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Georgia Basin/ Puget Sound
International Airshed Strategy
and Inventory of Air Quality Practices
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What is the Georgia Basin/ Puget Sound (GB/PS) area ?
What is an "Airshed" ?
What is the GB/PS International Airshed Strategy ?
What is the air quality in the region
What is being done ?
The Georgia Basin / Puget Sound area is located in the western transboundary
coastal region of Canada and the United States of America (USA), and consists of the Georgia Basin in Canada and Puget
Sound in the USA. Seattle and Vancouver are the largest communities, although the provincial capital of British Columbia (Victoria)
and the state capital of Washington (Olympia) are also included in the basin.
(A more
detailed map
of the Georgia Basin/ Puget Sound
area and
other maps are available).
Historically, the Coast Salish peoples have lived in this area for
thousands of years. Andrew Bak of the Tsawwassen First Nation (a Coast
Salish people), notes that
"Our Ancestors learned to harvest the bounty of the lands and waters
in a responsible, sustainable way - and they gave this knowledge to
their children. Their children did the same, and thus passed
thousands of years.
While colonization, and the installation of the International Boundary
have had a profound effect on our homeland - it has not
severed the connection Coast Salish people feel towards the land,
and to one another, whether we are referred to as Tribes or First Nations.
For now and forever, we will continue to heed the teachings
of our Elders, and show respect for the lands and waters that are Sqealtses
- our homeland."
Today, the population has grown to over seven million people in this
region, mainly in the Greater Seattle and Greater Vancouver
areas. The population increase has been significant in recent years,
growing from about six million in 1991, and is expected to be as much
as fifty per cent larger (at nine million) by 2020. This growth has
important implications for regional environmental health due
to greater demand for employment, goods and services, land
for housing, business and transportation expansion, and related
impacts on recreation space and associated environmental resources.
Air pollution over the Lower Fraser Valley, British Columbia
An "airshed" or "air basin" is simply "the air within a given geographic area".
The air in the Georgia Basin/ Puget Sound airshed is affected by emissions from urban, suburban, marine, and agricultural activities, and their
subsequent transformation in ambient air.
In addition, rapid regional population growth means that government agencies, industry, and citizens must continue their efforts to preserve
and improve the quality of our air.
The Georgia Basin / Puget Sound International Airshed Strategy is a multi-agency,
international co-operative effort to address shared air quality management
concerns. These include impacts to human and environmental health specific
to this region. This strategy also aims to prevent future deterioration
of air quality. This is particularly important due to the recent significant
regional population growth, which is expected to continue for at least the next two
decades.
Government agencies in both countries with a responsibility for air quality
are interested in ensuring that the region's air quality is protected for
present and future generations. It is for this reason that various governments,
along with First Nations/Tribal agencies and non-governmental organizations,
are working to develop the Georgia Basin / Puget Sound International Airshed
Strategy.
(A description of the initiative's
Background is available, as is a list of
Participating Agencies).
Air quality in the area typically meet both American
and Canadian standards, however, important air quality management issues
in this international airshed still exist. These are due to findings that
unacceptable health impacts occur even at current air quality levels.
In addition, projected growth in population, economic activity and motor
vehicle use in Vancouver, Seattle and surrounding areas will contribute
to increased air pollution if this growth is not well managed.
Some of the main causes of air pollution in this area include combustion
from automobiles, truck and bus engines, wood stoves, open burning of yard
and wood waste, industrial combustion sources, and, power plants.
Haze in the transboundary Sumas Valley, British Columbia
The emphasis of the Georgia Basin / Puget Sound International Airshed Strategy
is co-operation and information sharing between Canadian and American agencies regarding
potential and actual transboundary air pollution issues.
By sharing such information, agencies with a responsibility for air
quality management can make better decisions regarding the protection of
human and environmental health in the region. Through the Georgia Basin
/ Puget Sound International Airshed Strategy, government partners are
co-operatively:
developing a system to prioritize air quality issues for action by the
Georgia Basin / Puget Sound International Airshed Strategy;
scientifically characterizing the current air quality in the airshed,
and predicting future air quality by using computer models;
working to more efficiently exchange transboundary air quality data between
agencies;
providing information on air quality management practices via the Internet;
increasing information sharing and notification procedures for significant
new sources of transboundary air pollution; and,
actively working toward regulations ensuring cleaner vehicles and fuels
in the region.
Participating agencies are also engaged in numerous additional activities related to air quality management
in the Georgia Basin/ Puget Sound area.
A list of the participating agencies
in the Georgia Basin / Puget Sound International Airshed Strategy is available.
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