Stage 1 Impaired Air Quality Burn Ban
During a stage 1 curtailment all outdoor burning is banned. The use of all uncertified woodstoves are prohibited unless it
is your only adequate source of heat.
A stage 1 impaired air quality burn ban is called when it is predicted that the twenty-four hour average of PM2.5
levels will reach or exceed thirty-five micrograms per cubic meter within forty-eight hours.
Stage 2 Impaired Air Quality Burn Ban
During a stage 2 curtailment all outdoor burning is banned. The use of all pellet/woodstoves are prohibited unless it
is your only adequate source of heat.
A Stage 2 impaired air quality burn ban is called when all of the following conditions exist:
(i) A stage 1 impaired air quality burn ban is already in effect and has not reduced the trend of rising PM2.5 levels adequately.
(ii) The twenty-four hour average of PM2.5 levels have already reached or exceeded twenty-five micrograms per cubic meter.
(iii) The Agency expects that PM2.5 levels will remain above twenty-five micrograms per cubic meter for twenty-four hours or more from the
time PM2.5 levels reached the trigger in (a)(ii) of this subsection:
The Agency may call a stage 2 impaired air quality burn ban without calling a stage 1 impaired air quality burn ban when all of the following conditions exist:
(i) The twenty-four hour average of PM2.5 levels have reached or exceeded twenty-five micrograms per cubic meter.
(ii) PM2.5 levels have risen rapidly.
(iii) The Agency predicts that the twenty-four hour average of PM2.5 levels will exceed thirty-five micrograms per cubic meter within twenty-four hours.
(iv) Weather conditions alone are highly unlikely to help decrease PM2.5 levels sufficiently.
During periods of stagnant air or temperature inversions when air quality is rapidly deteriorating, the Southwest Clean Air Agency may issue Stage 1 and Stage 2 Burn Bans which restrict wood burning. Unless actions are taken to restrict burning, wood smoke pollution can accumulate to levels that are considered unhealthy, violating the Clean Air Act. Fine particles released in smoke from wood stoves, fireplaces and other burning are of concern because they can reach deep into the lungs. Episodes of high levels of fine particle pollution can trigger asthma attacks, cause difficulty breathing and make lung and heart problems worse.
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