NEWS

Poor air quality reported throughout much of state

Phil Drake
pdrake@greatfallstribune.com

Air quality in the Great Falls area was listed as unhealthy as of 11:30 a.m. Saturday, prompting the cancellation of some sports activities.

And the air quality was reported as worse in some other areas of the state.

According to the Montana Department of Environmental Quality site, the unhealthy listing means “active children and adults, and people with respiratory disease, such as asthma, should avoid prolonged outdoor exertion; everyone else, especially children, should limit prolonged outdoor exertion.”

Wildfires have given Montanans a snoutful of poor air most the week, with some people wearing masks as they perform their daily tasks.

And it took its toll in the world of outdoor sports as Great Falls Public Schools Superintendent Tammy Lacey tweeted that due to poor air quality, soccer and all sub-varsity football to be played in Great Falls on Saturday has been canceled.

And others announced the soccer jamboree to be held in the Electric City had been canceled as well because of poor air quality.

Very unhealthy air was reported in Broadus, Browning, Butte, Flathead Valley, Helena, Malta and Seeley Lake. That means, according to the DEQ site, “Active children and adults, and people with respiratory disease, such as asthma, should avoid all outdoor exertion; everyone else, especially children, should limit outdoor exertion.”

And hazardous air was reported in Frenchtown, Hamilton and Missoula. That, the DEQ states, means “All children and adults should avoid or limit all outdoor exertion.”

West Yellowstone was the lone city on the DEQ map that reported good air quality.

Great Falls’ air did not seem to bother Al Ferderer and Lucky 4 (“I name all my dogs ‘Lucky,’” Fedrderer says) as they played along the Missouri River on Saturday afternoon. Ferderer would toss a ball into the river and Lucky 4 would eagerly dive in and bring it back.

“No, I don’t like it, but it’s fine,” Ferderer said about the air quality. “I’d rather have blue skies.

“But it doesn’t seem to phase my dog any.”

To check air quality, go to: http://svc.mt.gov/deq/todaysair/