As always, TriCounty Health Department is urging the public to make choices with local air quality in mind. According to Environmental Health Director Darrin Brown, air quality on Tuesday morning was not looking good and going into inversion season it is important for the public to take note. In addition to cutting back on vehicle use, such as not idling vehicles, TriCounty Health is making it clear that smoking vehicles violate emission laws. In fact, if you see a vehicle giving off smoke into the air from the exhaust pipe, TriCounty Health is asking community members to report it. “We live in an area where we don’t do emissions testing but that does not mean you can alter the emissions on your vehicle,” states Brown. “It still has to meet the emission standards.” To report a vehicle emitting smoke into the air, go to www.tricountyhealth.com and fill out the form. You will need the vehicle license plate number, the date and time observed, location, and a description of the vehicle. After receiving a report, TriCounty Health sends a letter to the violator explaining the law. “Sometimes people just do not understand what the current law is,” explains Brown. “If we get repeat violations then we send a letter to the DMV and ask them not to register the vehicle until it passes an emissions test.” Police officers can also pull over a smoking vehicle and issue a citation, some with a minimum fine. Brown also clarifies that this time of year you can sometimes see a little smoke or steam come off a vehicle about a foot from the exhaust. What this is referring to is vehicles that send smoke up into the air and in some cases, people do this to their vehicles on purpose which TriCounty Health is aiming to put a stop to.
