Grant County burn ban ends today

EPHRATA — Grant County Commissioners will not be extending the previously established burn ban, meaning the ban is lifted as of today.

The county-wide burn started June 1 and officially ended Sept. 30 in unincorporated areas around Grant County. The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) had the option to extend the ban if fire conditions were too dangerous. The BOCC also has the ability to impose additional burning restrictions if fire potential is high. There is still a fairly high fire danger in Grant County despite the dropping of the burn ban. The Washington Department of Natural Resources lists fire danger in the county as “very high/extreme.”

The ban did not cover individual municipalities in Grant County, however. The Department of Ecology has put burning restrictions into place for all cities in the state, as well as in Urban Growth Areas, since 2007.

Grant County’s ban prohibited all residential burning, including burning household garbage and building materials, both of which are prohibited by Washington law. A big topic among Columbia Basin residents with regarding to burning is controlled agricultural burns. Controlled burns are allowed when properly permitted by the Department of Ecology.

“To help reduce smoke-related environmental and health concerns, we make daily decisions for agricultural burn permit holders. Our daily burn decisions include current and forecasted air quality conditions, and let you know if burning is allowed in your county and zone that day,” states the DOE.

For additional questions contact the Grant County Fire Marshal’s Office at 509-754-2011 ext. 3001.

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.