The Sac Metro Air District has partnered with the City of Sacramento on a new portable air monitoring project to enhance real-time local air quality information in the City of Sacramento’s underserved communities.

The project will deploy portable air sensors that primarily measure particulate matter, empowering residents to adjust their daily outdoor activities and take steps to protect themselves, especially during wildfire smoke events. This project will also enhance air quality data by increasing the number and locations of portable air sensors in more neighborhoods.

The project is supported by a one-time investment from the Sacramento City Council to advance the City’s near-term climate action priorities, as outlined in the 2021 Climate Implementation Work Plan.

For the first part of the project, which will begin in late summer or early fall, the District will deploy 100 portable sensors in Sacramento. Businesses, residences, and schools will have the opportunity to apply to receive portable air sensors, with priority going to underserved communities.

The second part of the project, slated for this winter, involves innovative block-by-block monitoring, which will provide air monitoring at a finer scale. Street-level monitoring may include air quality instruments equipped on aerial vehicles, on-road vehicles, drones, or other mobile platforms. The goal is to create a dense network of portable sensors that can provide a high-quality representation of pollutant concentrations at the street level. Watch for more information about this project in the coming months!

On May 9, the Sac Metro Air District, Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District, Placer County Air Pollution Control District, Feather River Air Quality Management District, and El Dorado County Air Quality Management District issued a joint response to the American Lung Association’s (ALA) State of The Air Report and the Sacramento Bee’s coverage of the report on April 22, 2022. The Air Districts addressed the ALA report’s ranking of counties based on air quality data that is skewed by extreme but short-term wildfire data and the increasing international transport of pollution that raises background concentrations, resulting in a misleading picture of air pollution emissions in the Sacramento region.

The Bee’s article omitted these important factors in their coverage of the ALA report as well. In tandem with the joint statement, the Sac Metro Air District also submitted a Letter to the Editor to the Sacramento Bee which was published on May 22, 2022. Click the links to read the May 9 joint statement and Letter to the Editor.

While air quality and public health are absolutely impacted by wildfires, to assign an “F” grade without naming the reason doesn’t tell the full story. It also unnecessarily undermines public confidence and denies true progress, which the region has achieved. Thanks to innovative initiatives by the Sac Metro Air District and our regional partners and stringent rules and regulations, air quality in Sacramento (minus the result from wildfires) has improved significantly over the past several decades and will continue to improve.

This year's Spare The Air season is in full swing! During Spare The Air season, alerts are issued when the Air Quality Index (AQI) is forecast to reach 126 (unhealthy for sensitive groups), or above, and residents are encouraged to drive less or take other measures to reduce pollution when a Spare The Air alert is issued.

This year’s “You + Me = Community” campaign focuses on reminding residents that every action makes a difference and encouraging individuals to come together as a community to make a much larger impact on air quality in our region and combat climate change.

Check out this new TV commercial and watch for radio spots, electronic billboards, and social ads, too!

To learn more about Spare The Air and to sign up for Air Alerts, please visit www.SpareTheAir.com.