Resources
neighbourhood air quality technical reports
Neighbourhood air quality is a priority concern for the Airshed Management Society. Emission sources in neighbourhoods include backyard burning of yard waste and garbage, as well as wood burning appliances and outdoor boiler systems.
We've heard many stories about people who can't sleep with their windows open at night because of neighbourhood smoke and have also seen black or dirty smoke coming from fires where mixed garbage is being burned.
The Clean Air Plan offers solutions that can meet the needs of those who have garbage to dispose of and those who heat with wood while improving neighbourhood air quality. One of our solutions is to work with communities and local municipal councils to develop an education program. Here are some of the resources we have found to date.
Outdoor Wood Burning Boilers
With the rising cost of heating oil, more residents and business owners are looking to wood as a source of heat and hot water. Not all wood heat is the same. While indoor wood stoves have been tested and certified by CSA and EPA for emissions since 1994, outdoor wood boilers (OWBs) are not. OWBs cause dense smoke and are equipped with very short smoke stacks so the smoke does not disperse well. This smoke endangers the health of you, your family and neighbors as well as the environment.
We want you to have the facts before making an investment. Because of the way they are manufactured, OWBs are not allowed in some BVLD communities and many retailers have voluntarily decided not to sell them. This link to the State of Washington Air Quality website will help you get the facts. If you have any questions about OWBs, please contact us or the Skeena region Ministry of Environment (see Feedback page).
Backyard Burning
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has a web page with several good resources on backyard burning, and you can visit EcoSuperior.com to see what Lake Superior
in Ontario is doing to educate residents about open burning. Also, check out programs and strategies on the Great Lakes Trash and Open Burning Website at the Canadian Centre for Pollution Prevention, and from the Okanagan Smoke Control Bylaw page.
Woodstoves and Wood Burning Appliances
Quick tips for reducing your emissions
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Bylaws
City
of Prince George Clean Air Bylaw (BL7721) The revised Clean Air Bylaw
for Prince George now requires CSA standards for any woodburning appliance,
including a furnace or outdoor boiler, prohibits burning of a noxious material,
and prohibits woodburning, open burning or sweeping operations that are "likely
to cause or significantly contribute to the cause" of damage to health and
interference with enjoyment of life and property, and includes off-street
areas (log yards, commercial vehicle parking lots, etc.) in the operations
requiring dust management.
District of Houston
Smoke Control Bylaw With adoption of this bylaw on July 18, 2006, Houston
became the first municipality in Canada to adopt a wood burning appliance
bylaw with a mandatory removal date for all uncertified wood burning appliances
(Dec 31 2010).
Town of Smithers Wood Burning Appliance Bylaw #1520 (adopted August 8, 2006)
District
of Houston Bylaw (BL906) The building code, which is adopted as a regulation
under the building bylaw, specifies CSA B365-M01 as the design and installation
code. This regulation has emission limitations on the design of solid fuel
burning appliances.
Regional District of Central
Okanagan Bylaw (BL773) Read the burning information on this
website.
Golden
Bylaw (BL1150) Golden, BC now prohibits new installations of Solid Fuel
Burning Appliances.
Model Bylaw (Supporting
Documents) This is the latest version of Environment Canada's Model Bylaw
draft.
Scientific and technical support to implement and evaluate the Community Action Plan for Clean Air is provided by the scientists at the Skeena Region branch of the Ministry of Environment in Smithers.
Appeals from the Waste Management Act 2002
This is the decision by the Environmental Appeal Board regarding Beehive Burners in the Bulkley Valley in 2002.
BVLDAMS Air Quality Summaries and Other Technical Information
Each year, a report is prepared to assess ambient air quality in the BVLD airshed - this information is presented at the annual AGM and Clean Air Plan review. This presentation is posted with the proceedings of the annual form.
BVLD Air Quality Summary and Assessment [PDF - 8.8 mb] This 73 page report was commissioned by the Ministry of Environment and submitted March 28, 2002. Researched and produced by Christine Rigby, this report is an excellent resource for anyone interested in learning more about local air quality conditions and gaining insight into the science behind related policy and program decisions.
BVLD Emission Inventory Sources - Goals, Indicators, and Strategies [PDF - 244 kb] A presentation by Christine Rigby that describes the overall goals, indicators, and strategies of the entire plan including how each emission source including specific goals, indicators, and strategies will influence the plan as a whole.
PM2.5,
PM10 and Winds [PPT - 3.6 mb] A technical
PowerPoint presentation by Chistine Rigby about how winds in the Bulkley Valley
disperse paticulate matter of sizes 2.5 and 10 micrometers.
Revised Statutes & Consolidated Regulations of British Columbia - Province of BC's Queen's Press site for all acts, regulations and other publications.
Solid Fuel Burning Domestic Appliance Regulation (B.C. Reg. 302/94) - The regulation for home heating appliances in the Waste Management Act.
Environmental Management ActAn unofficial, for informational purposes only, version of Bill 57 - Environmental Management Act.
The Government of BC website also has information on the Waste Discharge Regulation. Follow this link for discussion papers and guides to the new regulation.
Smoke Management Plans
All Plans are stored on the Forest
Harvest Debris Burning progress report and information centre page.
Toolkits and resources from home and around the globe that can be used by citizens, teachers, and elected officials to support the goals of the BVLD Community Action Plan for Clean Air.
A Teacher's Guide to Clean Air - BC Grade 5 (released Nov 2005)
Air Quality Newspaper Article SeriesA series of eight newspaper articles was developed in 2004 for local newspapers, namely the Interior News, The Lakes District News and Houston Today. The purpose of these articles is to provide information on the BVLDAMS Planning Process, outline the major emission sources in the area, as well as inform the general public of the progress that the BVLDAMS has made so far. Follow the links below to the PDF files of the articles. Thanks to the Interior News for providing the PDFs for this website.
Article
#1 "If you can breathe, you can make a difference." |
Article #5 "Open Burning of Land Clearing Debris: Why so much smoke?" |
Article #2 "The Air Quality Buzz on Beehive Burners" |
Article #6 "Road Dust and Air Quality" |
| Article #3 "Wood Smoke - More than Meets the Eye" | Article #7 "Not in OUR Backyard: The facts about backyard burning" |
| Article #4 "From Good Venting to Poor Air Quality: Open Burning in the BVLD" | Article #8 "Clean Air 2010: Made in the BVLD" |
Note: Some minor changes were made to the headers of these PDFs before they were printed, but the body of the article is exactly as it appeared in the newspapers.
Ministry of Environment Publications
Fine Particulates: What They Are and How They Affect Us - A pamphlet that defines particulate matter and describes the health effects.
News
Release - Funding Promotes Clean Air, Protects Communities - Government
is contributing more than $300,000 to community-based air quality research
that will improve people's health.
Quesnel and Williams Lake Airshed Management Plans - A website by WLAP Caribou region containing information of the Airshed Management Plan in Quesnel and Williams Lake.
Airshed Management Planning in Quesnel [PDF - 157 kb] - An air quality report describing the initiative in Quesnel, BC. This brochure was also used to educate the round table members in Quesnel.
