Trying to add a payment method? You can do this on the 
Quick Take:
The American Lung Association reports high levels of soot, smoke and dust in Eugene and Springfield. Wildfire smoke is to blame, national and local air quality experts say.
The American Lung Association lists Eugene and Springfield among the worst in the country for air pollution, according to its 2025 State of the Air Report released Wednesday.
The Southern Willamette Valley cities rank fourth for annual particle population, basically pollution that falls from the sky, such as soot, smoke and dust. Eugene and Springfield are not on the list for ozone pollution, which includes gases emitted from tailpipes that come into contact with sunlight to create smog.
Particle pollution in the area has worsened over the last five years, rising from spot 19 in 2020. Wildfire smoke is largely to blame, data from the American Lung Association and Lane Regional Air Protection Agency show.
The Lane Regional Air Protection Agency operates eight monitoring stations across the county that measure the amount of particle pollution in the air. There’s no level of particulate matter that’s completely safe to breathe, but the Environmental Protection Agency recommends daily levels stay below 35 micrograms per cubic meter.
In the pollution agency’s annual report, the monitor at Springfield City Hall showed a peak 24-hour average of around 70. When wildfire smoke data was excluded, that number dropped by more than half, to 28.
Wildfire smoke is harder to clean up than pollution from industrial activity and wood stoves, which hangs heavy in the winter months over the valley, says Lane Regional Air Protection Agency public affairs manager Matt Sorensen. Oregon law does not offer clear guidelines for managing wildfire smoke.
“We are sitting at an inflection point to really get serious,” Sorensen said. “This is on all stakeholders to minimize the negative impacts from wildfire, because it does not seem to be reducing. That is problematic for everyone.”
While Oregon cities, including Portland and Medford, also experience wildfire smoke, it doesn’t linger the way it does in the Willamette Valley, where wind patterns and surrounding forests can trap smoke for days.
The American Lung Association ranks Lane County as the third worst in the nation for particle pollution. It’s particularly bad in communities such as Oakridge.
During 2022, Oakridge residents endured up to 37 days of unhealthy air, according to the Department of Environmental Quality.
“It’s pervasive,” Sarah Altemus-Pope, longtime resident of Oakridge and executive director of the Southern Willamette Forest Collaborative, said about wildfire smoke.
One way people can stay safe during wildfire season is to make home improvements — sealing gaps in windows and doors and installing systems that improve indoor air circulation. Ductless heat pumps work especially well for this and, when paired with an air purifier, can help protect people’s health. But that kind of upgrade isn’t affordable for everyone.
Through Oakridge Air, part of the Southern Willamette Forest Collaborative, dozens of homes have already received support to limit smoke exposure indoors. Altemus-Pope had been planning to expand those efforts with help from an Environmental Protection Agency grant of nearly $1 million awarded to Lane Regional Air Protection Agency. Nearly half of the funding was designated for Oakridge to help safeguard residents from wildfire smoke and related health hazards.
But in March, she was notified the federal funds had been paused. The grant, with “environmental justice” in its title, had been prioritized locally for low-income residents, veterans and seniors to smoke-proof their homes. Those dollars would have also supported the local economy through small business contracts.
“Getting dollars to go into — and actually mitigate— people’s homes, that’s hard money to come by, because it’s a lot of work and also seen as the homeowner’s responsibility,” Altemus-Pope said.
For Altemus-Pope and agencies including the Lane Regional Air Protection Agency, the work continues — using state support and other federal dollars already in hand.
As leaders navigate shifting policies and funding, they encourage people to check the Air Quality Index, install air purifiers if possible, or consult with medical providers to learn about available resources.
