Starting May 1, there will be no open burning allowed in Hamilton County through the end of September, officials of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Air Pollution Control Bureau said.

During this period no open burning — commercial or residential — will be allowed in Hamilton County.

Officials said, "Burning leaves and brush results in smoke. Smoke contains a number of hazardous air pollutants. Some of the components of smoke can cause health effects ranging from allergies to cancer.

"Open burning restrictions are proven methods of controlling air quality and they encourage residents and companies to seek out alternatives to burning, like chipping, composting and recycling."

“It’s important to have clean air, not just for health benefits, but also for jobs to continue to come to Hamilton County,” said Bob Colby, Director of the Air Pollution Control Bureau. “We realize that seasonal burning restrictions cause a level of inconvenience for our community. However, enacting them during the five hottest months of the year — when both ozone and fine particulates are at high levels — gives us a real air quality advantage. It also encourages people to look into alternatives to burning, like chipping or composting.”

The program is part of the Early Action Compact, an initiative that allows counties who fail the federal health standards by a slim margin to take measures to reduce pollution, thus helping them meet the standard. Currently, Hamilton, Meigs and Marion counties in Tennessee, and Walker and Catoosa counties in Georgia, make up the local EAC. Of these five, Hamilton, Walker and Catoosa are participating in the seasonal burning restrictions; Meigs and Marion are employing alternate measures to help meet the standards.

In addition to seasonal open burning restrictions, Hamilton County has also taken control measures that include vehicle emissions testing, vapor recovery from fuel tankers and a community awareness program called Pollution Solution, which alerts the community on days that air quality is forecasted to fail federal standards.

For more information about how you or your organization "can become part of the Pollution Solution," visit the Bureau’s website at www.pollutionsolution.org or contact Kelley Walters, Public Relations Specialist, 423-643-5989 or at walters_k@mail.chattanooga.gov.