Oakridge Air
About the Program
The communities of Oakridge and Westfir sit at the valley bottom of the western slope of the Cascades, where bad air doesn’t move out. This makes our area especially vulnerable to smoke pollution from old woodstoves, burning unseasoned wood and debris, and wildfires.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted the Oakridge and Westfir communities $4.9 million for projects to improve our air quality in 2019 and awarded an additional $2.7 million in 2022. Through this project, Oakridge Air helps to lesson health impacts from wood smoke.
Oakridge Air Program Areas
Home Heating Upgrades
This program will provide at least 195 qualified homes with home heating upgrades such as: weatherization and home repairs, ductless heat pumps, and certified wood stoves.
Community Firewood Program
The community firewood program provides 200 cords per year of dry firewood to the community as an affordable firewood to low-income, senior, and disabled residents.
School Education
Oakridge Air partners with the school district to develop and share lessons. They also partner on projects such as wood shed construction by the OJSH students.
Cleaner Indoor Air
Public buildings including the schools, library, city hall and police department receive improved air filtration to improve indoor air quality and act as cleaner air spaces when needed. In coordination with partners and local health clinics, personal air purifiers are distributed to local households in order to protect indoor air at home.
Code Enforcement
The Oakridge Police Department employs a designated code enforcement officer with the project funding. This officer will build an education-focused diversion program for smoke code violations.
Smoke Information
Sign up for text alerts by texting “Oakridge Air” to 541-543-2019 or click here!
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