RULE 701, AIR pOLLUTION EpiSODE pLAN 

Adopted: 03/03/14 

A Description 

1, The Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District (GBUAPCD) Air Pollution 

Episode Plan is a system designed to alert the public of air contaminants that may be 

harmful to health and to protect that portion of the population at risk. It establishes 

advisory procedures when specified levels are reached. 

B. Purpose 

1. Defme air pollution episode criteria. 

2. Provide for episode notification to the public. 

3. Recommend precautionary actions to be taken during episodes. 

4. Prevent or reduce the severity of episodes. 

C. GBUAPCD Requirements 

1. Measurements 

a. The APCO shall maintain strategic air monitoring stations throughout the District 

so that air quality can be monitored on a continuous basis and air pollution 

episodes can be measured and predicted. 

b. The APCO shall utilize other sources of information, including, but not limited 

to, the National Weather Service, Tribal Environmental Exchange Network 

and Incident Information System for episode notification and forecasting. 

2. Episode Notifications 

a. The APCO shall notify the United States Environmental Protection Agency 

(USEPA), California Air Resources Board (CARB), news media, schools, 

medical facilities, child day care facilities and the general public when an 

episode is declared. 

b. The APCO shall maintain on-line access to district wide air monitoring network 

measurements at http://gbuapcd.org/data. 

c. The APCO shall provide on-line subscription options for episode notifications 

at http:/ /gbuapcd.org/healthadvisory. 

d. The APCO shall monitor air quality 24 (twenty four) hours a day, 7 (seven) 

days a week and will disseminate episode information to the parties identified 

in paragraph C.2.a and episode notification subscribers by the following 

methods within an hour of the first hourly reading in a day that exceeds the 

episode criteria specified in paragraph C.4: 

1. Phone text messaging 

u. E-mail to the healthadvisory@gbuapcd.org listserv 

iii. Website http://gbuapcd.org/healthadvisory 

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3. Notification Content 

a. Stage level. 

b. Impacted geographic area(s) and communities. 

c. Pollutant for which the episode is declared, specified dust or wildfire smoke air 

contaminant and PM concentration. 

d. Associated health message. 

4. Episode Criteria (Attachment 1) 

a. A Stage 1 air pollution health advisory will be issued when hourly PM10 

particulate pollution levels exceed 400 micrograms per cubic meter (flg/m3

) for 

dust and 100 flg/m3 for wildfire smoke or when hourly PM2.5 particulate 

pollution levels exceed 150 microgram per cubic meter (flg/m3). 

b. A Stage 2 air pollution health advisory will be issued when hourly particulate 

pollution levels exceed 800 flg/m3 for dust and 200 J.lg/m3 for wildfire smoke or 

when hourly PM2.5 particulate pollution levels exceed 300 microgram per 

cubic meter (J.lg/m3

). 

5. Actions 

a. Stage 1 

A Stage 1 health advisory will recommend: 

1. Minimize outdoor activity. 

n. Children, the elderly, and people with heart or lung problems refrain 

from strenuous outdoor activities in the impacted area. 

111. Outdoor physical education classes, sports practices, and athletic 

competitions should be rescheduled or cancelled if practicable. 

b. Stage 2 

A Stage 2 health advisory will recommend: 

1. Eliminate outdoor activities in impacted area. 

n. Remain indoors with doors and windows closed until the episode is 

terminated. 

111. A void all activities that produce aerosols, dust, fumes and other irritants. 

6. Episode Termination 

a. An episode shall terminate when the concentration of the pollutant which 

causes the declaration of such episode has been verified to have fallen below 

the criteria level for the declaration of the episode and an analysis of 

meteorological and air quality data indicates that the pollutant concentration is 

expected to continue to decrease. 

7. Special Actions for Prescribed Burning 

Where prescribed burning is defined in: 

Rule 408 - Open Burning in Agricultural Operations or Disease or Prevention 

Rule 409 -Range Improvement Burning 

Rule 410- Forest Management Burning 

Rule 411 - Wildland Vegetation Management Burning in Wildland and 

Wildland/Urban Interface Areas 

Rule 412- Open Burning ofNon-Industrial Wood Waste at City of County 

Disposal Sites 

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a. Upon the declaration of any predicted Stage 1 or Stage 2 episode, all coinciding 

scheduled prescribed burning, shall be prohibited. 

b. Upon the declaration of any Stage 1 or Stage 2 episode, all prescribed burning, 

if already ignited, shall be terminated. 

8. Interdistrict Coordination 

a. Upon request of an air pollution control officer in an adjoining air basin for 

action to abate Stage 1 or Stage 2 episodes occurring within that district, the 

APCO shall make a determination, and if the need for action is confirmed, 

direct the implementation of the actions required in this Rule for any 

significant source area identified within the District which contributes to the 

ongoing episode in the adjoining district. 

9. Abatement Actions 

D. Defmitions 

a. The APCO shall investigate the nature of the problem and determine if 

abatement actions could be taken to reduce the pollution levels. 

b. The notification system will allow citizens to take actions to limit exposure. 

For the purpose of this rule, the following defmitions apply: 

1. "Air Contaminant or Air Pollutant" - any discharge, release, or other propagation into 

the atmosphere and includes, but is not limited to, dust, smoke, particulate matter or any 

combination thereof. 

2. "Air Pollution Control Officer" (APCO) - the person appointed to the position of Air 

Pollution Control Officer of GBUAPCD pursuant to the provisions of California Health 

& Safety Code §40750, and his or her designee. 

3. "Child Day Care Facility"- a State licensed child day care, pre-school, or after-school 

program. 

4. "Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District" (GBUAPCD)- California regional 

government agency that works to protect the people and the environment of Alpine, 

Mono and Inyo Counties from the harmful effects of air pollution. 

5. "Episodes"- exceedances of hourly PM levels set by the District for issuing air quality 

advisories to protect public health prior to 24-hour exceedances of the National Ambient Air 

Quality Standard and Level of Significant Harm. The applicable Episode criteria, for 

this rule, are presented in Attachment 1. 

6. "Impacted Area and Communities"- geographic location or place of human occupation 

or permanent dwelling within or downwind of known or forecasted pollution impact 

boundaries. 

7. "Medical Facility"- any location at which medicine is practiced regularly ranging from 

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small clinics and doctor's offices to urgent care centers and hospitals. 

8. "News Media"- the written press, television, radio, and other mass media of 

communication such as on-line computer information services. 

9. "PM10 and PM2.5"- Particulate matter ofless than 10 and 2.5 microns in aerodynamic 

diameter, respectively, which are regulated under federal and state law to protect public 

health. PMlO and PM2.5 are easily inhaled into the deepest parts of the lung and can 

cause adverse health consequences, particularly for children, the elderly, and people 

with respiratory conditions. 

10. "Prescribed Burning"- the intentional use offrre to reduce wildfire hazards, clear 

downed trees, control plant diseases, improve rangeland and wildlife habitats, and 

restore natural ecosystems. 

11. "School"- means public and private educational institutions for children ranging from 

grades Kindergarten through high school. 

12. "Strenuous Outdoor Activitv"- Vigorous outdoor exercise lasting short durations at 

high intensity or long durations at moderate intensity. 

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ATIACHMENTl 

EPISODE CRITERIA 

For the purpose of Rule 701, the following episode criteria shall apply: 

Air Pollutant 

PM10 -Dust 

PM2.5- Dust 

PM10 -Wildfire Smoke 

Averaging Time Stage 1 Health Advisory 

1 Hour 

1 Hour 

1 Hour 

400 ~g/m 3 

150 ~g/m 3 

100~m3 

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Stage 2 Health Advisory 

800 ~g/m 3 

300 11g/m3 

200 11g/m3