This map shows Californians where to find Clean Air Centers to escape wildfire smoke, pollution

Californians across the state can now find a facility near them that can provide respite from smoke or other harmful air pollutants, thanks to a recently launched project from the California Air Resources Board.

In late June, CARB released an interactive map that lists dozens of Clean Air Centers around the state. These centers are confirmed by the board to have an adequate level of filtration, and many of them received support from a $5 million state grant that helped public facilities across California install updated air filtration systems.

“The idea here was: Let’s create this one-stop shop where we can direct people to find what they need,” said Amy MacPherson, a spokesperson for CARB. “A lot of the times this is ... an emergency ... so the idea here is to really help streamline that process and help people get to clean air as fast as they can.”

The map includes both permanent facilities, like libraries and community centers, as well as temporary facilities, such as the evacuation center that was activated in response to the Park Fire. In addition, the map indicates whether a facility is designated by the county as a cooling center during hot weather.

To be considered a Clean Air Center and earn its place on the map, MacPherson said the facility must have a system with a filtration rating of at least MERV 13, which can capture at least 50% of particles between 0.3 and 1 microns, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. According to MacPherson, this rating is higher than what many in-home systems can support.

In addition, all filters must be CARB-certified — which MacPherson said is already a requirement for all filters sold in the state — and the systems must be designed to clean all of the air in a room; for example, if a room is 200 cubic feet, the system must be able to clean at least 200 cubic feet of air.

Still, with the project in its infancy, many locations have not yet been placed on the map, notably in Sacramento and Southern California. MacPherson said this could be due to the counties and cities not knowing about the program or because they are still working on compiling the information needed.

About 200 of the locations featured in the new map were supported by state funds aimed at creating a network of public facilities that can provide clean air, CARB said in a release about the map.

In 2019, Assembly Bill 836 was passed, allocating $5 million in grant funding to CARB that would support community spaces around the state with funding to obtain or upgrade filtration systems. MacPherson said CARB staff worked with local air districts to review Clean Air Center applications to ensure they met the needs of the community and the goals of the pilot program, including if the area serves a vulnerable population and if they frequently see heavy smoke cover.

“(With) our $5 million little pilot program, we had so many more applications than we had funding to give out,” MacPherson said. “There was a huge demand for it ... it’s California in the summer, we need places for people to go.”

Although this funding has been fully allocated, MacPherson said she hopes CARB will continue to receive grant funding to help transform more facilities into Clean Air Centers.

“You don’t want people to need the Clean Air Centers, but also as the summer goes on ... I think people will really start to realize how valuable it is as a resource,” she said. “Hopefully, we’ll get contacted and air districts will work with their local folks to get more and more clean air centers on (the map).”

This story was originally published August 1, 2024 at 12:18 PM.

Camila Pedrosa

The Sacramento Bee

Camila Pedrosa is a service journalism reporter at The Sacramento Bee. She previously worked as a summer reporting intern for The Bee and reported in Phoenix and Washington, D.C. She graduated from Arizona State University with a master’s degree in mass communication.