Puyallup Tribal Air Program

Air Program

The Puyallup Tribal Air Quality Program's goal is to achieve improved ambient air quality through education, regulation and providing alternatives to producing air borne pollution releases.

Air Shed Description

The Puyallup Tribe reservation is located within the Puget Sound air shed and is greatly influenced by four factors: urban development, the Pacific Ocean, the mountains and the weather. During periods when our onshore airflow is interrupted, the combined effects of activities, the weather and topography lead to stagnation and rising air pollution. The Olympic Mountains to the west and the Cascade Mountain range to the east form the sides of a bowl where air pollution becomes trapped in the urban basin. Temperature inversions are relatively common in the Puget Sound area. It takes an extra push of marine air to flush the pollution out of our area; the arrows in the diagram below illustrate the on-shore marine airflows that help keep the Puget Sound area air clean:

Air Pollution

There are six criteria air pollutants that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has set federal standards for. These criteria air pollutants are:

  1. Particulate Matter
  2. Carbon monoxide
  3. Lead
  4. Ozone
  5. Sulfur dioxide
  6. Nitrogen dioxide

For more information on criteria air pollutants and air pollution please visit http://www.pscleanair.org/airq/basics/criteria/default.aspx.

Air Quality Update

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is required to review its National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) every five years. In December 2006, EPA set a stricter daily standard for fine particulate matter (PM2.5). EPA strengthened the daily standard from 65 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m³) to 35 µg/m³. EPA based this change on the strength of evidence from various health studies that demonstrated the previous standard was not protective of human health. PM2.5, comprised of small particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter, is associated with a variety of health effect including:

  • Premature death
  • Increased heart attack risk
  • Increased stroke risk
  • Lung inflammation and stress, reduced lung function, and
  • Asthma-like symptoms (or triggering asthma attacks).

When EPA promulgates a new NAAQS, it is required to designate all geographic areas within the United States as attainment, unclassifiable, or nonattainment under Section 107 of the Clean Air Act (CAA). If an area does not meet the national standard for PM2.5, it will be designated as being in nonattainment. Under this process, states are required to submit recommendations for designation to EPA by December 18, 2007.

On August 18, 2008 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sent out a letter to update the Puyallup Tribe on their intended designation for fine particle (PM2.5) standard for the Tribe's Reservation. EPA intends to designate as "nonattainment" all restricted and trust lands within the Puyallup Reservation. This means that all areas across the reservation must meet a more protective, health-based fine particle standard. Areas that are designated nonattainment will have to go through a planning process to implement measures to improve air quality.

The Puyallup Tribe Air Program plans to work closely with EPA, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency (PSCAA) and the Washington State Department of Ecology in the planning process to improve air quality. We expect to begin this work shortly after the final designations are made by EPA (currently planned to be made by December 18, 2008). For additional information about PM2.5 and the designation process, please go to the EPA website at http://www.epa.gov/pmdesignations.

The Puyallup Tribe of Indians has a partnership with PSCAA. This intergovernmental cooperation and coordination between the Tribe and PSCAA ensures that all permits for new and existing emission sources include appropriate requirements that the owners or operators of such emission sources install equipment to monitor their emissions so that the Tribal Air Quality Program may satisfy the requirements of the Federal Clean Air Act and PSCAA's Regulations. The Puyallup Tribe adopted the Tribal Air Quality Regulations I, II and III. The Puyallup Tribe has jurisdiction and authority to administer and implement tribal and federal environmental laws of trust and restricted land of the 1873 Survey Area.

Federal Air Rules for Reservations (FARR)

The Federal Air Rules for Reservations (FARR) became effective on June 7, 2005. These rules were developed to protect human health and air quality within Reservation boundaries. One of the most significant parts of the FARR is the Open Burning rule. These are federal outdoor burning rules that prohibit burning materials that cause negative health effects. Although the Puyallup Tribe has its own outdoor burning regulations, the FARR allows greater collaborations with fire districts, police departments and other partners to allow better response to open burning. The FARR also enables the EPA to develop and maintain records of air pollution sources and their emission within the reservation. There is a FARR Hotline (1-800-424-4372) for reporting complaints or any questions or air quality concerns. For more information about the Federal Rules for Reservations visit www.epa.gov/r10earth/FARR.htm.

Outdoor Burning Information

Outdoor Burning is permitted on reservation trust properties with conditions; property owners must obtain a permit from the Tribal Air Program before they are allowed to burn. Public protection from air pollution and the safety of life and property are fully considered and must minimized insofar is practical. For more information on obtaining an Outdoor Burn Permit please contact the Puyallup Tribe Air Quality Program at (253) 841-0378.


Before applying for an outdoor burn permit, please consider alternatives to burning. For information and suggestions of alternatives to outdoor burning, go to http://www.pscleanair.org/actions/outdoorfires/alternatives.aspx.

Burn Ban Information

The Puyallup Tribe Air Program regulates air quality under their own sovereign authority; however, the Federal Air Rules for Reservations Outdoor Burning Rule provides EPA Region 10 the authority to call burn bans on Indian Reservations when meteorological conditions or deteriorating air quality create unhealthy conditions. During a burn ban for air quality called by EPA or the Puyallup Tribal Air Program, all open burning must cease, except for ceremonial and traditional fires. If approved for an Outdoor Burn Permit, an individual is required to call the Federal Air Rules for Reservations (FARR) at 1-800-423-4372 to verify that a burn ban has not been issued. During a burn ban, both indoor and outdoor fires are prohibited. However, if your home's only source of heat is a wood stove or fireplace and there is no other heat source available, then you may continue to burn during a ban.

Wood Smoke

Wood smoke can harm your health. It affects everyone, even neighbors who don't heat with wood. If you heat with wood, consider cleaner alternatives such as gas, electric or oil heat and be sure your house is properly weatherized to use energy in the most efficient way possible. If you must use wood, replace older stoves with newer certified, cleaner-burning models and learn the correct way to use your stove to reduce its pollution.

Indoor Air Quality

Research has found that in homes across America, the quality of indoor air can be worse than outdoor air. That's because many homes are being built and remodeled to be more weather tight. We are using more products and furnishing that contain compounds to which some occupants are sensitive. Common indoor air problems include: dust mites, mold, secondhand smoke, household chemicals and inadequate ventilation – and there are many other potential sources. People who are exposed to indoor air pollutants for the longest periods of time are often those most susceptible to the effects of indoor air pollution. Such groups include the young, the elderly, and the chronically ill, especially those suffering from respiratory or cardiovascular disease. For additional information on indoor air quality, visit the American Lung Association of Washington at: www.alaw.org or call them at 1-800-LUNG-USA.

Puyallup Tribe 66th Ave E Air Monitoring Station

Monitoring Station

The Puyallup Tribe Air Program operates a PM 2.5 monitoring station on the reservation. It is the "Puyallup 66th Ave" monitoring station and is located at the Clarks Creek Hatchery on 66th Ave E. Puyallup WA. You can see current conditions for the reservation as real time data is now available at the Washington State Department of Ecology https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/enviwa/Default.htm . The data is also available at the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency's trend graphing website www.pscleanair.org, click on Data and Reports then Trend Graphing Tool. You will have to use the drop down menu to select the Puyallup 66th Ave E. station.

The Puyallup Tribe Air Program operates a PM2.5 monitoring station on the reservation. It is the "Puyallup 66th Ave" monitoring station and is located at the Clarks Creek Hatchery on 66th Ave E. Puyallup WA. You can see current conditions for the reservation as real time data at the Washington State Department of Ecology Web site: https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/enviwa/Default.htm.

The data is also available at the PSCAA's trend graphing Web site on www.pscleanair.org.

Click on Data and Reports then Trend Graphing Tool. Use the drop down menu to select the Puyallup 66th Ave E. station.

Puyallup Tribe PM 2.5 Monitoring Station

You can also get PM2.5 data from other stations in the area and graph and compare the data with the Puyallup Tribe station.

Air Quality Glossary of Terms

Air Shed: A geographic area where air pollutants from sources "upstream" or within the area flow and are present in the air.

Ambient Air: that portion of the atmosphere, external to buildings, to which the general public has access.

Air Pollution: The presence in the outdoor atmosphere of one or more air contaminants in sufficient quantities and of such characteristics and duration as is, or is likely to be, injurious to human health, plant or animal life, or property, or which unreasonably interferes with enjoyment of life and property.

Attainment: A region that complies with all of the federal air quality standards and has achieved official clean-air status.

Carbon Monoxide: Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas resulting from the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbon fuels including gasoline, oil and wood. The largest emissions contribution comes from highway motor vehicles. Thus, the focus of CO monitoring has been in urban areas where the main source of CO is motor vehicle exhaust. Other major CO sources are wood-burning stoves, incinerators and industrial sources. Carbon monoxide interferes with blood's ability to carry oxygen to the body's tissues and results in numerous adverse health effects. Symptoms of exposure to carbon monoxide can include vision problems, reduced alertness, and general reduction in mental and physical functions. Carbon monoxide exposures are especially harmful to people with heart, lung and circulatory system diseases

Emission Sources: Release of pollutants into the air from a source. We say sources emit pollutants. Continuous emission monitoring systems (CEMS) are machines which some large sources are required to install, to make continuous measurements of pollutant release.

Lead: (Pb) is a metal found naturally in the environment as well as in manufactured products. The major sources of lead emissions have historically been motor vehicles (such as cars and trucks) and industrial sources. As a result of EPA's regulatory efforts to remove lead from gasoline, emissions of lead from the transportation sector dramatically declined by 95 percent between 1980 and 1999, and levels of lead in the air decreased by 94 percent between 1980 and 1999. Today, the highest levels of lead in air are usually found near lead smelters. Other stationary sources are waste incinerators, utilities, and lead-acid battery manufacturers.

Meteorology: a science that deals with the atmosphere and its phenomena and especially with weather and weather forecasting

National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS): The Clean Air Act, which was last amended in 1990, requires EPA to set National Ambient Air Quality Standards for pollutants considered harmful to public health and the environment. The Clean Air Act established two types of national air quality standards. Primary standards set limits to protect public health, including the health of "sensitive" populations such as asthmatics, children, and the elderly. Secondary standards set limits to protect public welfare, including protection against decreased visibility, damage to animals, crops, vegetation, and buildings. The EPA Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (OAQPS) has set National Ambient Air Quality Standards for six principal pollutants, which are called "criteria" pollutants.

Nitrogen Dioxide: Nitrogen oxides, or NOx, are the generic term for a group of highly reactive gases, all of which contain nitrogen and oxygen in varying amounts. Many of the nitrogen oxides are colorless and odorless. However, one common pollutant, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) along with particles in the air can often be seen as a reddish-brown layer over many urban areas.

Nonattainment Area: A geographic area in which the level of a criteria air pollutant persistently exceed National Ambient Air Quality Standards. Designating an area as nonattainment is a formal rulemaking process and EPA normally takes this action only after air quality standards have been exceeded for several consecutive years. A single geographic area may have acceptable levels of one criteria air pollutant but unacceptable levels of one or more other criteria air pollutants; thus, an area can be both attainment and nonattainment at the same time. It has been estimated that 60% of Americans live in nonattainment areas.

Ozone: A gas which is a variety of oxygen. The oxygen gas found in the air consists of two oxygen atoms stuck together; this is molecular oxygen. Ozone consists of three oxygen atoms stuck together into an ozone molecule. Ozone occurs in nature; it produces the sharp smell you notice near a lightning strike. High concentrations of ozone gas are found in a layer of the atmosphere -- the stratosphere -- high above the Earth. Stratospheric ozone shields the Earth against harmful rays from the sun, particularly ultraviolet B. Smog's main component is ozone; this ground-level ozone is a product of reactions among chemicals produced by burning coal, gasoline and other fuels, and chemicals found in products including solvents, paints, hairsprays, etc.

Particulate Matter: "Particulate matter", also known as particle pollution or PM, is a complex mixture of extremely small particles and liquid droplets. Particle pollution is made up of a number of components, including acids (such as nitrates and sulfates), organic chemicals, metals, and soil or dust particles.

The size of particles is directly linked to their potential for causing health problems. EPA is concerned about particles that are 10 micrometers in diameter or smaller because those are the particles that generally pass through the throat and nose and enter the lungs. Once inhaled, these particles can affect the heart and lungs and cause serious health effects. EPA groups particle pollution into two categories:

  • "Inhalable coarse particles", such as those found near roadways and dusty industries, are larger than 2.5 micrometers and smaller than 10 micrometers in diameter.

  • PM2.5: "Fine particles", such as those found in smoke and haze, are 2.5 micrometers in diameter and smaller. These particles can be directly emitted from sources such as forest fires, or they can form when gases emitted from power plants, industries and automobiles react in the air.

Promulgates: To put a law into action or force.

Sulfur Dioxide: A criteria air pollutant. High concentrations of sulfur dioxide affect breathing and may aggravate existing respiratory and cardiovascular disease. Sensitive populations include asthmatics, individuals with bronchitis or emphysema, children, and the elderly. Sulfur dioxide is also a primary contributor to acid rain, which causes acidification of lakes and streams and can damage trees, crops, historic buildings, and statues. In addition, sulfur compounds in the air contribute to visibility impairment in large parts of the country. This is especially noticeable in national parks. Sulfur dioxide is released primarily from burning fuels that contain sulfur (such as coal, oil, and diesel fuel). Stationary sources such as coal- and oil-fired power plants, steel mills, refineries, pulp and paper mills, and nonferrous smelters are the largest releasers.

Temperature Inversion: One of the weather conditions that is often associated with serious smog episodes in some portions of the country. In a temperature inversion, air doesn't rise because it is trapped near the ground by a layer of warmer air above it. Pollutants, especially smog and smog-forming chemicals, including volatile organic compounds, are trapped close to the ground. As people continue driving, and sources other than motor vehicles continue to release smog-forming pollutants into the air, the smog level keeps getting worse.

Program Contacts

Environmental/Natural Resource Department Director:
Bill Sullivan
Phone: (253) 573-7850
Fax: (253) 573- 841-0383
bill.sullivan@puyalluptribe.com

Air Quality Program Manager:
Mary Basballe
Phone: (253) 841-0378
Fax: (253) 841-0383
mary.basballe@puyalluptribe.com