EDO-2024-000014

195 North 1950 West • Salt Lake City, UT
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 144810 • Salt Lake City, UT 84114-4810
Telephone [phone] • Fax [phone] • T.D.D. [phone]
www.deq.utah.gov
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State of Utah
GARY R. HERBERT
Governor
SPENCER J. COX
Lieutenant Governor
Department of
Environmental Quality
L. Scott Baird
Executive Director
Kim Shelley
Deputy Director
NEWS RELEASE
Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020
CONTACT
Jared Mendenhall
Public Information Officer
Cell: 801-707-0817
[e-mail]
Seasonal Wood Burning Restrictions Begin November 1
DEQ urges residents to use the UtahAir app for air quality forecasts, current conditions and action alerts
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) Division of Air
Quality (DAQ) reminds Utah residents that wood burning restrictions go into effect Nov. 1, 2020.
Although 2020 has been a year full of the unexpected, Utah’s weather and geography hasn’t
changed,” said Bryce Bird, director of DAQ. “The coming months will have plenty of calm winds,
cold temperatures and long nights. These are the conditions that set up thermal inversions in
Utah’s valleys. By observing wood burning restrictions, Utah residents can improve our air
quality and protect the heal th of their neighbors and loved ones.”
Under normal conditions, air temperature decreases with altitude. During the wintertime, in the
bowl-shaped valleys in Utah, the inverse occurs. Snow, long nights and calm winds dramatically
cool the air at the bottom of the valley and temperatures increase with increasing altitude. This
creates a warm inversion layer that acts as a cap that stops atmospheric mixing. Fine particulates
PM2.5), dust and smoke become trapped at ground level where they can harm the health of
residents.
Wood smoke contributes to the inversion by releasing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) oxides
of nitrogen (NOx), and other fine particulates as the wood burns. In addition to the direct PM2.5
emitted from burning, VOCs and NOx react to form even more PM2.5.
Restricting wood burning is an effective strategy to curb some of these emissions, and are
implemented as a proactive measure when DAQ scientists see the potential for unhealthy levels of
emissions in the coming days from vehicles, as well as wood and coal burning fireplaces or
stoves.
ACTION ALERTS AND HEALTH GUIDANCE
Each day during the winter, DAQ meteorologists issue Action Alerts and Health Guidance to help
residents plan ahead and adjust their activities during periods of winter inversion:
Page 2
1. Action Alerts: Action alerts notify the public of the actions needed to combat current
pollution levels. Three basic symbols are used to indicate unrestricted, voluntary and
mandatory actions.
Unrestricted Action (symbol = ): Wood and coal burning stoves or fireplaces may be
used, but please use them in a proper manner to reduce smoke emissions.
Voluntary Action (symbol = )*: Voluntarily do not use wood and coal burning stoves or
fireplaces. Reduce vehicle use by consolidating trips. Industry should optimize operating
conditions to minimize air pollution emissions.
Mandatory Action (symbol = Wood and coal burning stoves or fireplaces must not
be used. Reduce vehicle use by consolidating trips. Industry should optimize
operating conditions to minimize air pollution
emissions. When mandatory restrictions are in place, the use of solid fuel appliances may result in
penalties up to $299 per day. If burning restriction violations are observed by the public, they should
be reported to DAQ by calling 801-536-4000 during business hours or by filling out a simple
form
online. Salt Lake County has implemented mandatory burn restrictions on days when DAQ is calling
for voluntary
action. 2. Health Guidance: Health guidance helps determine how the highest pollution level of
the day will affect human health. These are the green, yellow, orange or red ratings based on
how much PM2.5 pollution is currently in the
air. ADDITIONAL
RESOURCES DAQ encourages Utah residents to visit the Utah Clean Air Partnership (
UCAIR)— www.ucair.org — for more tips and ideas on how to reduce emissions, and to
TravelWise www.travelwise.utah.
gov). DAQ will provide Utah residents with air quality forecasting throughout the winter through
its UtahAir app (free for both iOS and Android), on the web at air.utah.gov, and a toll-free
message at 1-800-228-
5434. About
DEQ Established in 1991, the Utah Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) mission is tos afeguard and
improve Utah’s air, land and water through balanced regulation. DEQ implements state and federal environmental laws
and works with individuals, community groups and businesses to protect the quality of Utah’s air, land and water.
For more information, visit www.deq.utah.gov, follow DEQ on Facebook (utahdeq) and Twitter (