Utah DEQ News

Harmful Algal Bloom Spreads in Utah Lake

The Utah County Health Department (UCHD) has issued a Warning Advisory for Utah Lake due to toxin levels that exceed health-based thresholds. UCHD advises people, their pets, and other animals to stay out of Provo Bay, Lincoln Marina, Sandy Beach, and the Utah Lake State Park Day Use area.

Read More

Keeping Tabs on HABs

Summertime means movie sequels. Star Wars, The Avengers and Jurassic Park return to theaters this year. Also making a comeback are harmful algal blooms.

Read More

Ozone: EPA Designates Marginal Nonattainment Areas in Utah

The Wasatch Front and parts of the Uinta Basin were designated as Marginal nonattainment areas for ozone this week by the EPA. A Marginal designation is the least stringent classification for a nonattainment area and doesn’t require the state to submit a formal State Implementation Plan (SIP).

Read More

Asbestos in Your Home: Precaution, Not Panic

Asbestos was once considered a “miracle material” for its heat-resistant properties, but we now know that airborne asbestos fibers can cause respiratory damage. Learn what to do if you find asbestos in your home, and remember, removal isn’t necessarily your best option.

Read More

Recycling: This Earth Day, Let’s Get Back to Basics

Wondering what you can and can’t put in your blue recycling bin? Guest blogger Sophia Nicholas from Salt Lake City Sustainability lets you know how you can reduce, reuse, and recycle right.by reducing your consumption of disposable items, reuse what you can, and then recycle, but in the right way.

Read More

Recapping the 2017-18 Inversion Season

At the end of March, spring took its turn at the Utah Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). Along with the warmer weather, budding trees and blooming flowers, DEQ’s Division of Air Quality declared an end to the 2017-18 inversion season and stopped issuing its Action Forecasts for PM2.5 pollution. Rest assured, the Action Forecasts will return in Nov., along with colder weather.

Read More

DEQ Employees Take Opportunity to Clear the Air

By Jared Mendenhall Forty-eight percent of winter air pollution along the Wasatch Front comes from mobile sources. Mobile source pollution is the emissions produced by cars and trucks. Reducing these emissions, is one of the easiest things residents can do to improve air quality. During February, the Salt Lake Chamber sponsors the Clear the Air …

Read More

Air Quality, Your Health, and Transportation at Intermountain Healthcare

By Steve BergstromGuest Blogger Poor air quality affects everyone. It is especially hard on children, elderly and those with asthma, lung disease, cardiovascular disease and risk of stroke. Also, research is showing a strong connection between poor air quality and developmental issues with the fetus, increased respiratory infections, and neurologic conditions. One-third of Utah’s population is …

Read More

Clear the Air Challenge: Skip the Trip, Hop on Your Bike!

By Søren Simonsen, guest blogger DEQ invites guest bloggers to share their thoughts on issues that impact our environment. We appreciate their insights and the opportunity to broaden the conversation with others in the community. I remember getting my very first road-worthy bike when I turned five. It was a lime-green, three-speed with chopper-style handlebars, …

Read More

Rethink Your Relationship With Cars

Take the Clear the Air Challenge By Jared Mendenhall In 1888, a housewife changed the course of human history. Bertha’s husband Karl, an engineer, had fallen into a deep depression because his latest invention failed to live up to its promise. Early one morning, Bertha stole away with his creation to prove to the family …

Read More