Air Quality
Today's Conditions
Tomorrow's Forecast
No Current Air Quality Advisories
Public Health Recommendations
Symptoms of a reaction to poor air quality:
- Repeated coughing
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Wheezing
- Chest tightness or pain
- Palpitations
- Nausea
- Fatigue or lightheadedness
Sensitive groups include:
- People with asthma
- People with heart or lung disease
- Adults 65 years and older
- Children and teens less than 18 years
- Pregnant women
COVID-19 Considerations:
- When moving activities from outside to inside, maintaining recommended practices like physical distancing and mask-wearing should be a priority.
- Guidance regarding setting up a clean air space with COVID-19 considerations can be found here.
The scale uses green for good, yellow for moderate, orange for unhealthy for sensitive groups, red for unhealthy, purple for very unhealthy and maroon for hazardous. The Air Quality Index above is also useful, but only monitors several County-wide sensors. Click here to learn more about AQI.
Today’s Burn Conditions
Stage 2 Fire Restrictions in Place
Under Stage 1 & 2 Fire Restrictions, no residential burning is allowed. Agricultural burns must have a Sheriff issued permit.
In Mesa County residential open burn seasons run from March 1 – May 30 (Spring Open Burn) and from September 1 – October 31 (Fall Open Burn). The burn season within City limits is one month shorter.
Agricultural open burning is allowed year-round with a permit.
No Burn Advisory
If conditions warrant, a No Burn Advisory may be issued to protect the health of residents. When one is issued, restrictions are put in place on open burning or woodstove burning. Residents should note that woodstove burning restrictions do not apply to those who use a woodstove as a primary heat source.
To report a suspected illegal burn click here.
Burn Permits
The easiest way to get a burn permit is to apply online. Click here for the online system.
For questions about obtaining a burn permit, or for help with the online system, call 970-248-6900.
To see our latest burn guide click here..
Air quality is the state of air that promotes optimal health. Air quality impacts how you live and breathe. It can change from day to day, even hour to hour. Mesa County Public Health is constantly monitoring air quality with forecast models, measurement tools and observation. Our team utilizes this local data to inform and educate community members about current air quality conditions. This data, over time, helps shape local policies on clean air.
What impacts our Air Quality
We use a measurement system called AQI (air quality index) developed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to assign a numerical value to the air quality. This system takes four major air pollutants into account, ground-level ozone, particle pollution, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide. The higher the AQI, the greater the level of air pollution.
| Daily AQI Color
|
Levels of Concern | Values of Index | Description of Air Quality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green | Good | 0 to 50 | Air quality is satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no risk. |
| Yellow | Moderate | 51 to 100 | Air quality is acceptable. However, there may be a risk for some people, particularly those who are unusually sensitive to air pollution. |
| Orange | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 101 to 150 | Members of sensitive groups may experience health effects. The general public is less likely to be affected. |
| Red | Unhealthy | 151 to 200 | Some members of the general public may experience health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects. |
| Purple | Very Unhealthy | 201 to 300 | Health alert: The risk of health effects is increased for everyone. |
| Maroon | Hazardous | 301 and higher | Health warning of emergency conditions: everyone is more likely to be affected. |
