Drought and increased agricultural burning worsens air quality in California's San Joaquin Valley
6/14/2022 12:19:57 PM
CATEGORIES:
Agriculture
Fire
Relief, Response & Restrictions
Society & Public Health
AFFECTED AREAS:
Fresno County, CA
Kern County, CA
Kings County, CA
Madera County, CA
Merced County, CA
San Joaquin County, CA
Stanislaus County, CA
Tulare County, CA
Start Date: 6/11/2022
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Drought has led numerous growers in California to tear out orchards or vineyards because they do not have enough water or want to grow something else that needs less water. The cheapest way to get rid of the agricultural waste is to burn it, which many growers do rather than having the waste ground into mulch.
The practice of burning agricultural waste has harmed air quality in the San Joaquin Valley, due to drought with more farmers burning and also due to the geography of the area that does not easily allow air pollution to escape.
Los Angeles Times (Calif.), June 11, 2022
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