Reno/Sparks, Nevada.  June 28, 2023 – The Washoe County Health District – Air Quality Management Division (AQMD) is requesting written public comment on its draft Ozone Wildfire Mitigation Plan, a plan that details how AQMD responds to high concentrations of ozone that are caused by wildfires.

This plan is required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). As part of EPA’s mission to protect public health, a revision was made in 2016 to the Exceptional Events Rule (Clean Air Act Section 319(b)) requiring mitigation plans for areas with known, recurring events that caused exceedances of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). AQMD has finalized a Wildfire Mitigation Plan specific to Particulate Matter (PM) in the past. In April of 2022, EPA notified AQMD that the region is subject to additional mitigation plan requirements related to Ozone during wildfire events (87 FR 29045).

The 2023 plan is similar to the PM Wildfire Mitigation plan except for being tailored specifically to ozone. The plan includes sections on Washoe County ozone, wildfire events, public notification, and the implementation of mitigation measures.

Comments will be accepted until midnight on July 28, 2023, and may be submitted via e-mail to

HealthAirQuality-Planning@washoecounty.gov. All correspondence must include first and last name and a complete mailing address.

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

Sign up for Washoe County Air Quality updates here.

Visit OurCleanAir.com for additional information on the Air Quality Management Division.

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