SAN MARTIN
– In a move meant to help limit wintertime air pollution, new
houses in unincorporated areas will not be able to boast
traditional fireplaces or other woodburning appliances unless they
meet enhanced federal standards, Santa Clara County supervisors
have decided.
SAN MARTIN – In a move meant to help limit wintertime air pollution, new houses in unincorporated areas will not be able to boast traditional fireplaces or other woodburning appliances unless they meet enhanced federal standards, Santa Clara County supervisors have decided.
Supervisors unanimously endorsed a new law that limits installation of woodburning appliances in new construction or renovations to cleaner-burning models approved by the federal Environmental Protection Agency. The law would not ban woodburning in existing fireplaces or stoves.
According to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, woodsmoke from neighborhood chimneys ranks along with automobile tailpipe emissions as the major sources of two toxic wintertime air pollutants, carbon monoxide and fine particulate matter.
The particulates especially are considered a major lung irritant and long-term cancer contributor, and regulators say woodburning appliances can account for as much as 40 percent of total airborne levels on an average winter day in some locations.
The government-certified appliances can reduce pollution levels by 75 to 99 percent over traditional fireplaces, regulators say.
“We applaud the adoption of any woodburning (appliance) ordinance because it’s a serious problem in the wintertime,” said air district spokeswoman Lucia Libretti.
To help prevent hardships for residents of more remote areas, the new law is not expected to affect homes that don’t have access to natural gas.
Although propane is usually considered the primary source of heat in these areas, woodburning appliances are also considered a secondary source, county staff said. Roughly 22 percent of the 178 new dwellings approved by the county in an average year don’t have access to the gas.
County staff are expected to return to supervisors with the exact text and provisions of the new law in coming months. The request to consider the ordinance came from District 4 Supervisor Jim Beall.
Morgan Hill, San Jose, Palo Alto, Los Gatos, Saratoga, Milpitas and Los Altos have also adopted woodburning appliance regulations.
