Smog is going to get worse in Sacramento this summer. Here’s how you can join the fight
Blue skies and warm weather are here in Sacramento — but so is worsening air quality and smog.
The Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District and other air districts of the Sacramento region launched the 28th annual Spare The Air season Sunday.
Running through Oct. 31, the agencies will begin to issue alerts when the air-quality index for ground-level ozone pollution is forecast to meet or exceed 126 — meaning it is unhealthy for sensitive groups.
“Air pollution affects everyone,” the district said in an announcement Friday. “Even healthy people can experience health impacts from polluted air, including respiratory irritation or breathing difficulties during exercise or outdoor activities.”
During the pandemic, with office employees working from home and fewer commuters on the road, the “Sacramento region saw a vast improvement in air quality,” the district stated.
In 2020, there was one Spare the Air day, and in 2021, there were eight — driven largely by smoke billowing from nearby wildfires last year. In 2018 and 2019, there were 20 and six Spare the Air days, respectively.
The air-quality management district encourages residents of Sacramento, Placer, Yolo, Solano, and El Dorado counties to consider teleworking, taking public transit, or driving a low- or zero-emission vehicle. The district also encourages people to walk, bike or ride a scooter whenever possible.
“By making individual efforts to reduce air pollution, we can come together as a community to make a much larger impact on air quality in our region and combat climate change,” the district stated.
Here are ways to improve the region’s air quality, according to the district:
▪ Monitor daily air-quality forecasts and real-time air pollution readings online
▪ Drive less to help reduce vehicle emissions, especially on a Spare The Air day
▪ Telework at least once per week, if possible
▪ Walk, bike or scooter to run errands, or as a way to commute to work
▪ Take public transit or carpool to reduce the number of single-passenger vehicles on the road
▪ Use a zero-emission hybrid or electric vehicle
This story was originally published May 1, 2022 at 5:00 AM.