Burn ban stage 1 continues until further notice for Yakima County

Effective: 12:00 p.m. PDT today, Monday, August 5, 2012:

The Pollution Control Officer for the Yakima Regional Clean Air Agency declared a Stage 1 Burn Ban for both the Upper and Lower Yakima County areas last week, due to residual smoke originating from wildfires.

Air quality has improved over the weekend. However, the lower valley still experiencing higher concentration of fine particulates than normal (Moderate).

Because any outdoor burning in the Upper County area can adversely impact the Lower County area, the Stage 1 Burn Ban will continue until further notice in both areas. However, if conditions continue as expected, watch for us to lift the burn ban by Wednesday August 7, 2013.

·       PM2.5 Air Quality levels are into the Moderate (Yellow) level in the Lower County area, and

·       PM2.5 Air Quality levels are into the Good (Green) level for the Upper County area.

·       Agricultural Burn allocation are 0  piles per request for Upper and 0 for the Lower Today.

·       Dispersion for our jurisdiction is Poor to Poor.

·       Ventilation for our jurisdiction is Poor to Poor.

·       Wind speed  ~ North to Northwest at 6 mph, increasing to 10 mph at night.

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 .

 

For further information on wildfires in Washington State,  you can visit the Washington Smoke Blog at http://wasmoke.blogspot.com/

 

Reminder:

 During a Stage 1 Burn Ban:

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

2.   Although few are using home heating this time of year,

a.   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;

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

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

 

Thank you for your cooperation.

 

Hasan Tahat, Ph.D.

Engineering and Planning Division Supervisor

Yakima Regional Clean Air Agency

Tel:  (509) 834-2050 ext. 105

Fax: (509) 834-2060

E-mail:  hasan@yrcaa.org