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Air Alert issued for eight Valley counties Sept. 5-8Sep 02, 2011 (Merced Sun-Star - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution District said the Valley air basin is in an Air Alert from Monday, Sept. 5 to Thursday, Sept. 8, with the possibility of extension through Friday, Sept. 9. This includes the counties of Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare and portions of Kern. The Air Alert follows the successful inaugural Air Alert that was declared during back-to-school week. Because of the work of Valley residents and businesses, it resulted in one of the cleanest Augusts on record, the district said in a news release. Air Alerts are called when conditions may lead to ozone formation that results in exceeding the health-based one-hour ozone standard. There are steps residents and businesses can take to prevent this. Reducing vehicle use is an important way to reduce these emissions. Residents can reduce smog-forming emissions by: --Refraining from idling when dropping off/picking up students; --Carpooling, vanpooling or alternate transportation; --Refraining from using drive-through services. Businesses and municipalities can reduce emissions by: --Shifting operations to early morning or late evening (lawn care); --Offering flexible work schedules; --Promoting carpools and vanpools for employees; --Implementing telecommuting; --Becoming a Healthy Air Living Partner. The district will issue regular updates during this episode. For more information about Air Alerts, please visit http://www.valleyair.org/AirAlert/AirAlert_Landing.htm. To sign up for a free subscription to the Air Alert email notification system please visit http://www.valleyair.org/lists/list.htm. To receive information about becoming a Healthy Air Living Partner, please visit www.healthyairliving.com. ___ (c)2011 the Merced Sun-Star (Merced, Calif.) Visit the Merced Sun-Star (Merced, Calif.) at www.mercedsunstar.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |