Jan. 8, 2001--
The great inversion of 2001 continues, but there's a little bit of good news on the smog front.
There's hope it will break up soon, and there are signs the public is doing its part to keep the air as healthy as possible.
Environment Specialist John Hollenhorst has the latest.
The bad news is that hopes have fizzled for a big storm to blow the smog out. But there is hope the inversion may gradually clear up through the week.
Meanhile, the state is writing citations against smog outlaws. But relatively speaking, it seems to be a small problem.
When the air looks bad, it's understandable people would be unhappy to see what appears to be smoke pouring from a neighbor's house.
The pollution police are on the prowl, now that the state has declared red mandatory no-burn days eight days in a row.
These smoke cops are checking out 17 complaints from people who've picked up the phone and blown the whistle.
REBECCA YOUNG/DIVISION OF AIR QUALITY: "IT MIGHT BE A NEIGHBOR OR JUST SOMEONE DRIVING BY. THEY'RE CONCERNED ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THE AIR THEY BREATH."
Most cases, though, turn out to be harmless furnace emissions.
ROBERT SIRRINE/DIVISION OF AIR QUALITY: "THERE'RE SOME CONCERNED CITIZENS REPORTING SOMETHING THEY MIGHT THINK IS SMOKE, AND IT'S TURNING OUT TO BE STEAM."
The rule is, on red days, no visible smoke is allowed. The pollution police weren't sure if they saw smoke in one case.
ROBERT SIRRINE/DIVISION OF AIR QUALITY: "IT LOOKS TO BE 99, 98 PERCENT STEAM."
So they gave the homeowners a "talking to" rather than a citation, even though he acknowledged using a wood-burning stove.
DAN JENKINS/HOMEOWNER: "MY FURNACE WENT OUT YESTERDAY. I CALLED UP MOUNTAIN FUEL AND THEY SAID WE CAN'T HELP YOU."
Burning wood is allowed in any kind of stove or fireplace, as long as there's no visible smoke.
In the last few smoggy days, only a handful of violators have been caught. The state plans to send citations to about ten people-- not bad considering that hundreds of thousands live in this soup.
The murky air seems to have motiovated people to comply.... or....
ROBERT SIRRINE/DIVISION OF AIR QUALITY: "THERE IS A CHANCE THAT WE DO HAVE SMOKE COMING OUT. BUT WE'RE NOT THERE IN TIME TO SEE IT."
If you get caught, it'll cost you $25 for the first violation. And it goes up from there.
But you can avoid the fine if you're willing to take a class on how to burn wood cleanly.
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