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SALT LAKE CITY — The new year is starting out with a spell of bad air and the advisories are out: reduce driving and burning and cut back on exercising outside.
There are no winds or big storms on the horizon to clear it out, so the call is out for Utah residents to do what they can to reduce what is being put into the air.
Automobiles contribute about 52 percent of the gunk that's in the Utah skies, while wood burning stoves also belch out a lot of smoke.
According to the Department of Air Quality, the particulates are in the moderate range up and down the Wasatch Front.
“What we're asking people to do today is make small choices,” said DAQ director, Bryce Bird. “If you can eliminate one trip a day, or eliminate using your car one day a week, that can make a big difference once you get a million people doing that."
Executive director or UCAIR, Ted Wilson, echoes the sentiment.
“We can do so many things. Probably the biggest thing right now is if you have an inclination to build a fire in your fireplace, don't do it," Wilson said. "We’re finding out that fires are devastating."
The air quality monitoring stations throughout the valley are collecting tons of data right now. The various pollutants are recorded, updated, and the info can be tracked on the Division of Air Quality apps and websites. Yellow means "moderate" air quality, and it's not going to improve anytime soon.
“It looks like we're hitting a stretch where storms will be few and far between, especially for the next seven days, which makes it easier for the inversion and that stable air mass to continue to build,” said KSL meteorologist Dan Guthrie.
So, we're not asking everyone to do everything, just make some choices and think about what you're putting into the environment.
–Bryce Bird, Department of Air Quality director
Several days each year, Utah exceeds federal air quality standards. Due to the geography and other factors, it's a constant battle to stay in compliance.
“We average about 13 days a year where we exceed the standards,” said Bird. “In 2013, that bumped up to 35, and in 2014, it came back down to that longer term average."
The particulates in the air are a serious health issue for some. Statistics show that people with asthma and heart issues are affected most when the air gets bad.
So, what can be done?
Sometimes it's as simple as taking lunch to work to avoid a car trip or turning the engine off at a bank drive-thru.
Every little thing adds up.
"So we're not asking everyone to do everything, just make some choices and think about what you're putting into the environment,” Bird said.
This isn't about getting through this current inversion, it is about changing habits for the long term.
“We have to get this thing going now. I believe it will become part of the culture,” said Wilson. “Neighbors will expect things from neighbors, and friends and family. People will talk. I think we will overcome it. We've done it on everything else over the years."
