by Alli Howe | May 19, 2022 | air quality, burning, News
Due to fire safety concerns, Mesa County Public Health has issued a no burn advisory from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on May 19. Burning of any kind, including agricultural burning, is not allowed during this advisory period.
The National Weather Service has issued a Wind Advisory with winds 25 to 35 mph and gusts up to 50 mph expected.
Instead of burning, consider these alternatives:
- Take yard waste to the Mesa County Organic Materials composting facility at Mesa County Solid Waste, 3071 U.S. Hwy. 50. The facility accepts material for composting at no charge and is open Wednesday – Saturday, 8 a.m. – 4:15 p.m. For more information, call (970) 263-9319.
- Compost leaves and grass clippings yourself. This can improve water retention in your yard or garden.
- Rent or borrow a wood chipper for your tree and shrub trimmings. Chipped branches can also be good mulch.
For information on current air quality conditions and to learn if it’s OK to burn, visit the air quality page.
by Alli Howe | May 11, 2022 | air quality, burning, News
Due to fire safety concerns, Mesa County Public Health has issued a no burn advisory from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on May 11. Burning of any kind, including agricultural burning, is not allowed during this advisory period.
The National Weather Service has issued a High Wind Warning with southwest winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 60 mph expected.
Instead of burning, consider these alternatives:
- Take yard waste to the Mesa County Organic Materials composting facility at Mesa County Solid Waste, 3071 U.S. Hwy. 50. The facility accepts material for composting at no charge and is open Wednesday – Saturday, 8 a.m. – 4:15 p.m. For more information, call (970) 263-9319.
- Compost leaves and grass clippings yourself. This can improve water retention in your yard or garden.
- Rent or borrow a wood chipper for your tree and shrub trimmings. Chipped branches can also be good mulch.
For information on current air quality conditions and to learn if it’s OK to burn, visit the air quality page.
by Alli Howe | Apr 29, 2022 | air quality, burning, News
Contact: Alli Howe
Call/Text: 970-697-4611
Email: healthinfo@mesacounty.us
NO BURN ADVISORY DUE TO HIGH WIND CONDITIONS
Due to fire safety concerns, Mesa County Public Health has issued a no burn advisory from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on April 29. Burning of any kind, including agricultural burning, is not allowed during this advisory period.
The National Weather Service forecast calls for west winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 50 mph expected.
Conditions are not appropriate for burning. Instead of burning, consider these alternatives:
- Take yard waste to the Mesa County Organic Materials composting facility at Mesa County Solid Waste, 3071 U.S. Hwy. 50. The facility accepts material for composting at no charge and is open Wednesday – Saturday, 8 a.m. – 4:15 p.m. For more information, call (970) 263-9319.
- Compost leaves and grass clippings yourself. This can improve water retention in your yard or garden.
- Rent or borrow a wood chipper for your tree and shrub trimmings. Chipped branches can also be good mulch.
For information on current air quality conditions and to learn if it’s OK to burn, visit the air quality page.
by Alli Howe | Apr 21, 2022 | air quality, burning, News
Due to fire safety concerns, Mesa County Public Health has issued a no burn advisory from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on April 21. Burning of any kind, including agricultural burning, is not allowed during this advisory period.
The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for Mesa County and other areas across the Western Slope. The combination of gusty winds, low relative humidity, warm temperatures, and dry fuels will result in critical fire weather conditions.
Instead of burning, consider these alternatives:
- Take yard waste to the Mesa County Organic Materials composting facility at Mesa County Solid Waste, 3071 U.S. Hwy. 50. The facility accepts material for composting at no charge and is open Wednesday – Saturday, 8 a.m. – 4:15 p.m. For more information, call (970) 263-9319.
- Compost leaves and grass clippings yourself. This can improve water retention in your yard or garden.
- Rent or borrow a wood chipper for your tree and shrub trimmings. Chipped branches can also be good mulch.
For information on current air quality conditions and to learn if it’s OK to burn, visit the air quality page.
by Alli Howe | Sep 7, 2021 | air quality, News, open burning
Air Quality Alert for Wildfire Smoke: Extended through 9:00 AM MDT, Saturday, September 11, 2021.
Affected Area: Mesa County
Outlook: Widespread wildfire smoke, originating largely from out-of-state wildfires.
Mesa County Public Health (MCPH) has issued an Air Quality Advisory through Wednesday, September 8 at 9 a.m.
Due to air quality concerns, no open burning is allowed during the advisory period.
Hazy conditions are expected due to smoke from surrounding areas. The number of tiny particles (fine particulates or PM 2.5) in the air that reduce visibility and cause the air to appear hazy when levels are elevated has been in the moderate range prompting the alert.
When air quality is in the moderate or higher range, there’s an increased risk for people in sensitive groups, including people with heart or lung disease, older adults, and young children. If visibility is less than five miles due to smoke, the smoke has reached levels that can be unhealthy.
Residents are advised to take the following precautions to stay healthy:
- Avoid heavy outdoor exertion such as running or other forms of exercise.
- Keep your indoor air clean and stay inside as much as possible.
- Avoid activities that increase indoor pollution. You want to keep your indoor air as clean as possible.
- Do not vacuum. It stirs up dust in your home.
- Do not smoke tobacco in your home.
- Do not burn candles, fireplaces or gas stoves.
Even if you are healthy, you may experience temporary symptoms, such as:
- Irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat
- Coughing
- Chest tightness
- Shortness of breath
Contact your health care provider if you’re concerned about your health.
For more information on air quality conditions and alerts, including real-time readings through a community-sourced monitoring system called Purple Air, visit health.mesacounty.us.
by Stefany Busch | Aug 5, 2021 | air quality, News
UPDATE #6 -Improved Air Quality conditions have prompted Mesa County Public Health to lift the Air Quality Advisory that was in effect due to Wildfire Smoke.
Heavy smoke from California wildfires continues to circulate throughout Colorado, affecting western and central Colorado. Conditions have improved, but sensitive groups should consider continued precautions.
UPDATE #5 – Mesa County Public Health is extending its Air Quality Advisory until further notice.
Outlook: Heavy smoke from California wildfires continues to circulate throughout Colorado, affecting western and central Colorado. Expect the heaviest smoke impacts in sheltered valley locations where atmospheric mixing is more limited
UPDATE #4 – Mesa County Public Health is extending its Air Quality Advisory through 9:00 AM on Monday, August 9.
Outlook: Heavy smoke from California wildfires will continue to move into Colorado Sunday, affecting western and central Colorado on Sunday and Monday. Expect the heaviest smoke impacts in sheltered valley locations where atmospheric mixing is more limited
UPDATE #3 – Mesa County Public Health is extending its Air Quality Advisory through 9:00 AM on Sunday, August 8.
Advisory in Effect: Through 9:00 AM MDT, August 8, 2021.
Outlook: Widespread smoke has been observed across the advisory area Saturday morning, particularly across northwestern and west-central Colorado where the smoke has been heavy. Smoke will continue to spread from northwest to southeast across the advisory area through Saturday afternoon with areas of moderate to heavy smoke expected through at least Sunday morning.
UPDATE #2 – Mesa County Public Health is extending its Air Quality Advisory through 9:00 AM on Saturday, August 7.
Advisory in Effect: Through 9:00 AM MDT, Saturday, August 7, 2021.
Outlook: Heavy smoke from California wildfires will begin to move into northwestern Colorado Friday afternoon and spread in a southeasterly direction across the rest of western and central Colorado Friday night into Saturday morning. Expect the heaviest smoke impacts in sheltered valley locations where atmospheric mixing is more limited.
UPDATE #1 8/5 5:00 PM – Mesa County Public Health is extending its Air Quality Advisory through 8:00 PM on Friday, August 6.
Due to moderate smoke in the region, MCPH has issued an Air Quality Advisory from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM on Thursday, August 5.
The expected Air Quality Index (AQI) ranges from good to moderate, and the smoke dispersal forecast ranges from poor to fair throughout the day.
We assume the smoke to be wildfire-related, as it is not uncommon for haze from in-state and out-of-state fires to impact our air quality in the summer months.
When air quality is in the moderate or poor range, there’s an increased risk for people in sensitive groups, including people with heart or lung disease, older adults, and young children. If visibility is less than five miles due to smoke, the smoke has reached unhealthy levels.
Residents are advised to take the following precautions to stay healthy:
- Avoid heavy outdoor exertion such as running or other forms of exercise.
- Keep your indoor air clean and stay inside as much as possible.
- Avoid activities that increase indoor pollution. You want to keep your indoor air as clean as possible.
- Do not vacuum. It stirs up dust in your home.
- Do not smoke tobacco in your home.
- Contact your health care provider if you’re concerned about your health.
For more information on air quality conditions and alerts, including real-time readings through a community-sourced monitoring system called Purple Air, visit health.mesacounty.us.
