Topic

Air Quality in the Mat-Su Borough

Overview

Air quality impacts the health and safety of our community. The Borough works with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to monitor air conditions and provide guidance on reducing pollution. This page offers information on local air quality, health impacts, and best practices for burning wisely.

Why Air Quality Matters

Clean air is essential for healthy living. Poor air quality can cause breathing problems, especially for children, seniors, and people with respiratory conditions. In winter, wood smoke and other pollutants can build up in the air, creating health risks.

Air Quality Resources

Call the Mat-Su Air Quality Status Line to check the current status: 907-352-3878.
Sign up for Air Quality text alerts
Current Air Quality Conditions: View Real-Time Air Quality Map

What You Can Do

Burn dry, seasoned wood to reduce smoke.
Follow Borough and State burn restrictions.
Limit outdoor burning during poor air quality alerts.
Consider alternative heating sources when possible.

Application & Compliance

If you plan to burn outdoors or install a wood stove, you may need a permit.
For more information, visit: Matanuska-Susitna Borough Burn Permit

Air quality in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough is regulated under MSB Code Chapter 8.75, which focuses on outdoor burning practices to reduce air pollution. The code prohibits burning garbage, treated wood, and other restricted materials, and may impose burn restrictions during air quality alerts. Violations can result in fines.

Health Impacts

Particle pollution contains microscopic solids or liquid droplets that are so small that they can get deep into the lungs and cause serious health problems. A number of scientific studies have linked particle pollution exposure to a variety of problems.

Health Consequences of Exposure
Exposure to fine particles is linked to:

Increased respiratory symptoms, such as irritation of the airways, coughing, or difficulty breathing
Aggravated asthma
Development of chronic bronchitis
Irregular heartbeat
Non-fatal heart attacks
Aggravation of heart and lung diseases
Premature death in people with heart or lung disease
Possibly linked to lung cancer deaths, infant mortality and development al problems such as low birth weight in children.

How Do Fine Particles Interact with the Body?

Small particles less than 10 micrometers in diameter pose the greatest problems because the nose and throat filter larger particles penetrating deep into lungs.
Particles can accumulate, react, absorb, or be cleared by the lungs
Particles can enter the bloodstream

Health Risks

Who is Most at Risk?
- People with heart or lung disease:
  - Conditions make them vulnerable
- Older Adults:
  - Greater prevalence of heart and lung disease
- Children:
  - More likely to be active
  - Breathe more air per pound
  - Bodies still developing

Particulates are known to have health impacts on humans. Human bodies have natural defenses to help cough or sneeze larger particles out of bodies, but those defenses don’t keep out smaller particles.

PM2.5 is associated with more severe health consequences: the smaller the particle, the greater the potential to impact health because they are small enough to slip through our natural defenses in the oral and nasal passages and penetrate farther into the respiratory tract and even enter the bloodstream. PM2.5 particles can lodge in the very small air sacs of the lungs which can slow the transfer of oxygen and carbon dioxide and cause the heart to work harder to achieve the same rate of transfer. These are similar to the health effects caused by the particles in cigarette smoke. This effect is most noticeable in children and the elderly as well as people with respiratory diseases like bronchitis, asthma, emphysema, or heart problems. However, particulate inhalation can affect all people and adverse effects may only appear after repeated low concentration exposures or exposure to extremely high concentrations.

Exposure to such particles can affect both the lungs and heart. Numerous scientific studies have linked particle pollution exposure to a variety of problems, including:

premature death in people with heart or lung disease
nonfatal heart attacks
irregular heartbeat
aggravated asthma
decreased lung function
increased respiratory symptoms, such as irritation of the airways, coughing or difficulty breathing
increased risk for cardiovascular disease for people with diabetes

What you breathe matters - here's why
Pulmonologist Dr. Owen Hanley from Fairbanks provides an excellent summary of the health impacts of PM2.5. What you breathe matters - here's why (27 minutes)

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I check today’s air quality?
Visit for real-time data.: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/8655256b056a48f6a19788d43cdab30f

What is "fine particulate matter", so called PM2.5?
Fine particulate matter, or PM2.5 is less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter and is a product of combustion, primarily caused by burning fuels.

What is "coarse particulate matter", so called PM10?
Coarse particulate matter, or PM10, is less than 10 micrometers in diameter and it primarily comes from road dust, agriculture dust, river beds, construction sites, mining operations and similar activities. The Borough primarily experiences PM10 as blowing dust.

What air quality issues do we have in the Borough?
Borough primarily has documented 2 different particulate matter (PM) air quality issues. Areas in the Borough experience blowing dust particles, typically in the fall and spring, primarily from natural sources (glacial silt) and is therefore not required to control sources of dust pollution. The Butte area has documented elevated PM2.5 levels which can be exacerbated by inversions in the winter months that trap smoke from wood stoves, burn barrels, and slash burning close to the ground.

Does dust from glaciers cause air pollution?
Dust is a form of particle pollution (see "what is PM10") and the Borough does experience elevated levels of PM10. When we experience high wind events, conditions are dry and low river levels expose large gravel bars and tidal flats (typical in fall and spring), large amounts of glacial silt can be stirred up and carried down the valleys. The Borough issues several air quality alerts per year because of these wind-blown dust events, but because these elevated PM10 levels are from a natural source, and often not reasonably controllable, rather than being we are not required to control the sources of dust pollution, we are required to mitigate the impacts through air quality advisories and public education.

Why should we be concerned about PM2.5 pollution?
PM2.5 is associated with more severe health consequences: the smaller the particle, the greater the potential to impact health because they are small enough to slip through our natural defenses in the oral and nasal passages and penetrate farther into the respiratory tract and even enter the bloodstream. PM2.5 particles can lodge in the very small air sacs of the lungs which can slow the transfer of oxygen and carbon dioxide and cause the heart to work harder to achieve the same rate of transfer. These are similar to the health effects caused by the particles in cigarette smoke. This effect is most noticeable in children and the elderly as well as people with respiratory diseases like bronchitis, asthma, emphysema, or heart problems. However, particulate inhalation can affect all people and adverse effects may only appear after repeated low concentration exposures or exposure to extremely high concentrations.

Why do we have or need air quality monitors in the Borough?
DEC began monitoring ambient air quality in Palmer/Butte area in summer 1985 in response to smoke generated by fires used to clear land in Point Mackenzie. As a result of this sampling, heavy dust loads were detected, and, by the 1990's Borough complaints about dust in Butte/Palmer had increased.

Where are air quality monitors in the Borough?
Currently, there is one PM2.5 (fine particulate matter) monitoring site in the Borough located in the Butte at The Plant Materials Center. In addition to the current monitor, sampling locations within the Borough include:

Talkeetna, Willow, Big Lake, Wasilla, Palmer, and Chickaloon

Why do we need air quality monitors?
Federal requirements mandate at least one PM2.5 State and Local Air Monitoring Station (SLAM) for areas with populations between 50,000 and 500,000:

At least one site must be placed in a location that is expected to have the maximum concentration. (Butte meets this requirement)
At least one PM2.5 monitoring location in an area with a most recent three-year design value that is ≥85% of any PM2.5 National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS). (Butte exceeds 85%)
At least one PM2.5 site to monitor regional background and regional transport. (Palmer site met this requirement)

Can the monitor in the Butte be moved to a better location?
This site is considered a regulatory State and Local Air Monitoring Station (SLAMS) site. It is very difficult to get permission to remove a monitoring site. Federal rules require the following for removal of a PM2.5 SLAMS site:

The monitor has shown attainment and has a probability of less than 10% of exceeding 80% of the NAAQS during the next 3 years. (Butte cannot show this probability)
A monitor that has not measured violations of the NAAQS in the previous five years (Butte has measured violations in the past 5 years)
A PM2.5 monitor which EPA has determined cannot be compared to the NAAQS because of its siting. (Butte does not have a siting issue)
A SLAMS Monitor not eligible for removal under the above may be moved to a nearby location with the same scale of representation if logistical reasons beyond the state’s control make it impossible to continue operation at its current site. (The Butte site is in a public right of way. This option section typically refers to sites on private property where the land owner wants to have the site removed.)

Why is there only one monitoring station when violations could affect the whole Borough?
Ambient air quality monitoring is expensive. Monitoring stations have to be set up for at least 3 years to produce sufficient data to compare to the national standards. This requires a lot of money for equipment and staff. In recent years, due to the State budget situation, the State has reduced the number of monitoring stations. DEC currently does not have the staff or funding to expand the monitoring network. DEC relies on public complaints to identify other areas of concern.

Isn't it scientifically questionable to implement regulations based on just two monitors, one of which is in the worst possible place?
When setting up air monitoring to represent an area, at least one of the sites is required to be in an area with the highest air pollution. When funding is limited, and resources exist only for one site, it should be located in the area of highest impact. In this way, a limited monitoring network is still protective of the public and when that monitor shows good air quality, one can assume that the other areas are clean as well.

Why do we need an MOU with DEC?
Simply put, the Borough does not have the authority to manage local air quality programs without an MOU with the State. The Alaska State Legislature has mandated that the Alaska DEC assess, evaluate, and mediate environmental issues that may affect the health and welfare of residents within the state (Title 46 of the Alaska Statutes). Authority for managing air quality can be delegated to a second class borough (AS 29.35.210) through AS 46.14.400 which requires DEC approval of any local program through a cooperative agreement or MOU. Without an MOU, the Borough does not have broad powers to create or manage local air quality programs which include actions like updating outdated Air Quality Code (Matanuska-Susitna Borough Code 8.30), implementing a voluntary cost-share program for homeowners looking to improve the efficiency of their home heating devices, or providing a seasoned-wood swap out program.

What does the current (2006) MOU between Borough and DEC say?
The current MOU has been in effect since 2006 and it focuses primarily on DEC and the Borough working together to ensure that air monitoring results and health effects are communicated to the public. In this MOU, DEC supplies and operates the monitors and assists the Mat-Su Borough in communicating advisories and alerts. It is important to note that these advisories and alerts relate not only to PM2.5 issues, but also to PM10 and is a critical notification for people that can have major health impacts when air quality is compromised.

Did the updated MOU proposed in January 2018 allow the borough to restrict the use of woodstoves?
No. The MOU in and of itself does not allow the Borough to restrict citizen use of wood stoves.

Such restriction would require a code change and assembly action including public hearing and assembly vote. Wood stoves are an important heating source for many residents especially in areas where other heating sources such as natural gas are not available. Residents are encouraged to purchase wood stoves that meet efficiency standards and operate and maintain them properly.