News & Notices

Seasonal restrictions were recently lifted on outdoor burning. Before burning, make sure you are aware of the requirements:

Cool, fall weather has arrived, marking the start of the heating season. Some people choose to heat their homes with wood, and if it is done so with care, it can have minimal impact on our air quality. There are ways to reduce the amount of smoke produced by wood heating, which can also help…

Fall brings the back-to-school season to schools across Spokane County. For many parents, this routine includes dropping off and picking up their students from school. As vehicles line up at schools for afternoon pick up, it’s common to see them idling. Exhaust from idling affects the developing lungs of children. Read more…

While wildfires can occur at any time, the massive, regional fires that create extended periods of unhealthy air quality in the Spokane area most often occur during August and into mid-September. Here is a running chart of days that failed clean air health standard for fine particles of smoke, going back to 1999 when the standard…

With wildfire season here, there’s no better time to expand our air quality monitoring efforts in Spokane County. We’re pleased to announce the installation of a new air monitoring site, measuring fine particle pollution (PM2.5), at Ridgeline High School in Liberty Lake. Data from this site will soon be transmitted to our online monitoring network…

What is black carbon? Black carbon, commonly known as soot, is produced by the incomplete combustion of wood and fossil fuels. Once created, black carbon remains in the atmosphere for days to weeks, affecting climate and human health. Because black carbon is an effective light absorber, it contributes to climate change by exacerbating the warming…

Spokane is no stranger to summertime wildfire smoke, and this year is no different. Weather experts correctly predicted that this summer could see an earlier start to wildfire season with more smoke impacts than we experienced last year. So, what can you do to breathe easier this summer? All it takes is a little planning.…

Summer in Spokane can bring both heat and smoke. There is a lessen known threat of summer: ozone pollution.