You have an opportunity to curb fire risks, improve air quality, and make your neighbors’ lives easier. All by NOT striking a match.

Residents who have yard waste to dispose of should look into clean alternatives to burning. Alternatives such as chipping and composting help keep our air clean and healthful. Those alternatives can also be used all summer, unlike burning. Because of wildfire and public safety concerns in our wooded counties, seasonal burn bans take effect each summer.

One of the best alternatives to burning is composting.  Not only is composting free and easy to do, but it yields a great resource for your yard and garden.

Chipping woody materials and using the chips as ground cover also works well. Many commercial composting facilities and waste transfer stations around Western Washington accept yard waste for a modest fee.

Residents who do burn must remember the only material they may legally burn is natural vegetation gathered on site. State law prohibits the burning of garbage and home-repair debris. Burn barrels of any kind are also prohibited by state law.

Unregulated outdoor burning of any kind can contribute to poor air quality, but burning garbage and other debris is particularly problematic. Most household garbage contains a great deal of plastics, chemicals, coatings and chemically treated materials. When burned, this garbage and waste material releases toxic fumes and particles into the air. This pollution can cause disease ranging from eye and respiratory irritation to potential cancers.

For statewide Burn Ban information, visit http://waburnbans.ne

You have an opportunity to curb fire risks, improve air quality, and make your neighbors’ lives easier.  At no cost to you!

A Wildfire Awareness and Prevention Program sponsored by the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) offer residents of western Clallam Countyan opportunity to dump their burn barrels and get a compost bin, for free! The bins, provided by DNR, can help turn yard waste into free garden fertilizer while eliminating one of the primary sources of wildfires: burn barrels.

Burn barrels also produce significantly more air pollution than open burn piles.  For those reasons, the state legislature banned the use of burn barrels in all areas of Washington several years ago; but the barrels continue to be used by many, despite the risks to public health and property.

Clallam County Burn Barrel Exchange:

What:      Exchange your burn barrel for a compost bin

When:     May 9, 10, and 11 — 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Where:   West Waste Landfill, Highway 110, Forks, WA

Contact: Bryan Suslick at (360) 374-2800 or email at bryan.suslick@dnr.wa.gov

By replacing that illegal burn barrel with a compost bin for your yard waste, residents will:

• Produce free, organic fertilizer for their yard and garden
• Reduce harmful air pollution. Smoke from outdoor burning poses serious health risks, much like cigarette smoke. Particulate pollution from smoke may lead to increased incidents of asthma, emphysema, bronchitis, and heart and lung disease.
• Reduce the risk of wildfire. Backyard fires that ‘escape’ are the leading source of wildfires caused by humans, and many of those escapement fires start in burn barrels.

There are a limited number of compost bins available for this program, so residents are urged to act NOW.

DNR is encouraging homeowners, land managers, first responders, developers, business owners, and civic leaders to focus on “Knowing Your Role” when it comes to preparing communities for wildfire. Visit the Fire Adapted Communities website (http://fireadapted.org/) to learn more about defensible space, fire-resilient building construction, community wildfire prevention planning, the Firewise Program, (www.firewise.org) and Ready, Set, Go! (http://www.wildlandfirersg.org/).

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During the late 1980s, the Lacey, Olympia, and Tumwater area – dubbed the Thurston County Maintenance Area (TCMA) – exceeded federal standards for PM₁₀. Smoke from woodstoves and fireplaces caused the TCMA to violate the standard. Control measures brought the TCMA into attainment by 1991 and EPA designated the TCMA as “in attainment” in 2000.

The federal Clean Air Act (CAA) requires an EPA-approved maintenance plan for areas that were redesignated as in attainment. This plan must provide for the area’s continued compliance with the PM₁₀ standard for 10 years. Following that period, a second 10-year plan must be implemented.

The state Department of Ecology, working closely with ORCAA, developed a second 10-year plan, and that plan is currently open for public comment and possible revision before it is fully adopted. The draft plan explains how the TCMA will continue to meet the federal standard through 2020. Since the maintenance area meets EPA criteria and shows little risk of re-violating the federal standard, Ecology is submitting a streamlined maintenance plan called a Limited Maintenance Plan (LMP). The LMP relies on the same control measures that brought the area into attainment and supported the initial maintenance plan, including:

• Curtailment of wood burning devices during periods of impaired air quality
• Certification of new wood burning devices
• Rules governing sale and removal of uncertified wood stoves
• Restrictions on outdoor burning

The draft plan and details about the public comment period may be found here: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/air/sips/plans/maintenancesip.htm

ORCAA has assessed air quality implications of Nippon’s proposed project and considered all public comments and questions – more than 70 pages of comments and ORCAA responses were generated during the permitting process. ORCAA concluded that compliance with applicable air regulations and standards will be maintained and has issued the permit.

During the public process, ORCAA engineers provided detailed responses to all public inputs. ORCAA staff invested considerable time in fully investigating issues of concern before making a decision. One frequently expressed public comment was that the cooling tower was being permitted alone and that could mask the overall combined emissions. As noted in the detailed responses, ORCAA engineers did look at the combined impacts of the entire facility and found that the addition of the cooling tower would actually decrease the total particular matter (PM) emissions for Nippon. Additionally, there would be no change in permitting or source classification when all emissions sources were combined. Nippon is already classified as a major source under federal clean air laws, requiring the more stringent Air Operating Permit (AOP) under Title V of the U.S. Clean Air Act for its operation.

Citizens also expressed interest in having access to the monitoring data gathered from the in-stack monitors on the cooling tower. That data will be available to the public as soon as it is provided to ORCAA – once in ORCAA’s hands, it becomes public records and is available as such.

The full record of all public comments received and ORCAA’s responses to them, as well as the full NOC permit and supporting documents are available online at: http://www.orcaa.org/news/final-determinations.

• Use only well-seasoned firewood. Dry wood burns hotter, cuts fuel consumption and reduces the amount of smoke your appliance produces. Moisture content of seasoned wood should be 20 percent or less. If you don’t have a moisture-meter, simply knock two pieces of your firewood together—you should hear a solid, loud “crack” sound (some describe it as a ‘hollow sound’), not a low “thud.”

• Choose the right firewood. Hardwoods and dense conifer types are the best. Manufactured logs and pellets are good too. Avoid soft wood such as alder and cottonwood. And remember: it is illegal and very unhealthy to burn trash or treated wood – these emit toxic air pollutants that can cause serious illness.

• Never smolder. A smoldering fire does little for heat and creates excess smoke. After an initial 20-minute start-up period, take a look at your chimney. You should see very little, if any, smoke. Open your damper to allow your fire to burn hot, which improves efficiency and reduces smoke.

• Keep a clean firebox. Excess ashes can clog the air intake vents reducing efficiency. Be sure to dispose of ashes in a metal container away from the house or any flammable material to reduce to the risk of fire.

• Be a good neighbor. Follow best practices for burning wood and always remember to comply with state and local requirements for wood heating, including being aware of and complying with any burn bans. You can find current burn ban information for any county in Washington at: www.WaBurnBans.net

Now is also a great time to replace that old, inefficient wood burning device in your home. Residents of Thurston County cities and urban growth areas may qualify for wood stove replacement grants through ORCAA. For more details on this program, visit http://www.orcaa.org/data/uploads/projects/woodstove-replacement-brochure.pdf