Spare the Air alerts begin for San Benito, Monterey and Santa Cruz counties

The Monterey Bay Unified Air Pollution Control District will begin announcing wintertime Spare the Air alerts for Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties.

The air district will send out notifications by 3 p.m. each day when conditions warrant a “spare the air” alert. Most of these will specifically apply to the San Lorenzo Valley area.

The alerts are meant to address unhealthy air quality conditions in the region. Public awareness and response is critical to lower pollution levels during stagnant winter conditions.

During a Spare the Air alert, the Air District will ask residents to choose an alternative home heating source such as electricity, propane, natural gas, or pellets. The purpose of the Spare the Air alert is to reduce the amount of pollution from wood smoke that is creating unhealthy air.

For more info about the alerts, click here.