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Air monitoring vans coming to Bellingham, Skagit County as part of statewide study

Air monitoring vans coming to Bellingham, Skagit County as part of statewide study

Mount Baker shrouded in smoke pictured by a NWCAA webcam. Courtesy of NWCAA Photo: Contributed


OLYMPIA, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Specially equipped vans will soon be driving Washington neighborhoods as part of a new statewide air-quality study.

The Washington State Department of Ecology’s year-long project will cover communities across the state, including Bellingham. Mount Vernon and several other communities in Skagit County.

Delivery-style vans equipped with air monitors will travel local streets, giving researchers a neighborhood-by-neighborhood look at air quality.

Officials say the study will help identify gaps in existing air-quality data, improve future monitoring efforts and show where air-quality improvements may be needed.

The vans won’t have cameras or collect personal information.

Field work is expected to begin this winter, with results planned for release in 2028.

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