<center> Clearing The Air - Issues in Grand Forks BC

2012: Much Better, Thank You!

Since 2005, when this site was intitiated, there have been some major improvements in Grand Forks' air quality. This little history study will give you some insight.

GRAND FORKS BC - CAN YOU SEE THE AIR?

You certainly can! In some parts of town, on most days, you can cut it with a knife! Here's an unenhanced photo of the pollution cloud on a typical "nice" day:

WAKE UP! GRAND FORKS!


12 Dec 2005

2012: Much Better, Thank You!

Since 2005, when this site was intitiated, there have been some major improvements in Grand Forks' air quality. This little history study will give you some insight. Improvements? Well,

Now, let's look back at the history recorded on this website as "current events of the time."

Craziness Update - 2 1/2 Years Later!

- August 11, 07: The Madness Continues! In the past year, a committee was formed - The Boundary Air Quality Committee - to "look in to" the problem of air quality in our valley. You might expect they'd have addressed the real problems: - although the blindest idiot on the planet could not help but see the monstrous contribution from the industrial park. Example: how about this photo taken on a July Morning? Obviously, no wood stoves have been burning overnight, and not a whole lot of road traffic during the previous 6 or 8 hours, either, so forget auto exhaust and road dust! But look at the picture from Spencer Hill at 08:30 SATURDAY MORNING!:


  • NO Wood Stoves!

  • NO Car Exhaust!

  • NO Car Road Dust!

  • LOTS of
    Overnight Industrial Smoke Dumping!

And yet, we now have the BAQC having spent over $33,000 of OUR money for a Consulting Firm to "address the problem." - Does the fact that they start out doing a "Survey Of Engine And Fuel Use By Households" give you any clue of where this one's going? They're going to do their best to take the heat off the true source - the industrial park - and shift the blame to the victims! We should walk and ride bicycles (choke, choke!) and freeze to death all winter in case our wood stoves (can natural gas furnaces be far behind?) might make some smoke!

How's THIS for Red Herring/Blaming of the victims for the sins of the Biggies?

What Will They Do With Their So-Called "Data?"

Well, THAT's not hard to figure, is it? They'll make up a bunch of charts and graphs designed to shift the blame onto the victims - us - (hey; we're already victims! Didn't they just piss away over $33,000 of OUR money for their phony "survey?"

Will they be surveying the industrial park with similar questions? Will they be quantifying the amount and type of pollutants from the park, and comparing these data to those provided by their phoney survey of the "households?" What do YOU think?

Are You Going To Put Up With This Sh*t?

Pardonnez ma francais, but I for one am getting a little fed up with this apologism for industrial excess, and constant attempts to shift the blame onto the victims. If you are, too, read on - this site has a history of whining and making suggestions about what to do about it (or at least whom to complain to) - and I suggest it's time to put a foot down!

What Can Be Done About It?

Obviously, few in this valley would advocate shutting down any of the 3 major employers in the area. But at least, it might be nice to Surely there's something they can do to reduce the smog filling of our valley - and at least, let's not allow our politicians to get away with phony by-laws which will do nothing but make them feel like they're having some effect! Our politicians are ineffective!

We now continue with the previously penned section of this website..

Aren't You Glad You Quit Smoking?

Some view, huh? Something of which Grand Forks should truly be proud! - Or should we have the viewpoint closed? Perhaps we should not be encouraging tourists to stop and have a look at our "lovely" valley! In the eyes of many, this constant pall of smoke hanging over the East end of Grand Forks is a disgrace which must be rectified!

This Is A Good Day!

That's right! This is a Good Day! There was a decent breeze running down the Granby valley, to where it joins the Kettle and carries on eastward towards the Cascade Falls border crossing. On a Bad day, the pall just builds and builds, often contributing to a smog inversion layer that stings the eyes of those who are unfortunate enough to be caught on the hillsides east of the city.

On a disgusting day, (depending on where you live!) the wind blows the smoke cloud UP the valley, so all of the City of Grand Forks and the valley West of town get to take part. - But at least, on those fortunately rare days, the pollution monitor actually gets a reading!

Breeze and No Breeze

Here are a couple of "average" shots, taken during a day with a decent breeze and with no breeze - click to enlarge for a really "good" view.


05 Feb 2006 - a decent breeze


07 Feb 2006 - The Usual Inversion Layer - no breeze

Of course, on the really good days, the breeze is strong enough to carry the continually-being-produced cloud of deadly pollution down valley quickly, dispersing it as it goes, lowering the concentration, but of course doing nothing at all towards reducing the actual weight of pollutants.

What Are The Pollutants?

Your guess is as good as mine! I'm sure some analysis would be interesting - but don't hold your breath! (Well, on 2nd thought.....)

Where Do They Come From?

The sources of this smoke pall are few, and obvious. For now, suffice it to say the sources are:

  • The Particle Board Plant

    - Yeh, but it's only steam!

  • The Insulation Plant

    - Yeh, but they're covered by permits!

  • The Sawmill

    - Naw; they don't even use their burner anymore!

  • Joke Of The Year: People's Wood Heaters

    Yeh, sure. Of course, from here on Spencer Hill, there isn't really much observable difference in the cloud between Winter and Summer. And not too many people burn wood in the summertime! And, if you cruise around the city much, you won't see that many woodpiles! Click Here for more on Wood Heaters

    (This is NOT to say that those who do in winter shouldn't be careful to keep a small, hot fire going in their woodstoves, avoiding "smolder-meisters" such as thermostatic-draught airtight stoves! - They do contribute to particulates in the air, although trying to blame them for the smoke pall over Grand Forks is just plain ridiculous!

    Sun 22 Jan 06

    For example, here's a shot taken on a Sunday. Note no smoke from the Industrial site, and note also No smoke pall hanging over the valley! Now, the mills are obviously shut down for cleanup today, but wouncha think the woodstoves of the citizenry are burning as usual? The temperature today is just slightly above zero, so I think it's safe to assume they are. So where's all the smoke?

    Maybe the wind's blowing it all away. Nope, guess not - the CKGF web site reports the present wind speed (1/2 hour after the shot) to be a mere 22 kmph/ 12 mph.

How Is This Happening?

You may be wondering, "Aren't there laws against this sort of thing? Isn't there some sort of government agency making sure the cloud is safe, and within some sort of limits?

Well, yes and no, Chet! There is a Ministry of Environment, but one wonders if they feel their mandate is to protect the people of the valley from pollution, or justify it to them surrounded in sugar-coating, obfuscation, and just plain lies. For instance, they've certainly shown this writer how to go about keeping the wool pulled over the eyes of the citizens. Here are the basic ways to do it with an issue such as this:

  • 1. Locate a Monitor Where The Bad Air Isn't - make sure any official monitoring is done outside of the prevailing winds. City Hall, for instance, or the Airport. Whatever you do, don't do any sampling downwind of the Industrial Park, such as The Mayflower, The Nursery, or Gilpin!

  • 2. Monitor Only Particle Size - keep them confused with particle size - focussed on smoke and dust particles.

  • 3. Ignore Concerns About Harmful Chemicals - whatever you do, don't let any monitoring be done for chemical content, such as spectroscopic analysis of air samples. That will point out the carcinogens, such as formaldahyde, phenols, resins and G. knows what that are entering the lungs of the downstream people, pets, and livestock - as well as the crops, both domestic food and for livestock.

  • 4. Blame The Pollution You Find On Everyone - if you keep it to particle size, you can whine on about woodsmoke, traffic dust, and any other thing attributable to everyone, avoiding the few real culprits.
Let's look at these in a little more detail:

1. Collection Location

As a means of collecting this data on the "actual" pollution, the City of Grand Forks erected an air quality monitor a number of years ago. But, unbelievable as it may seem, they put it up in a place that is not in the flow of the pollution cloud of the industrial district, as it is carried by the usually-pathetic breeze which passes for prevailing winds here in this congested little valley.

The airflow, most of the time, comes down river valleys. Down the Granby river to the conjunction with the Kettle, where it joins the natural flow down the Kettle, and then down the Kettle toward Billings, Christina Lake, and what hasn't settled onto the ground by the time it gets to Billings, across the border into Washington State.

Some of the Kettle air flows past the Sawmill, across the river from City Hall, meaning most of the air picked up over the mill misses the detector. Then it joins the Granby flow, passing over first the Parta plant, and then the Insulation plant. This is half a mile or more downstream from the detector! - The only times the poor detector can get a sniff is when the wind shifts to a reversal - and even then, the detector is so close to the industrial park that most of the pollution cloud passes right over it! So first and foremost is the question of "accidental" Bad Data. It would appear that our monitor, missing the point as it does, makes a case against more pollution control rather than for it!

Still Air

Of course, some days the air is so still that the pollution cloud just forms right over the offenders and stays there. These are the days that some of the pollution is picked up by the monitor - just enough to make it look as if it might actually be working!

Are They That Stupid? Or Are We?

Some system, huh? Gee, I wonder how that happened!

This "monitoring system" provides the input to the Department Of The Environment (aka Dep't Of Environmental Pollution) Consequently, the action they haven't taken was based on the readings shown by this completely inadequate air quality monitor!

Only last year, the City Council put up a newer, bigger, better, monitoring device, but they left the location unchanged! - The newer, bigger, better monitor still monitors only a fraction of the total pollution! - Almost none of what you see in these photos!

2. Composition - Curiouser And Curiouser!

There are other complications. The foremost one being the composition of the pollutants. Smoke, being the first and most visually obvious, is of course the first one we think of. This is measured in terms of Particle Size, and defined as PM1, PM2, etc. And it has been proven that smoke is a carcinogenic, and can also create respiratory problems such as emphysema, arterial constriction, and many other complications which can kill people, or seriously inhibit their quality of life, particularly in the very young, the elderly, and the asthmatic. But possibly even more serious is composition - what chemical no-no's are being spewn about?

Stink

On many still-air days, you can smell that hot, chemical, burning-brake kind of smell all over the downtown area - although on most days, this privilege is left for those unfortunate enough to live downwind toward Oasis Farms and Gilpin. On the bad days, it makes your eyes water, and the smell stays in your lungs long after you've made your way to cleaner air! Is this smell normal? Does it come from traffic dust, homeowner's wood stoves, and leaf-burning? I don't THINK so!

Phenols, Hydrocarbons, Formaldehyde, and many other seriously ugly waste products may be spewing out of those dark satanic mills. But how can we know for certain? By chemical analysis of air samples, that's how! And so far, NO chemical analysis is being done! Not only are the air samples being taken from invalid places, they are not being validly analyzed!

Doesn't your Ministry even care about the composition of this pollution cloud, and therefore its effects on local health? Apparently not, since there is no measuring or reporting of this all-important factor! To repeat, the monitor also registers only particulate matter - it doesn't pay any attention to the nature of the detritus - particle board and insulation-from-old-copper-mill-slag processes involve all sorts of chemicals. Google a few terms and see what's likely in there. Click here to go to google

Update: Late April, '06 - The Beat Goes On!

Your reporter has just heard this startling news: It seems that up until lately, there has been a monitor in place - although in the wrong place! (City Hall) - that would measure the chemical content of the pollution, although it was just being used to measure less-concerning particle size. But the Ministry has just decided to move it to a "more important" location! - leaving behind a particle-size only device! - Could this have anything to do with the recent establishment of a new committee at City Hall, which is investigating the monitoring situation once again? Well, DU-UHH!

Are There Ministry Permits Involved?

We have to ask ourselves just how much of its blessings the Ministry of Pollution has granted to this mess. Well, here's an email on that subject:
    "....in regards to your inquiry as to the huge tonnage of formaldehyde permitted and undisclosed phenol the permits you would want to view through the freedom of info are: PA 15832 feb 22, 1999 and PA 02258 nov 26, 1993. Some basic math is required to get permitted annual tonnage- as permits are given in milligrams per cubic metre per minute. for each individual outlet within the plant. Have fun!"
- And don't forget to quit smoking! - According to the Ministry of Health, the formaldehyde in them smokes can be bad for your health - but apparently, according to the Ministry of Environment, the formaldehyde in your air is A-OK! It's a funny old world!

Can You DO Anything About It?

And if you're now mad enough to begin considering your options, Click Here:

I'm Mad As Hell, And I'm Not Going To Take It Any More!

More Pictures


 If you want to take the loading time, click on either of these for a larger view

Whence Cometh The Reaper?

There's little visual doubt as to the origins of the smoke - although the chemical compositions, if we ever see the installation of a proper detection system, may pose some more subtle mysteries. Here are a couple of photos taken from the North End of the valley. Click the photo for an enlargement and further comment.


Mid-day - Mar 2, '04
A few minutes later, same day

Stop It! - You're Killing Me!

History: What's Been Done So Far?

There have been some attempts by various groups to get this thing under control. For a report on the history from 1992 to the present, click here

The Grand Forks Air Quality Committee

Spring, '06: There is now a Committee! set up to attempt to deal with the problem. Watch them bog down as they get dealt the usual Red Herrings - locating the monitor in stupid places, using stupid monitors, accepting explanations involving bookletfulls of subterfuge and obfuscation. (The "Quesnel Process" yada yada blah blah blah.) Let's wish them the best of luck, but committees do tend to constitute a walk through la-la land! Stay tuned to their efforts through their website - and pray that they can stay on track! Click Here

Want To Get Involved? - Let's Talk About It!

Join the gf-issues yahoogroup for an email-based forum on issues in the Grand Forks area. It's a place to which you can also upload your own photos and data files to share with the rest of the group. Just go to , the group home page, sign on, sign in, and take part!

Wood Heaters

Wood heaters do contribute to the problem, of course - but not nearly so much as the Industrial Park. Take a drive around the valley any winter morning, and count the number of smokey chimneys you see. Estimate the total smoke output, then have a look at the park. Huh? For some details on running heaters efficiently/smoke free, click here

2011 Addendum: Let's Be Fair!

Since the inception of this "bitch" page, one of the major polluters has cleaned up their act - sort of! The insulation plant has spent a fair amount of cash putting in a 75 metre smogstack. So now, the pollution formerly spread within a small radius of the plant is now spread over a larger radius! Our sources tell us there has been no other major change, such as scrubbers or such. And, interestingly enough, the plant is

pressurized!Air is sucked out of the major areas (offices to be sure, maybe some of the worker zones as well), and blown out the stack with the obnoxious production gasses. Most likely through filters, so the employees so protected don't get any of the smoke blowing into the atmosphere 75 metres up. But this doesn't help the folks a few miles downwind!

It must be acknowledged, however, that the plant IS a major contributor to the local economy. But could it be a better neighbour?

Some scrubbers would be nice! We're told that the "home office" plant in Ontario is much better regulated. But, as Gordie Campbell was fond of saying, "BC is open for business!"

We hope you have enjoyed this enlightening interlude. Now click back and see what The New World Order boys are doing to our upper air - and to our water and soil as the crud drifts down to ground level. And follow that with the news of what Fortis are in the process of doing to us!

Other than that, have a nice day!