The Air Quality Program is responsible for protecting and monitoring the air quality of the Red Lake Nation. A full-time Air Quality Specialist position was added in 2007 to work toward the development of an inventory of emissions sources on or near the Red Lake Nation, to establish ambient (outdoor) air monitoring stations within the reservation boundaries, to conduct studies to determine if there are pollution problems from indoor sources, and to provide community education and outreach.
Air Quality Projects
-An Emissions Inventory (EI) was completed for 2008 and will be updated for 2011. An EI is a comprehensive listing, by source, of air pollutant emissions associated with a specific geographic area for a specific time interval. This inventory can be used to evaluate stationary area sources within Reservation boundaries to establish baseline data and assess air quality.
-The School Air Toxics Monitoring Program is a partnership between the RL DNR, US EPA, and Red Lake School District. This program is meant to assess the ambient air near schools, in a larger effort to protect schoolchildren where they learn and play. For more informationon this program (and results, as they become available), see US EPA website.
-A Smoke Management Plan (SMP) to be used by the Forestry Program, for use with prescribed burning and managed wildland fires throughout the Reservation, is in the process of being created. The purposes of SMPs are to minimize health risks, mitigate the nuisance and public safety hazards (e.g. on roadways and at airports), prevent deterioration of air quality and National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) violations, and address visibility impacts in federal mandatory Class I areas.
-The Air Quality Program hopes to begin participating in an Indoor Air QualityTools for Schools program that is intended to create healthy indoor environments in schools for students and staff.
