WA Burn Bans

Friday, December 09, 2011  4:30 p.m.

 Both Upper and Lower Yakima County will remain in a Stage 2 Burn Ban through the weekend, into Monday morning.

The NWS Air Stagnation Advisory is expected to last through Monday.

• The PM_2.5 air quality monitors are at levels of “Unhealthy”.
• The Upper County area WAQA value is at Unhealthy,
  and
• The Lower County area is at an Unhealthy level.
• At these PM2.5 levels, it is recommended that people limit their outdoor activity, especially those with lung and heart disease, stroke, diabetes, or respiratory infections, infants, children, and older adults.
• YRCAA will continue to monitor and evaluate local air quality conditions and projections.

Please check our website for the most up-to-date information at: http://www.yakimacleanair.org  or call the YRCAA office at (509) 834-2050.

Reminder:

During a Stage 2 Burn Ban:

1. All Outdoor Burning, including Agricultural burning, is prohibited;
2. The use of any fireplace, wood stove or fireplace insert is prohibited unless it is the only adequate means of
   heating a home;
3. No excessive smoke (over 20% opacity) is allowed from any solid-fuel burning device beyond a 20-minute start-up; (note: the most commonly-used “solid fuels” are wood, pellets, manufactured logs, and coal.)
4. All violations of the burn ban are subject to civil penalty.

Please Note:
The jurisdiction of YRCAA covers all of Yakima County, excluding Yakama Nation Reservation lands.  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  .

Find out more information about RCW 70.94.473, WAC 173-425 and important key terms.