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Town may restrict open burning Shady Cove to consider adopting county's rules By MELISSA MARTIN SHADY COVE -- One of the last frontiers for open burning may soon be tamed. The Shady Cove City Council next month is expected to adopt Jackson County's open burning rules in this city of 2,315 people. If the proposed burning ordinance is approved, Shady Cove residents would do what other county residents do now -- make a telephone call to find out if open burning is permitted that day. "We are one of the few towns remaining that have not adopted Jackson County's open burning regulations," says Jerry L'Estrange, Shady Cove city administrator. Many Shady Cove residents already call the county's burn advisory telephone number to listen to the ventilation index and find out if open burning is permitted that day, says Fire District 4 Chief Bob Miller. Other residents find out the burn status by calling Fire District 4, which provides fire protection for about 6,000 people living in a 17-mile area including Shady Cove, Trail and north Eagle Point. The ventilation index is measured by a balloon sent up from the Medford airport every morning. Weather conditions at the airport govern countywide burning rules, even though small pockets of weather patterns differ around the valley, officials say. If the ventilation index is 400 or above, open burning is allowed for the day. The ordinance would not change the state law against outdoor burning on commercial property -- including mobile home parks -- in Shady Cove. Nor can residents burn roofing materials, tires, auto parts, plastic or garbage, Anna Kemmerer told the City Council. She enforces open burning standards in the city of Shady Cove for the state Department of Environmental Quality. Officials hope Shady Cove's proposed ordinance will encourage residents to find alternatives to burning, such as chipping materials, building a compost pile or hauling wood debris to Biomass One in White City. There may be a community compost pile or a Biomass dump station available in the Upper Rogue region someday, Miller says. Shady Cove's open burning rules may not be as restrictive as those in some parts of Jackson County, depending on how the City Council chooses to write the ordinance. Residents in the Medford-Ashland Air Quality Maintenance Area, for example, can't burn from November through February, when trapped smoke can hover above the valley floor, according to Gary Stevens, program manager for Jackson County environmental health. The most strict burning rules exist in Jacksonville and Medford, where open burning is banned all year long. "Years ago, we had a fairly serious smoke problem in this valley," Stevens told the City Council Thursday. But because of control strategies such as restrictions on wood burning, open burning, road dust and agriculture burning, the Rogue Valley hasn't had a violation of EPA smoke standards since 1991, Stevens says. However, the EPA is tightening the standard this year, from PM 5, or particulate matter that is 5 microns in diameter, to PM 2.5. Tests are being conducted now to see whether the region meets the new level. Shady Cove's proposed open burning ordinance would not affect residents who want to have a barbecue, a warming fire or a camp fire, the fire chief says. However, during the summer fire season, more stringent burning restrictions apply depending on the level of fire danger. To check the burning advisory, call 776-7007. In other action Thursday, the Shady Cove City Council: Awarded Frank Kinney of Rogue Construction the bid to pave and reconstruct 140 feet of Sarma Drive. Kinney submitted the lowest bid of $18,204.80. Approved an emergency expenditure policy for the sanitation plant. This will allow public works director George Bostic to spend up to $2,500 for an emergency repair or part, with the city administrator's authorization. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA