1:15 AM: Very faint trace of wood smoke remains in the air.
2:00 AM: Very faint trace of wood smoke continues.
6:30 AM: No wood smoke in the air! There is a faint sulfur odor coming from the industrial section of town.
6:10 PM: Faint wood smoke on the breeze. The breeze is very slight flowing to the west. I lit a match outside and watched the smoke drift west. 71 degrees, sunny, another beautiful evening ruined by wood smoke.
6:40 PM: Faint grass smoke. Somebody is burning grass.
6:45 PM: I went out and tracked down the grass burner. They are frequent grass burners. They burn wood 4 - 7 times a week, too. They burn wood then burn grass as if they think we can't smell the burning grass. We can. I will be reporting them to the city.
7:05 PM: Light wood smoke on the breeze.
8:30 PM: Very faint wood smoke coming out of the east.
I finished a careful read of the city's recreational burning ordinances. The definition of a recreational fire under Chapter 98: NUISANCES is:
RECREATIONAL FIRE. A fire set with approved starter fuel no more than three feet in height, contained within the border of a “recreational fire site” using dry, clean wood; producing little detectable smoke, odor or soot beyond the property line; conducted with an adult tending the fire at all times; for recreational, ceremonial, food preparation for social purposes; extinguished completely before quitting the occasion; and respecting weather conditions, neighbors, burning bans, and air quality so that nuisance, health or safety hazards will not be created. No more than one recreational fire is allowed on any property at one time.
If a nuisance is created by wood smoke crossing property lines, as it almost always is, it no longer falls under the definition of a recreational fire. When I smell wood smoke on our property, which is every single night, and if I can find the source, I will be calling the police to make a nuisance complaint. Four nuisance calls to an address within a 30-day period can result in fines for the property owner, I think.
If the city cares to enforce this, and I hope they do, it could help shut down some of the frequent burners, those who burn several times a week. There are several of those among the hundreds of homes around us. It will not eliminate the wood smoke pollution problem in this city since some burners only burn once a week or a few times a summer, but anything to make this city more livable will help. Breathing smoky air 25 evenings in a month is not enjoyable. It's a living hell.
I don't like the idea of wasting the resources of trained police officers to make wood smoke nuisance complaints. But since city council members Jan Walczak, Bob Bruton, Terry Furlong, and Dave Zick have refused to do anything about this nightly wood smoke problem, we really don't have much choice.
9:10 PM: Very faint wood smoke continues. 64 degrees at this time. It will likely continue for hours. Most of the burners are to the west of us. There are some to the east, too. Actually, whichever direction the wind blows it brings wood smoke to us. Recreational burning has exploded the past few years thanks to this city's generous ordinance allowing burning seven days a week and there is no end in sight. As long as Walczak, Bruton, Furlong, and Zick are on the city council, smoky air is here to stay.
10:00 PM: No wood smoke. Fresh air! Did the burning stop or did the wind shift direction? How long will it last? Going to bed now.
Midnight: No wood smoke. Woke up around this time. The air was clear.