Burn code updates that help residents determine if they are allowed to use a wood-burning fireplace, stove or other device start Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022, as the Washoe County Health District (WCHD) Air Quality Management Division (AQMD) encourages people to “Keep It Clean – Know the Code.”
The Washoe County burn code will be active through the winter months with a goal to maintain healthy air quality for all residents.
Sign up for Washoe County Air Quality updates here.
Residents can find green (allowed), yellow (discouraged) or red (prohibited) updates daily on our website, on social media or on most local news weather segments. Last year, the burn code was in place for 120 days – of those days, 119 were green and 1 was yellow. The last red day, burning prohibited, was Dec. 29, 2017.
The burn code applies to residences with a fireplace, wood stove, pellet stove or any other wood-burning device; households where the wood-burning device is a primary source of heat can receive an exemption through AQMD (call 775-785-4110 for more information).
“The burn code has been around for 35 years and has led to better air quality outcomes in Washoe County,” said District Health Officer Kevin Dick. “Our AQMD team puts in a lot of hard work to develop and maintain programs to reduce air quality hazards and we ask that residents pay close attention to these daily updates to protect our community members who are vulnerable to poor air quality conditions.”
Wood burning in fireplaces and wood stoves during winter months accounts for around 40 percent of wintertime fine particulate matter in the Truckee Meadows. The harmful emissions can end up in lungs and pass into the blood stream causing both respiratory and cardiovascular health problems. Long term exposure to wood smoke can lead to decreased lung function, aggravated asthma, irregular heartbeat, heart attacks, premature death in people with heart or lung disease and increased susceptibility to heart and vascular disease for postmenopausal women.
The “Green, Yellow, Red Burn Code” program applies to specific ZIP codes from Washoe Valley extending up to, and including, Silver Knolls. The code addresses all solid fuels including wood, pellets and fire logs. Burning coal and garbage is prohibited.
Learn more about the Burn Code Here
Residents can go to www.OurCleanAir.com, call 775-785-4110, follow AQMD on Twitter or Facebook, or watch their local TV meteorologists/read the newspaper to get daily burn code status.
Burn code violations can be reported by calling 775-784-7200.
AQMD implements clean air solutions that protect the quality of life for the citizens of Reno, Sparks, and Washoe County through community partnerships along with programs and services such as air monitoring, permitting and compliance, planning, and public education. The AQMD is delegated authority to implement the Clean Air Act (CAA) by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). As part of the delegation, the AQMD must have regulations in place that demonstrate how the division plans to maintain the health based National Ambient Air Quality Standards.
Original source can be found here.
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