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QuickTake:
Eugene experienced moderate air quality Wednesday evening after smoke from an agricultural burn drifted south from Junction City. While backyard burning is banned during the summer, some professionally conducted burns are permitted under certain conditions.
An agricultural burn in Junction City is blowing smoke south into Eugene.
The Lane Regional Air Protection Agency operates eight monitoring stations across the county that measure the amount of particle pollution in the air. Wednesday afternoon, the Air Quality Index clocked in at a moderate rating of 59.
There’s no level of particulate matter that’s completely safe to breathe, though the Environmental Protection Agency considers a value of 100 or below generally satisfactory.
Eugene and Springfield often experience lingering smoke from fires because of wind patterns that trap it in the southern Willamette Valley.
Agricultural burns are often used to remove farm waste. Like prescribed burns, they can reduce hazardous fuel buildup, lowering the risk of accidental ignition from human activity and potential wildfires. It’s a matter of a little smoke now to avoid a lot of smoke later, experts say.
Though backyard burning is banned in Lane County for the summer, agricultural permits like the one in Junction City can be acquired under special circumstances. Wednesday’s cloudy, humid weather created conditions that made it safe to conduct such burning, according to Eugene Springfield Fire.
