The Southwest Clean Air Agency (SWCAA) is issuing a Stage 1 Burn Ban effective at 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, January 11, 2012 for all of Clark County through 1:00 pm Saturday January 14, 2012. Stagnant weather patterns are forecast and fine particle pollution levels are expected to rise Wednesday night through Saturday morning. Evening inversions followed by poor daytime ventilation and dispersion is forecasted to continue causing continued levels of moderate to high fine particle pollution levels that will continue throughout the week and into the weekend. This stagnant weather pattern means that the use of all fireplaces and uncertified wood stoves and inserts is prohibited until Saturday afternoon when a front is forecasted to bring improved ventilation to the area. All outdoor burning is also prohibited during this Stage 1 Burn Ban. However, if air quality should continue to deteriorate, this Burn Ban may have to be extended or upgraded to a Stage 2, which would prohibit all wood burning, including fireplaces, certified wood stoves, inserts and pellet stoves. If wood burning is your only adequate source of heat, you are exempt and we ask that you burn as clean as possible.
Below are the most recent Burn Ban announcements in Clark County
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Stage 1 Burn Ban Being Declared for Clark County
The use of fireplaces and uncertified wood stoves will be prohibited until the outlook for air quality improves. Households without an adequate alternative heat source are exempted.
VANCOUVER, Wash. – The Southwest Clean Air Agency (SWCAA) is issuing a Stage 1 Burn Ban effective at 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, January 11, 2012 for all of Clark County through 1:00 pm Saturday January 14, 2012. Stagnant weather patterns are forecast and fine particle pollution levels are expected to rise Wednesday night through Saturday morning. Evening inversions followed by poor daytime ventilation and dispersion is forecasted to continue causing continued levels of moderate to high fine particle pollution levels that will continue throughout the week and into the weekend. This stagnant weather pattern means that the use of all fireplaces and uncertified wood stoves and inserts is prohibited until Saturday afternoon when a front is forecasted to bring improved ventilation to the area. All outdoor burning is also prohibited during this Stage 1 Burn Ban. However, if air quality should continue to deteriorate, this Burn Ban may have to be extended or upgraded to a Stage 2, which would prohibit all wood burning, including fireplaces, certified wood stoves, inserts and pellet stoves. If wood burning is your only adequate source of heat, you are exempt and we ask that you burn as clean as possible.
These curtailments occur in two progressive stages as needed:
Stage 1: The use of all fireplaces and uncertified wood stoves and inserts is banned when pollution is forecasted to reach unhealthy levels. Uncertified units are typically older than 1990 and lack a certification label on the back of the unit.
Stage 2: All wood heating is prohibited, including certified units, when the Stage 1 curtailment has not reversed the increasing pollution trend and weather conditions still indicate a high risk for exceeding air quality health standards.
“We are hopeful that calling this Stage 1 curtailment will prevent us from exceeding the federal health-based standard for fine particle pollution,” said Robert Elliott, Executive Director for the agency. Elliott went on to say that “although we may see these fine particle pollution levels decreasing some during the day, on cold nights with little or no wind, wood smoke pollution can accumulate to levels that are considered unhealthy. Fine particles released by smoke from wood stoves, fireplaces and other burning are of concern because they can reach deep into the lungs. Episodes of high fine particle pollution can trigger asthma attacks, cause difficulty breathing and make lung and heart problems worse. We are not asking anyone to go without heat, but to use an alternative source of heat if possible until our air quality returns to healthy levels.”
To sign up to receive e-mail notifications of these wood stove curtailment burn bans, visit www.swcleanair.org.
The following graphic is from an air monitoring station on Fourth Plain Blvd. in Vancouver, and shows the air quality index based on levels of fine particulate.
Due to the forecast for more active weather patterns and improving air quality conditions, the Southwest Clean Air Agency (SWCAA) is removing the Stage 1 Burn Ban for Clark County effective 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011. The restrictions on using wood stoves and fireplaces in Clark County will then be lifted. This afternoon residents may once again use their wood stoves and fireplaces, but are asked to burn as cleanly as possible.
For those who heat with wood, please remember that it is always illegal to produce excess chimney smoke and to smoke out your neighbor. You know you are burning properly when you do not see any smoke coming from your chimney. “We want to thank those citizens who have complied with the recent burn bans and ask that when they do burn, that they use only dry, seasoned firewood and follow clean burning practices.” said Robert Elliott, Executive Director of the Southwest Clean Air Agency. For more information about cleaner wood burning techniques, and to sign up for our email notification list please visit www.swcleanair.org/burnclean.html.
As of Tuesday at 4:00 p.m., in areas of Clark County where burning has not been permanently banned, outdoor burning will again be allowed with the proper permits. However, burning at any time adds to the air pollution levels in your local community, and residents are encouraged to seek alternatives to burning throughout the year. When outdoor burning does take place please note that only natural vegetation may be burned and a smoke nuisance may not be caused. State law prohibits the burning of garbage, home-repair debris, and other prohibited materials at any time. Burn barrels of any kind are also prohibited by state law.
The Southwest Clean Air Agency (SWCAA) is issuing a Stage 1 Burn Ban effective at 5:00 p.m. Monday, December 12, 2011 for all of Clark County. Fine particle pollution levels rose quickly over the weekend due to continuing stagnant weather patterns. A stubborn high pressure system is forecast to reassert itself Monday night with evening inversions followed by limited daytime ventilation and dispersion through at least Wednesday, and possibly beyond. This stagnant weather pattern means that the use of all fireplaces and uncertified wood stoves and inserts is prohibited until the outlook indicates sustained air quality improvement and the Burn Ban is lifted.
All outdoor burning is also prohibited during this Stage 1 Burn Ban, which will remain in place until further notice. If air quality continues to deteriorate, this Burn Ban may have to be upgraded to a Stage 2, which would prohibit all wood burning, including fireplaces, certified wood stoves, inserts and pellet stoves. If wood burning is your only adequate source of heat, you are exempt and we ask that you burn as clean as possible.
These curtailments occur in two progressive stages as needed: Stage 1: The use of all fireplaces and uncertified wood stoves and inserts is banned when pollution is forecasted to reach unhealthy levels. Uncertified units are typically older than 1990 and lack a certification label on the back of the unit. Stage 2: All wood heating is prohibited, including certified units, when the Stage 1 curtailment has not reversed the increasing pollution trend and weather conditions still indicate a high risk for exceeding air quality health standards.
Due to the onset of favorable weather patterns and improving air quality conditions, the Southwest Clean Air
Agency (SWCAA) is removing the Stage 1/Stage 2 Burn Ban for Clark County effective 12:00 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 8, 2011. The restrictions on using wood stoves and fireplaces in Clark County will then be lifted. This afternoon residents
may once again use their wood stoves and fireplaces, but are asked to burn as cleanly as possible. For those who heat with wood,
please remember that it is always illegal to produce excess chimney smoke and to smoke out your neighbor. You know you are burning properly when you do not see any smoke coming from your chimney. For more information about cleaner wood burning techniques, please visit www.swcleanair.org/burnclean.html.