units typically were built before 1990 and lack a certification label on the back of the unit.
• All outdoor burning – including residential, agricultural and forest burning – is prohibited.
• Use of certified wood-burning devices and pellet stoves is allowed. Ecology recommends burning hot fires using only clean, dry wood.
• No excessive smoke is allowed from any wood-burning device beyond a 20-minute start-up.
  Burn ban violators are subject to civil penalties. You can report violators by calling Ecology’s smoke complaint hotline (1-866-211-6284).

A 2009 Ecology analysis estimates that fine particles contribute to about 1,100 deaths and about $190 million in health-care costs each year in Washington.

For burn ban updates:

• Check local media reports.
• Call Ecology’s daily burn decision hotline (1-800-406-5322 in Washington).
• Check Ecology’s burn bans web page.

The Washington State Department of Health recommends that people who are sensitive to air pollution limit time spent outdoors, especially when exercising. Air pollution can trigger asthma attacks, cause difficulty breathing, and make lung and heart problems worse.

Ecology recommends that people limit vehicle trips, combine errands or use public transportation to reduce air pollution.

You can track air quality in your area by using the Washington Air Quality Advisory (WAQA). This is Ecology’s tool for informing people about the health effects of air pollution, including fine particles. It uses color-coded categories to show when air quality is good, moderate or unhealthy.