525 South Foothill Drive, Yreka, CA 96097
Phone: (530) 841-4025, Fax: (530) 842-6690
2012 Air Monitoring Network Report
The Air Pollution Control District (District)
monitors for criteria pollutants in the ambient air and regulates
stationary sources of air emissions within the County. The California
Air Resources Board (CARB)
has the responsibility for regulating mobile emission sources,
state-wide compliance assistance, forecasting, air monitoring, research,
and emergency response, rule development, and for District oversight.
The following is a less summarized representation of District
responsibilities. Air Monitoring The District monitors for ozone and
particulate matter, as mandated by the State and Local Air Monitoring
System (SLAMS),
as well as acid rain. The District operates and maintains all monitoring
equipment. Acid Rain: The District has
one rain gage and precipitation collector located near the Siskiyou
County Airport. A new collection bucket is installed every
Tuesday. Precipitation samples are sent to the National Atmospheric
Deposition Program National Trends Network (NADP/NTN)
for analysis and reporting. Ozone: The Yreka monitor
continuously analyses and records ambient ground-level
ozone concentrations. Data is
checked for errors, processed, and reported to the California Air
Resources Board (CARB)
quarterly. Precision checks are made and recorded regularly to
insure data integrity. Particulates: Particulate
matter less than 2.5 microns (PM2.5) and 10 microns in diameter (PM10)
are monitored in Yreka. Every six-days the District exposes
pre-conditioned filters for 24-hours and returns the filters to the
CARB PM analysis laboratory to calculate particulate mass
concentrations and report to the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA). Questions?
Call 530-841-4029 or 530-841-4031 Monday through Friday. Allowable combustibles may only be
burned during burn hours on permissive burn days by holders of the
applicable burn permit. Daily burn-day forecasts are made by the
CARB. The District may change a burn-day to no-burn if needed to
maintain or improve the air quality. District burn-day information
is available to the public by a recorded phone message at 530-842-8123
or toll-free within Siskiyou County at 866-652-2876. The recording is
updated daily. Burn Permits
Cal
Fire has the responsibility of issuing permits during the fire
season, while it is the District's responsibility during the non-fire
season. Residential Burning: The
District does not require permits for open outdoor burning of
allowable combustibles, at a
residence, in a pile no larger than 4-ft high by 4-ft square.
Cal Fire does require permits for residential burning during the
fire season. Local fire departments and municipalities may also
require permits seasonally or year-round. Use of burn-barrels
is prohibited in defined areas, contact the District for details.
Residents, property managers, and home owners may burn more than a
4-ft high by 4-ft square pile of allowable combustibles from the
premises by obtaining a non-agricultural burn permit. Agricultural Burning:
Agricultural burning requires a permit from the District during the
non-fire season and from Cal Fire or the United States Forest
Service during the fire season. A request to conduct
agricultural burning on a no-burn day may be granted by the District
provided there will be no adverse impact to a smoke-sensitive area,
and the applicant makes a written statement of immediate threat of
substantial economic loss if not allowed to burn on that day.
Non-Agricultural
Burning:
Non-agricultural burning requires a permit from the District during the non-fire
season and from Cal Fire or the
United States Forest Service during the fire season.
Examples of non-agricultural burning include disposal of
non-industrial wood waste from property development activity, fire
hazard reduction, and weed eradication.
Smoke Management
Plans: Private and government land
managers continue to develop annual and long-range prescribed burn
plans to reduce fuel loading within Siskiyou County and in the
surrounding region. These projects have the potential to impact air
quality within the District. The District issues burn permits and
administers the Smoke Management Plans required of burn projects
(excluding agricultural burning) greater than 10 acres or estimated
to emit greater than 10 tons of particulate emissions.
Smoke Management Plans mitigate smoke impacts by regulating and
coordinating regional land managers' large burn projects in order to
prevent any violations of state and federal ambient air quality
standards. Complaints These may be received directly by
District office or relayed via the
CARB
or the EPA.
The District verifies that the dust, odor, smoke, etc., is present and
which source may be responsible. The owner or operator of the source is
contacted, an inspection and corrective action is discussed. Serious
problems may dictate that a Notice of Violation be issued. Appropriate
action is taken. Emergency Response Air Monitoring The District, in cooperation with
Siskiyou County Office of Emergency Services (OES)
and other participating agencies, operates and maintains three
continuous near-real-time
E-BAM
PM2.5 monitors. During an emergency such as wildfire, smoke
impacts will be monitored and information available on-line at the
following links:
Air Quality
Index Enforcement Enforcement action may be required
whenever a violation of Federal, State, or
District Rules &
Regulations is observed. This could be the result of a public
complaint, from routine inspections, or referral from another agency.
Enforcement action requires good judgment and depends on the type of
violation, severity of the problem or type of emissions, the degree to
which the violation impacted sensitive receptors, and or the affects on
the ambient air quality. Minutes of the
Air Pollution Control Board Source Permits A District Authority To Construct /
Permit To Operate (Permit) is required for any source that emits
significant detectable amounts of air pollutants or Air Toxic
Contaminants. Lumber mills, industrial boilers, asphalt plants, rock
crushers, geothermal wells, stationary internal combustion engine
generators greater than or equal to 50HP, and gas stations are some
examples of commercial facilities or devices requiring District permits.
Permitted sources are inspected for compliance on a regular basis. Siskiyou County Air Pollution Control
District
Burn Day Information
Wildlife Smoke and Your Health
Hourly
Air Quality Data
California Air Response
Planning Alliance (CARPA)
525 South Foothill Drive, Yreka, Phone: (530) 841-4029 or 841-4031, Fax:
(530) 842-6690