Aug. 3, 2023. Reno/Sparks, Nev. – The Washoe County Health District – Air Quality Management Division (AQMD) is requesting written public comment on its revisions to Washoe County District Board of Health Regulations Governing Air Quality Management Chapter 020 – General Provisions.

The revisions were initiated in response to a requirement placed on AQMD by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Nevada Department of Environmental Protection (NDEP). Washoe County’s portion of the Nevada State Implementation Plan (SIP) does not satisfy the requirements of Section 127 of the Clean Air Act (CAA) which states that, “Each State plan shall contain measures which will be effective to notify the public during any calendar on a regular basis of instances or areas in which any national primary ambient air quality standard is exceeded or was exceeded during any portion of the preceding calendar year…” The AQMD had not previously included public notification for exceedance(s) of Annual Primary National Ambient Air Quality Standards.

The revisions address this deficiency along with updating the rule formatting, clarifying portions of the existing rule, and modifying the rule to include “new” sections from other sections of existing AQMD regulations.

Comments will be accepted until midnight on September 2, 2023, and may be submitted via e-mail to HealthAirQuality-Planning@washoecounty.gov. All correspondence must include first and last name, mailing address, and contact information.

A public workshop will be held on August 23, 2023, at 1 PM. The public workshop will include a presentation regarding the changes made and an opportunity for questions. Public comments may be submitted at the meeting. All public comments will be encouraged to be submitted in writing at the time of the meeting. The meeting will be held virtually via Microsoft Teams and can be joined by using the link here.

For more information regarding the Health District’s Air Quality Efforts, visit the Air Quality Management Division’s website at OurCleanAir.com.

NOTE: The Washoe County Health District will be changing its name to Northern Nevada Public Health on Aug. 31, 2023.

The Washoe County Health District is nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board and has jurisdiction over all public health matters in Reno, Sparks, and Washoe County through the policy-making Washoe County District Board of Health. The District consists of five divisions: Administrative Health Services, Air Quality Management, Community and Clinical Health Services, Environmental Health Services and Epidemiology & Public Health Preparedness. More info can be found here.