64° SUNNY, Spare the Air alert no longer in effect
Last Modified: Thursday, November 20, 2008 at 7:22 p.m.
A winter Spare the Air day prohibiting wood fires in most of Sonoma County and the greater Bay Area was lifted Thursday afternoon..
The alert was issued Tuesday because of poor air quality around the area, officials said.
New rules prohibit use of fireplaces and wood-burning stoves or pellet stoves - even those that are EPA-approved - on days on which particulate matter and other pollutants are trapped close to the earth by cold air, creating unhealthy conditions for people with asthma and other ailments.
The new regulations, adopted by the air district last July, cover most of Sonoma County except Bodega Bay, Occidental, Forestville, Cloverdale and Healdsburg, which are in the Sonoma County Air Pollution Control District.
Those in the Bay Area district caught violating the rules are subject to fines.
Residents can register for automatic e-mail or telephone alerts from the air quality district at www.sparetheair.org or by calling (800) HELP-AIR (435-7247).
Events Calendar More Events Submit Event
- Mall losing merchants
- Minor injuries in Hwy. 116 crash
- Stranger hops into back of pickup
- Sharp-eyed trooper spotted 'Zombie Bandit' suspect
- Lane closure on Hwy. 101
- Choosing Rathman was a ‘tough’ decision
- Stranger hops into back of pickup
- Suspected 'Zombie Bandit' captured
- Santa Rosa TV station KFTY to be sold
- Sebastopol man arrested in attack on father
- Casa girls stumble again 7 min ago
- Report: 2.6 million jobs gone in '08 8 min ago
- Obama: Economic plan will be refined 22 min ago
- Ill.: Blagojevich not surprised by impeachment 26 min ago
- Demonstration of live inauguration coverage 46 min ago
- Rohnert Park: Chamber launches video site 2 hrs ago
- Ex-'Sopranos' actor gets 10 years in prison 2 hrs ago
- DUI suspect may seek plea deal 3 hrs ago
- Obama completes national security team 3 hrs ago
- Tribe never had option to buy mobile-home park 3 hrs ago
Comments
Only moderator-approved comments are shown on this page. To see all comments, please visit the forum.Post a comment | View all comments on this topic.
November 20, 2008 8:54:28 am
Another "rule" that cannot and should not be enforced. When everyone stays out of the carpool lane, does not use their cell phone, and the saintly bike riders obey all the rules, I will think about not starting a fire. While there are endless concerns about everything we do that has an effect on someone else, we need to stop making laws/rules that we do not have the time and certainly the assets to monitor and control.
November 20, 2008 9:01:17 am
Just an FYI for some of you, the rules only apply from Windsor south. Dry Creek is in a different air quality region and is technically allowed to burn. I don't think the lower river area is covered by the Bay Area rules either. Not saying its right, just saying.
November 20, 2008 5:02:31 pm
Not everyone can afford to turn the heat on as it is. Some people rely on that wood to stay comfortable. I'm with Gachet29 on this one. If anyone wants to pay my heating bill, I'll stop burning wood every night.
Post a comment | View all comments