How's the Air Quality in Yolo and Solano Counties?
By Dave Rosenberg, Yolo County Supervisor, 4th District
and Chairman, Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District
Every summer we notice it.
Those summer days in the Sacramento Region bring not only the heat, but also those high ozone levels which affect the health of so many residents, particularly children under 14 and the frail elderly
In fact, it's the summer season when most people even begin to notice the work of local air districts. During those hot and smoggy days, radio, television and newspapers provide daily updates regarding air quality and ask residents to "Spare the Air" on poor air quality days.
Folks living in Yolo County and in the eastern portion of Solano County are served by the Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District (YSAQMD). The YSAQMD is governed by a 14-member Board of Directors, which I currently chair, composed of elected county supervisors from Yolo and Solano Counties, as well as Mayors or Council members representing cities in the region. Employees at the YSAQMD work year-round on many programs that improve air quality. These programs include the regulation of open fires, close oversight of businesses that produce pollutants and toxics, and advice to planning agencies regarding the air impacts stemming from proposed land use projects. Employees from the YSAQMD also advise boards of supervisors, city councils and planning commissions of ways to mitigate air quality impacts of the current energy crisis.
Probably the most urgent air quality issue facing California today is the challenge of developing ways to increase energy production without degrading years of air quality improvements. Air districts, including YSAQMD, are working hard to deal with this issue in two major ways. First, there is the effort to gain new regional energy production using the cleanest technology possible. Clean technology is available and makes a difference. Second, there is the effort to reduce the consumption of energy. There are several major regional energy projects underway, and a number of smaller "peaker" electrical facilities (plants which only run during peak demand times) in various stages of approval. The review and approval process timeframe for these projects has been greatly reduced by state government (down to 21 days for peaker plants), balancing the urgent need for new production with appropriate public oversight. The YSAQMD plays a major role, on behalf of the breathing public, to ensure that these new plants use the cleanest possible technology. Meanwhile, Californians have made remarkable reductions in energy usage, easing the shortage and reducing costs to the public and the state. The YSAQMD strongly supports these reductions in use through public outreach messages and information provided to public officials.
Regulating open fires is an issue that always seems to draw public comments and attention in Yolo and Solano Counties. We live in the agricultural heartland. There are necessary and important uses of fire to eliminate disease in the fields, clear levees, and reduce fire danger. But there are also air pollution concerns. In each such case of open fires, the YSAQMD requires a permit and ensures that the resulting smoke does not impact populated areas. The district also maintains monitoring stations to provide the public with information on air quality when wild fires occur and smoky air covers the area.
A growing area of involvement for the YSAQMD is public planning. The district is more and more involved (as it should be) in evaluating and commenting on the air quality impacts of new and proposed land use plans. The district reviews and comments on general and specific plans for local communities including (recently) the Davis and the Rio Vista general plan updates, and the planning efforts in Woodland for the proposed Spring Lake development project. The goal of the district is to ensure that all these plans include elements to reduce driving and encourage alternative travel modes such as the use of public transit and bikes.
Improvements in air quality over the past years have been, frankly, dramatic. WE have greatly reduced carbon monoxide and lead in the outside air. Reducing ozone and particulates has been more difficult, however, as these pollutants are adversely affected by the steadily increasing vehicle traffic in our region. Continued improvements in engine technology, increases in the sue of alternative transportation like YoloBus, UniTrans, and the Capitol Corridor trains, and more options for alternative fueled vehicle such as electric cars and fuel cell vehicles will all help as the region grows.
The public can rest assured, however, that the board members and the staff and the Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District remain vigilant. We watch the air for you!