205 W 5th Ave Ellensburg, WA 98926-2887
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Kittitas (pronounced 'KITT-i-tass') County is located in central Washington State. It spans from the lush forested Cascade Mountains to the upper Yakima River Valley plains and the Columbia River.
Kittitas County, WA - 09/07/2017 - Upon request of Ellensburg School District and Kittitas School District, the Kittitas County Public Health Department (KCPHD) conducted indoor air monitoring at all Ellensburg and Kittitas school buildings yesterday. Indoor air readings ranged from “unhealthy” (red) to “hazardous” (dark red) leading to the districts’ decision to close schools until at least Monday, September 11th.
Indoor air monitoring is conducted with two E-Sampler monitors that were purchased with federal grant funds in 2015. The monitors are owned by Kittitas County but are available for use within the public health emergency preparedness region 7 which includes Grant, Chelan, Douglas, and Okanogan Counties. Kittitas County currently has priority use because of the declaration of emergency that is in place. The monitors are for testing indoor air quality in public places only. A sampling of private locations have been tested for comparison purposes and have ranged in the “very unhealthy” (purple) zone, indicating that while many home settings may have better indoor air quality than some public locations, it is difficult to completely escape the current poor air quality conditions in Kittitas County. Additionally, the Putnam Centennial Center was retested yesterday and readings were in the “unhealthy” (red) to “very unhealthy” (purple) zones showing worsened indoor air quality compared to the readings taken earlier in the week. KCPHD recommends that residents can take steps to help protect themselves from the health effects of wildfire smoke by following the Washington State Department of Health’s recommendations below:
Kittitas County, from the Cascades to the Columbia, and online at http://www.co.kittitas.wa.us
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Contact: Kasey Knutson, Public Information Officer, 509-962-7515