Not just smoke but air monitoring on the horizon for Chetwynd

The air is fresher today but residents of Chetwynd have woken up to smoky skies multiple times this spring.

Long-term residents of Chetwynd say so many days with smoke, this early in the spring, is unheard of.

The first smoky sky bulletin of 2023 was issued for the Chetwynd area on May 5 according to province of British Columbia Air Quality Meteorologist, Gail Roth.

Roth says the Smoky Skies Bulletins are sent out specifically for health reasons and to make people aware that wildfire smoke may be an issue in the next 24 to 48 hours.

Since May 5, Chetwynd has been under an air quality alert for more than three weeks. The first episode of smoky skies ended just after the Victoria Day long weekend, with air quality warnings starting again on June 8 and currently in place.

At the time of writing, widespread smoke is in the Environment Canada weather forecast for Chetwynd until the first day of summer, June 21.

Roth says the poor air quality in Chetwynd is predominantly due to the Donnie Creek fire north of Fort St. John, but is also being impacted by wildfires in Alberta and the West Kiskatinaw River wildfire.

The Donnie Creek wildfire is the second largest wildfire in British Columbia’s history.

The fire “is expected to spread over the next few months and will persist indefinitely according to Doug Smith, deputy incident commander of the Donnie Creek wildfire”, as reported by Sarah Cox in the June 14, 2023 Narwhal article, In B.C.’s bone-dry northeast, what happens when wildfires and fracking collide.

Wildfire smoke contains fine particulate matter.

Fine particulate matter refers to particles that are 2.5 microns (2.5PM) or less in diameter. These are  particles of particular concern, as they can be inhaled deeply into the lungs.

The amounts of these fine particles are monitored at air quality monitoring stations across British Columbia.

The air quality objective for 2.5PM is 25 micrograms/meter cubed over a period of twenty-four hours.

The closest provincial data is collected at Willow Creek Mine.

Chetwynd does not have a dedicated air monitoring station.

For instance, on the morning of June 15, residents of Chetwynd woke up to relatively clear skies but at 10 am the 2.5PM reading over a twenty-four hour period at the Willow Creek Mine was 78.6 micrograms/meter cubed.

This figure is over three times the air quality objective.

In early May, the District of Chetwynd issued a request for proposal of completion of an Extreme Heat Risk Mapping and Assessment.

To produce local data for this assessment the District of Chetwynd requested the province do air quality monitoring in the community.

Roth reports that this air quality monitoring is being set up with first results which are not expected until the fall of 2023.

Roth says data will be collected to know what is happening. “Once you identify what’s going on, then you can start considering solutions,” says Roth.

At some point in the fall the data will be presented to mayor and council and made available to the public.

Meanwhile, District of Chetwynd Chief Administrative Officer Steve McLain says that staff is investigating installing additional air monitoring equipment that would be managed by the municipality.

“We have to determine the right equipment for the right location,” says McLain.

Once they have a recommendation for the type of equipment and cost, this information will be brought to mayor and council.

Chetwynd is a dusty town.

McLain says air quality has been brought forward as a general concern by residents for a number of years, especially with drier than normal weather patterns.

If the project goes forward, “this is something that helps all of us,” says McLain.

For more information on air quality across British Columbia and to register for the Smoky Skies bulletin go to https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/air-land-water/air