WA Burn Bans

Yakima, WA

1:00 p.m., Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Effective immediately, this morning’s Stage 2 Burn Ban has been downgraded to a Stage 1 Burn Ban.  This includes BOTH the Upper and the Lower Yakima County areas.

 PM_2.5  values in Toppenish have finally dropped to “Good” (Green)WAQA values so we can now remove the Stage 2 Burn Ban.  However, due to very poor ventilation in the forecast we will maintain the Stage 1 Burn Ban for both the Upper and Lower County areas.

 Stage 1 Burn Ban will continue:

• Upper Valley has a WAQA value of “Good” to and Lower Valley is again at “Good to Moderate”
• Poor to Fair winds, poor ventilation and poor dispersion today
• Conditions are likely to improve today, but the forecast for the rest of the week is very poor.  An upper level trough will cause a persistent upper level inversion lasting the next few days combined with limited atmospheric mixing.
• We will re-evaluate the Burn Ban this afternoon. 

 Conditions earlier today, which kept the Stage 2 Burn Ban in place, were such that although the Upper County area had been scoured by winds, the Lower County still had elevated PM_2.5  values.  Northerly winds were promoting transport of (PM_2.5) air pollution from the Upper to the Lower County areas, therefore we were not able to lift the Stage 2 in the Upper County until the Lower County air quality showed the improvement we now see.

YRCAA staff will continue to monitor the air quality to determine when any changes to the current burn ban should be made.  Air Quality conditions can change rapidly.

 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.

 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 .

 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.

Teresa Coons, Air Quality Engineer/Planner, BBFN

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