Wildfire smoke combined with smog creating poor air quality in much of Oregon

Tracy Loew, Salem Statesman Journal
Updated ·3 min read
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A haze settles over Salem Wednesday as parts of the Willamette Valley remain under heat and smoke advisories.
A haze settles over Salem Wednesday as parts of the Willamette Valley remain under heat and smoke advisories.

This story was updated at 11:40 a.m. Wednesday to add information about smoke respite shelters in Eugene

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has issued an air quality advisory for Lane, Deschutes and Klamath counties due to wildfire smoke.

Intermittent smoke from the Lookout and Bedrock fires also could bring poor air quality at times to Salem and the Willamette Valley as well as parts of Jackson, Josephine, eastern Douglas and southeastern Linn counties, DEQ officials said Tuesday.

The warning comes a day after DEQ issued a similar advisory for elevated levels of ozone in Salem, Eugene-Springfield, the Portland-Vancouver metro area and the Medford area.

High temperatures and low winds can increase ozone pollution, or smog, by combining with pollution from cars, gas-powered engines and chemicals in paint and aerosols.

Milo William busks Tuesday amid poor air quality and high temperatures near the Ferry Street Bridge in Eugene.
Milo William busks Tuesday amid poor air quality and high temperatures near the Ferry Street Bridge in Eugene.

Limit outdoor activity

The ozone advisory is in effect through Wednesday night, while DEQ expects smoky conditions through at least Thursday night.

Oregon ranks air quality as good, moderate, unhealthy for sensitive groups, unhealthy, very unhealthy or hazardous.

Sensitive groups include children, people over 65, pregnant people and people with heart disease or respiratory conditions. Health officials recommend those groups limit outdoor activities when pollution levels are high.

Additionally, DEQ is urging residents to limit activities that increase ozone pollution. Recommendations include:

  • Limit driving by using public transit, carpooling or other alternative transportation.

  • Avoid unnecessary engine idling.

  • Refuel vehicles during cooler evening hours.

  • Postpone mowing the lawn or using leaf blowers.

  • Postpone painting and aerosol spray projects.

Where to find the latest information

Smoke was visible in some parts of Salem Tuesday afternoon.

DEQ officials decided not to issue a smoke advisory for Marion County or the Portland area because smoky conditions in those areas are expected to be intermittent and not severe, DEQ spokesman Greg Svelund said.

Current air quality conditions and advisories can be found on DEQ’s Air Quality Index at ordeq.org/oregonair or by downloading the free OregonAIR app on a smartphone.

However, both the website and app were only intermittently accessible on Tuesday because of heavy traffic, Greg Svelund said.

“It seems like when we need it the most this tends to happen. It’s something we’ve struggled with for a couple of years,” Svelund said.

Smoky air hangs over the Willamette River near the DeFazio Bridge Tuesday.
Smoky air hangs over the Willamette River near the DeFazio Bridge Tuesday.

DEQ officials suggest checking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s air quality map at airnow.gov.

At 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, that map showed Eugene had the worst air quality in the nation.

Air quality information also is available from the Purple Air community air monitoring system at map.purpleair.com.

Smoke respite shelters in Eugene

The Lane County Heat and Smoke Respite Center will be open from noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Lane Events Center, 796 W 13th Ave., Eugene, in Meeting Room 1.

St. Vincent DePaul and the Egan Center will have an overnight smoke respite shelter from 7 p.m. Wednesday until 7 a.m. Thursday at the Trinity Methodist Church, 440 Maxwell Road in Eugene.

Egan staff will provide van shuttle service to Trinity Methodist from First Christian Church at 1166 Oak Street in Eugene from 6:30-10:30 p.m. Tuesday and also drive people back to downtown Eugene from the shelter site each morning, Lane County said in a release.

Lane Transit District will provide free rides during operating hours to anyone going to either First Christian for the shuttle or directly to Trinity. Riders need to state one of those places as their final destination and that they are traveling to stay at the smoke respite shelter.

Tracy Loew covers the environment at the Statesman Journal. Send comments, questions and tips to tloew@statesmanjournal.com, 503-399-6779. Follow her on Twitter at @Tracy_Loew

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Oregon wildfire smoke, smog combine to create poor air quality