DNREC’s Monitoring Shows Overall Good Air Quality in Delaware

DNREC air quality monitoring station in Wilmington. DNREC photo.

 

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control maintains a network of 11 permanent air monitoring sites throughout the state to track pollutants that impact Delaware’s air quality. For National Air Quality Awareness Week, DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin today visited the air monitoring station at MLK Jr. Boulevard in Wilmington, the most comprehensive monitoring station in the state.

DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin is given air monitoring data from a Division of Air Quality staff member
DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin is given air monitoring data from a Division of Air Quality staff member, Jana Pezanowski. DNREC photo.

“Part of DNREC’s mission is to ensure clean air for all Delawareans. Clean air is especially important for our most vulnerable populations: children, older people, and people living with health conditions,” said Secretary Garvin. “Our monitoring network data shows our air quality is good overall, but good is not good enough. DNREC is committed to working continuously to make our air quality better.”

The air today is cleaner than when EPA first implemented control measures, known as the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), under the Clean Air Act in the early 1970s. The MLK station, for example, monitors the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s six pollutants of greatest concern under the NAAQS: ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and two sizes of particulate matter.

The station also utilizes the latest technologies for real-time monitoring of the weather, including wind speed and direction, humidity, temperature, pressure ultraviolet and solar radiation, cloud height and rain gauge, all of which are factors in air quality.

The DNREC Division of Air Quality, which maintains and operates the station, encourages residents to learn about important air quality resources. Delawareans can consult the Air Quality Index (AQI) to plan their outdoor activities to protect their health from air pollution. This online resource from the EPA monitors and reports on air quality each day.

In Delaware, air quality is rated as “good” for most days of the year. However, there are days when local air quality can pose health risks to sensitive populations, and the AQI offers up-to-the-minute data on when and where such days might be occur. Visit de.gov/airmonitoring to sign up for air quality email alerts.

More information about Delaware’s air quality and DNREC’s monitoring work can be found at de.gov/airmonitoring.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities, and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Air Quality monitors and regulates all emissions to the air. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Joanna Wilson, joanna.wilson@delaware.gov; Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov


DNREC Urges Clean Alternatives to Burning Yard Waste

Compost piles need periodic turning to help materials break down.

 

Residents Can Consider Composting, Drop Off Sites

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control reminds residents that open burning of materials such as tree limbs, brush and branches is not allowed from May 1 through Sept. 30 – also known as ozone season – under the state’s annual open burning ban. Delaware’s annual ban prohibits all outdoor burning, with the exception of cooking fires, recreational campfires and ceremonial bonfires using firewood, which are permitted year-round.

Although burning yard waste may resume on Oct. 1, burning always emits toxic substances such as metals, acids, and particulate matter. These toxins can damage the lungs and hearts of healthy people, but are especially dangerous for children, older people, and people living with health conditions.

“DNREC encourages Delawareans to practice good stewardship of our natural resources by following the rules regarding when and what can be legally burned, and by considering alternatives to open burning, including composting or using yard waste disposal sites to divert this material from our landfills and keep our air clean and healthy for everyone to breathe,” said DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin.

Burning grass clippings and leaves is illegal year-round. However, residents are encouraged to consider starting a backyard compost pile to recycle leaves, grass clippings and certain types of kitchen scraps into a valuable resource. Using homemade or commercial containers keep the process more organized. Inexpensive compost bins are available from the Delaware Solid Waste Authority and the University of Delaware Extension Offices.

Using compost offers many benefits for home gardens and backyards. Compost provides nutrients, adds beneficial organisms to soil, reduces the need for chemical fertilizers, increases soil moisture retention and reduces the amount of organic waste sent to landfills. More information about backyard composting can be found at dnrec.dnrec.delaware.gov, including what can be added to a compost pile.

For residents looking to properly dispose of brush, branches and limbs, DNREC encourages using one of Delaware’s yard waste drop-off sites as an alternative to residential open burning, regardless of the time of year. More information about yard waste drop off sites, including locations and fees, can be found at dnrec.delaware.gov.

Residents may also contact their trash service to ask about yard waste pickup options. Other options include letting cut branches dry out and renting or purchasing a small chipper to make garden mulch or using a mulching mower on small branches and twigs.

For those who choose to burn from Oct. 1 to April 30, residents are allowed to burn up to 27 cubic feet – or a stack about 3’ by 3’ by 3’ – of cut or fallen limbs, dead branches, or shrubbery from their residence. Only up to this amount of yard waste may be burned at one time and must be burned between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. More information about residential open burning can be found at dnrec.delaware.gov.

Burning trash or garbage, construction and other debris, old tires and other materials considered toxic or hazardous, including leaves and grass clippings, is illegal at all times of year in Delaware. Tickets issued by the Delaware Natural Resources Police Environmental Crimes Unit for open burning violations are punishable by fines of $500 to $1,500, plus court costs.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities, and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Air Quality monitors and regulates all emissions to the air. The DNREC Division of Waste and Hazardous Substances ensures Delaware’s wastes are managed to protect human life, health, safety and the environment. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Joanna Wilson, joanna.wilson@delaware.gov; Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov


Delaware Recognizes Air Quality Awareness Week May 3 to 7

Coincides with Onset of Ozone Season and Raised Risk of Unhealthy Air

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control joins national organizations to recognize Air Quality Awareness Week on May 3 to 7. The national theme for 2021 is “Healthy Air – Important for Everyone!”

The DNREC Division of Air Quality, which monitors and regulates the emissions to the air, encourages residents to learn more about the important role of air quality for the health of people and the Earth.

Delawareans can consult the Air Quality Index (AQI) to learn about current local conditions. Created under the Clean Air Act, this online resource from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) monitors and reports on air quality each day.

In Delaware, air quality is rated as “good” for most days of the year. However, there are days when local air quality can pose health risks to sensitive populations, and the AQI offers up-to-the-minute data on when and where such days might be occur.

Air Quality Awareness Week, hosted by the U.S. EPA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, also serves notice that with warmer weather comes the ozone season in Delaware. The EPA and its partner agencies including DNREC use the weeklong-recognition event to encourage people to check the AQI daily to find out when they might be most at risk of poor air quality from ozone in their location.

DNREC advises a few ways Delawareans can help reduce air pollution and help everyone breathe easier:

  • Drive less. Bike, walk, carpool, or take public transportation when you can.
  • Keep your vehicle on ozone season alert. Limit engine idling, refuel only after dark, rely on clean transportation when possible. If you must drive, avoid congested times of day.
  • Conserve electricity. Keep your air conditioner thermostat set at a higher temperature (72 degrees), participate in energy conservation programs, and use major appliances less often when possible.
  • Be aware of Delaware’s open burning ban, which runs from May 1 through Sept. 30. All open burning is prohibited on Air Quality Action Days, when Delaware’s air quality has been forecast as unhealthy.

DNREC provides regular air quality forecasts and an air quality index to help the public know when to take precautions an ozone action day. Visit de.gov/aqi to sign up for air quality email alerts.

Additionally, because air quality in Delaware is affected by pollution in the region, DNREC Division of Air Quality also maintains the Delaware Air Quality Monitoring Network throughout the state and partners with the Air Quality Partnership of Delaware.

Another DNREC partner for improving air quality is the National Association of Clean Air Agencies, which addresses numerous clean air topics, including major air pollutants and their health impacts; global warming; industrial sources of pollution; state and local implementation of clean air programs; and clean transportation spanning vehicles, engines and fuels.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Air Quality monitors and regulates all emissions to the air. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov; Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov

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