YRCAA Removes Burn Ban in Yakima County

By on January 25, 2012 at 10:59 in Burn Bans, Yakama County, YRCAA • No Comments

Effective: 10:00 a.m. PST today, Wednesday, January 25, 2012:

 The Burn Ban for both Upper and Lower Yakima County areas has been REMOVED for all areas in YRCAA’s jurisdiction due to improved air quality conditions.

 The PM2.5 levels have decreased dramatically in the last 24 hours and are now at a “Healthy” level in both the Upper and the Lower County areas.  Ventilation and Dispersion are Poor to Fair for Yakima County.

•        PM2.5 Monitor values are currently Good (Green) in Upper and Lower County areas.

•        Poor ventilation and fair dispersion for today

•        Agricultural Burn allocation level is 4 – up to 50 tons for Upper and Lower County areas (see Outdoor Burning, below)

•        Note: Burn Ban conditions are re-evaluated daily – for your convenience you can also sign up for our Burn Ban E-mail Updates at http://www.yakimacleanair.org .

 

Outdoor Burning:

 Agricultural Burning will be allowed to resume, but only with a valid 2012 Agricultural Burn permit and approved Daily Burn Allocations.  Please call the YRCAA Office (509-834-2050) to receive a burn allocation.

  1. Reminder:  The period for Outdoor Residential Burning ended on the 15th of October, 2011.  Outdoor Residential burning will not resume until March 15th, 2012, with a 2012 Residential Burn Permit issued through this office.  

 Please Note:  Restrictions may differ within the exterior boundaries of the Yakama Reservation.  The Yakama Nationis 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 .

 

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Previously

Effective: 12:00 p.m., Tuesday, January 24, 2012:

A Stage 1 Burn Ban has been declared for both the Upper and Lower Yakima County areas.

  • PM2.5 levels are increasing and are currently Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (Orange) in both Upper and Lower County Areas.
  • Weather predictions are for poor ventilation and dispersion for the next few days with calm surface winds; this may cause PM2.5 levels to continue increasing to Unhealthy levels.
  • No Agricultural Burning –  allocations are 0 piles per request for both Upper and Lower County Areas while the burn ban is in place
  • We will re-evaluate the Burn Ban status again tomorrow morning.

 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.

[January 14, 2012] Effective at 10:00 a.m. today, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency is lifting the air quality burn bans issued for King, Kitsap, Pierce, and Snohomish counties.

Agency forecasters were tracking a new weather system expected to arrive last night.  Winds from that system are now dispersing the air pollution that built up across the Puget Sound over the past week.

We appreciate the public’s cooperation with the burn ban. We encourage people to check current air quality and burn ban status before they burn. Conditions can change quickly this time of year. To check burn ban status:

  1. Sign up for clean air news where you can:
    1. Receive e-mail notification of burn bans
    2. Follow us on Twitter/Facebook
    3. Subscribe to R.P.I.N. and EnviroFlash
  2. Visit our Web site www.pscleanair.org
  3. Call our burn ban InfoLine at 1-800- 595-4341

For those who heat with wood, please remember that it is always illegal to emit excess chimney smoke or to smoke out your neighbor, burn ban or not. You know you are burning properly when you do not see any smoke coming from your chimney. And burning garbage is always illegal.

For more information:

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The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency is an air quality management agency serving King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties. Created as a result of the 1967 Washington Clean Air Act, the agency protects public health by adopting and enforcing air quality regulations, educating individuals and businesses about clean-air choices and sponsoring voluntary initiatives to improve air quality.

With today’s change in weather, air quality has improved signficantly allowing Olympic Region Clean Air Agency (ORCAA) to lift the Burn Bans in Thurston and Mason Counties, effective 8 a.m. today (Saturday, January 14, 2012).

ORCAA staff thanks the residents of these counties for the support of, and adherence to, the burn ban while it was in effect. By voluntarily reducing the amount of burning done prior to the implementation of the formal burn ban, residents of ORCAA’s other counties – Pacific, Grays Harbor, Clallam and Jefferson – where able to minimize pollution  in their counties.

Now that the burn bans have been lifted, ORCAA encourages residents to remember that just because you can burn doesn’t mean you should.

Burning at any time adds to the air pollution levels in your local neighborhood, and residents are encouraged to seek alternatives to burning throughout the year. ORCAA especially encourages residents to resist outdoor burning when possible. When outdoor burning does take place, note that only natural vegetation may be burned. State law prohibits the burning of garbage and home-repair debris at any time. Burn barrels of any kind are also prohibited by state law. Outdoor burning in also prohibited in any Urban Growth Area.

Unregulated outdoor burning of any kind can contribute to poor air quality, but burning garbage and other debris—even scraps of milled wood products—is particularly problematic. Most household garbage contains a great deal of plastics, chemicals, coatings and chemically treated materials. When burned, this garbage and waste material releases toxic fumes and particles into the air. This pollution can cause health problems ranging from eye and respiratory irritation to potential cancers.

The Olympic Region Clean Air Agency (ORCAA) encourages all residents to explore options such as chipping of woody debris, and composting of leaves and grass-clippings rather than burning.

Woodstoves and fireplace inserts used for home heating, meanwhile, should be operated as cleanly as possible. That means allowing adequate airflow into the fire chamber to encourage a hot fire for complete combustion. Choking a fire by turning down the damper creates significant smoke that can impact a neighborhood. Fires should be kept small and hot for most efficient use of your fuel ­– you’ll save money and save our shared air.

For more information about burn ban regulations, clean home heating and outdoor burning practices, visit www.orcaa.org

Washington Department of Ecology news
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Jan. 13, 2012
12-015

OLYMPIA – A burn ban in Kittitas County will expire Saturday (Jan. 14, 2012) because forecasts show changing weather conditions will improve air quality there, according to the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology).

Ecology’s Stage 1 burn ban for Kittitas County will expire at 4 p.m. Saturday.

During a Stage 1 ban, use of uncertified wood-burning devices (including wood stoves, inserts and fireplaces) and all outdoor burning are prohibited.

These activities may resume after the burn ban expires. However, Ecology urges people to think twice before burning because smoke from outdoor burning and wood-burning devices 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 burning as much as possible, residents of affected areas 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. (http://www.ecy.wa.gov/biblio/0902021.html)

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. (http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/air/outdoor_woodsmoke/burn_ban.htm)
* Go online to www.waburnbans.net.

You can report burn ban violators by calling Ecology’s smoke complaint hotline (1-866-211-6284).

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 older 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. (https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/enviwa/Default.htm)

For more information about WAQA, see this Ecology focus sheet. (http://www.ecy.wa.gov/pubs/0802022.pdf)

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See a list of certified wood stoves and other information (http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/air/indoor_woodsmoke/wood_smoke_page.htm)

Tips on getting the most heat from your firewood
(http://burndryfirewood.com/)