Wildfire smoke continues to cause poor air quality, health concerns around Carson City region
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Thu, 07/22/2021 - 7:50am
Smoke from the Tamarack, Dixie, and Bootleg wildfires around the region continue to bring hazy skies and poor air quality to the Carson City area, according to the National Weather Service in Reno. The worst conditions remain immediately downwind of fires.
This includes, but is not limited to:
— Carson City, Carson Valley, and Washoe Valley
— Lake Almanor into Susanville and the Honey Lake Basin
— Far northern California and Nevada near the Oregon border
As of 7 a.m. Thursday morning, air quality around Carson Valley in Minden and Gardnerville was in the "very unhealthy" AQI category while Carson City was "unhealthy for sensitive groups," according to airnow.gov.
Visibility reductions below 3 miles have occurred over the past few days and some air quality reports were in the unhealthy to hazardous categories. For the latest air quality information where you live, see fire.airnow.gov or check with your county air quality division.
With similar weather conditions the remainder of the week, smoke and haze will continue to be an issue as long as these fires are burning actively. The weather service advises those who are in areas with poor air quality, to limit outdoor activity as much as possible.
Earlier this week Carson City announced that due to poor air quality from wildfire smoke in the region, city parks and recreation may close some facilities for the safety of the public and employees.
The sites that will primarily be affected by this include the Carson City Rifle and Pistol Range and the outdoor pool at the Carson Aquatic Facility. City staff will evaluate the AQI (Air Quality Index) and the daily forecast each morning and determine whether or not facilities can remain safely open. If the AQI is at 150 or higher, the facilities will be closed to the public. All other facilities will remain open as scheduled.
The Carson City Rifle and Pistol Range will not have City staff on site to provide oversight for public shooting in instances of poor air quality, so the Range gate will be closed when the AQI is above 150. Range reservation groups that provide their Range Safety Officers for their own private/non-profit events or activities will be allowed to use the facility at their discretion.
Carson City Parks, Recreation and Open Space Department will be posting closures on the following sites:
Carson.org/airalerts and the Carson City Parks and Recreation Facebook page.
