By Josh Magill
The Frederickson Clover Creek Community Council monthly meeting on Saturday morning was highlighted by a presentation on air quality in Pierce County. The presenters were Alexandria Teague from Pierce County Planning & Land Services and Kathy Ross from the Pierce County Health Department.
The presenting duo began by informing meeting attendees about the increase, during the winter months, of more cold, dense, stagnant air. The point was made that such winter air typically retains more of the negative particulates and that residents are forced to breathe such air. Examples of filters with varying degrees of pollution on them were shown to emphasize the poor air quality in Pierce County.
Ross said, “We exceed the amount of air pollution allowed in the winter months and are in danger of having federal sanctions brought down on our county if we don’t clean up our air.”
One way commonly suggested to help clean up the air is to use less wood burning stoves, which can be inefficient and pollution causing. Teague explained a “Wood Stove Program” provided to portions of the county by multiple organizations, including the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency. The portions of the county included are part of an area being dubbed the “smoke reduction zone,” which includes the cities of Tacoma, Lakewood, Puyallup, Fife, as well as areas in unincorporated Pierce County like Spanaway, South Hill and Frederickson.
The program assists with the cost of replacing a wood stove that was installed before 1995. Qualified low income applicants of the program will get the total replacement cost covered, while others can enter a drawing by November 30th to be one of 10 residents to receive a free stove replacement or 250 residents that could receive up to $1500 towards the replacement costs.
Another option through the same program allows for a buy-back of outdated wood stoves. Residents that are able to bring in their stove will receive $350, while $200 will be paid if the county needs to retrieve a stove.
Teague and Ross also spoke about proper education for wood stove users so they can burn without causing excessive pollution and avoid fines. Burn bans were also discussed, especially how residents can sign up for email or text alerts to learn of burn bans in their area.
Residents are urged to call the air quality complaint line if they see a violation. The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency has hired more inspectors to check chimneys for smoke. If a house is found in violation, the owner will get a one-time opportunity to fix the problem before being fined. More information on any of these topics, including the replacement program, can be found online at www.airsafepiercecounty.org and www.pscleanair.org.
Another featured guest of the meeting was Bruce Smith, editor of The Mountain News, who has written extensively on the subject of wood stoves in rural parts of the county. Weighing in on the topic, Smith began his comments speaking to the crowd through a respirator and made quite an impression about how important clean air is to residents.
Smith explained that an estimated 20% of all air pollution in Pierce County comes from wood smoke, with roughly two-thirds of that percentage coming from wood stoves and one-third from debris burns, mostly during winter months. All the featured guests claimed an estimated 23,000 wood burning stoves in the county are out of compliance with modern regulations.
Ross stated there are a higher-than-normal numbers of people with asthma in Pierce County, with Smith claiming nearly 140 county residents die each year due to chronic exposure of wood smoke from all sources.
Some community members in the audience mentioned there are current programs to recycle brush debris for free so a homeowner does not need to burn it or pay to have it disposed. Currently, all debris burning is banned at all times north of 224th Street E, including all of Frederickson. South of 224th St, in places like Graham, debris burning it is intermittent and tightly regulated.
Though Debris burning can be easily prohibited, as mulching and composting are viable alternatives, many folks would rather burn. Smith mentioned the possibility that some residents may use wood and debris smoke as a “veiled ethnic cleansing” to smoke-out their disliked neighbors.
Violations of outside burning of debris or brush can be reported to the local fire department, who will respond by putting out the burn, then report the violation to proper authorities.
After the air quality presentation and subsequent discussion, FCCCC President, Angela Magill, turned to other parts of the agenda. She highlighted the need for businesses to sponsor the council’s 2013 events, such as the Free Family Movie Nights and the annual Freddie Fest. The movie night will be held on June 28th, while Freddie Fest will take place August 17th and hosted at Sound Life Church on 176th Street E.
Magill further shared the recent happenings in the area of Bethel School District, as well as new businesses, like Carlisle, beginning production soon. The council board also took the opportunity to recognize some local community volunteers for their efforts in Frederickson and the surrounding area. One “award” – dubbed Mr. Frederickson – was given to Paul Cusato for his appearance at nearly every community event or meeting over the last year.
The December meeting of the FCCCC was cancelled due to the holidays, but will resume in on January 19, 2013.
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