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<br />Page 4│Kittitas County Air Quality Survey│9/30/2014 <br /> <br />Introduction <br />The Washington State Department of Ecology Air Quality Division commissioned the Kittitas County <br />Public Health Department (KCPHD) to conduct a county wide survey of Kittitas County residents. The <br />purpose of the survey was to assess attitudes and beliefs around the issue of air quality in Kittitas <br />County as well as to estfmate the impact of community burning behaviors on fine partfculate matter <br />pollutfon. Fine partfculate matter (PM2.5) is an air pollutant that is a concern for people's health <br />when levels in air are high. This report provides the results and analysis of the data collected from <br />this survey. The informatfon contained in this report will be used to inform the creatfon of an <br />educatfon and outreach campaign for cleaner burning practfces in Kittitas County. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Background & Objectives <br />Located in the center of Washington State, Kittitas County is a rural area that lies along the eastern <br />slopes of the Cascade Mountain Range. The county’s 2,297 square miles stretches from the top of <br />Snoqualmie Pass down to its eastern border along the Columbia River. The Yakima River and <br />Interstate 90 also run through the middle of the county. The unique geography of the Kittitas valley <br />creates optfmal conditfons for long periods of high pressure during the winter months that result in <br />lengthy air inversions. This is especially concerning during high heatfng season, when any smoke <br />emitted into the lower atmosphere becomes trapped untfl changing conditfons allow for the cleaner <br />air to pass through, exposing residents to unhealthy air often for weeks at a tfme. <br />FIGURE 1: Kittitas County Topography