ARMIDALE Dumaresq Council (ADC) has received a $50,000 grant from the NSW Environment Protection Authority (NSWEPA) to improve local air quality this winter.
The money is to be used for community education, local enforcement programs and rebates to replace older wood heaters.
“We have worked over many years to improve winter air quality in Armidale and this funding is a terrific boost to council’s annual allocation for this,” said Herman Beyersdorf, Deputy Mayor and Chair of Armidale Dumaresq’s Environmental Sustainability Committee.
News of the funding coincided with the formation of the new Air Quality Working Group, a sub-committee of the Environmental Sustainability Committee.
ADC is committed to improving winter air quality. One of the goals in the Armidale Dumaresq Community Strategic Plan is to reduce wood smoke pollution in Armidale’s urban area in order to meet national fine particle (PM2.5) air quality standards by 2020.
“It’s important we address this issue. We know that smoke from wood fires results in poor air quality in winter, and we know this pollution can adversely affect peoples’ health,” said Cr Beyersdorf.
Armidale was one of 17 NSW Local Government Areas funded through the Wood Smoke Reduction Program 2013. The NSW Government has provided a total of $1,125,000 for the program.
Representatives from all the councils funded in the program will meet in Sydney at the end of April to receive training from NSWEPA and to discuss difficulties and successes in addressing air quality issues in their area.
“This is a terrific opportunity for networking and building on the success of others working to solve this complex problem,” Cr Beyersdorf said.
The funding supports ADC’s air quality initiatives. This winter look out for:
- More advertising in the newspaper, on radio, and in the cinema about how to operate your wood heater so it doesn’t smoke;
- More promotion about the availability of rebates to replace your wood heater with an approved alternative; and
- More patrols to identify and make contact with households with smoky chimneys.
Contact Carol Davies, ADC’s Sustainability Co-ordinator on 6770 3686 or cdavies@armidale.nsw.gov.au to find out more about the program to be rolled out this winter and/or to receive a free wood heater education kit.
