Darrington

The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency is assisting the town of Darrington in solving a wintertime air pollution problem caused almost entirely by residential wood heating.

Darrington is nestled in the Cascade foothills in northern Snohomish County, in a visually stunning location that is isolated from other communities.  With its roots in the logging industry, many homes are heated with wood.  Because the town sits in a deep valley surrounded by mountain peaks, occasional and persistent wintertime inversions trap smoke from residential wood burning, which causes pollution levels to rise.

Aside from the wintertime heating season, Darrington’s air quality is typically in the Good category of the Air Quality Index (AQI).

Darrington’s town leaders asked the Clean Air Agency to help them reduce this wintertime wood smoke pollution.  With the agency’s help, the town launched a subsidized wood stove trade-out program in late 2005.  The program goal is to replace 100 old wood stoves with cleaner burning devices.  Through November 2007, 51 residents have participated. By replacing their wood stoves, these participants are reducing the emission of fine particle air pollution in Darrington by 13,500 pounds every year.

These and additional emission reductions will help Darrington’s residents breathe easier.