Moving firmly to clear the layer of smoke that often hangs over the San Lorenzo Valley during cooler months, a regional air quality agency on Wednesday voted without dissent to enact tough new controls on backyard burns.
The rules prohibit burning yard waste on properties smaller than an acre, and would require one of a limited number of permits for burns on larger parcels. Officials expect the regulations, which go into effect immediately, to curtail outdoor fires at least 75 percent.
“Our neighbors are killing us with this smoke,” pleaded Rod Jensen, a valley resident who spoke in favor of the rules at a meeting of the Monterey Bay Unified Air Pollution Control District in Monterey.
The new restrictions affect all of Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey counties, though they are not as strict outside the valley: only parcels of a half-acre or smaller are affected.
Air pollution regulators say smoke is a severe problem in the valley, with the air quality exceeding federal standards on 42 days last year. Both the topography and culture of the valley are contributing factors, with hills cradling smoke from wood fires started by isolated residents who burn brush and wood, often to heat their homes during the winter.
Air pollution regulators say the problem is two-fold. Outdoor burns are a frequent source of nuisance and odor complaints. But indoor wood stoves are a much broader problem, and more serious when it
comes to air pollution.
“I think that the emission source that is contributing to the exceedences of the federal health standard is coming from residential home heating,” said Deputy Air Pollution Control Officer Mike Gilroy.
The new rules don’t address that problem, though the air board has increased its budget this year for a popular wood stove exchange program.
Several valley residents wrote to the board, both in favor and against. One argued for keeping the existing rules, including prohibitions on burning leaves and wet wood, saying local officials should do a better job at enforcing them. Some said backyard burning should be eliminated altogether.
In passing the new rules, the air board – which includes local representatives such as county Supervisors Ellen Pirie and Neal Coonerty, and Capitola Councilman Sam Storey (who abstained from a vote) – made one significant concession.
After hearing from local fire officials, the board increased the number of allowable permits per fire district from two to four, effectively doubling the number of burns. Those permits will be free and available online or through a local fire district, likely after 4 p.m. on the day prior to an allowable burn day.
Several local fire officials weighed in on the change, concerned that limits on burning would diminish residents’ ability to create a defensible fire space around their homes.
“The San Lorenzo Valley is a redwood forest. There are very dense, very large amounts of material that need to be removed on a regular basis,” Cal Fire Division Chief Rich Sampson said.
The air board is working with Santa Cruz County to renew free yard waste drop-offs at the Ben Lomond Transfer Station. And officials and board members stressed that the restrictions are a pilot program, and subject to future changes.
“We’re trying to be flexible,” said Air Pollution Control Officer Richard Steadman. “We’re trying to take an education approach, not a heavy-handed enforcement approach. At least initially.”
