By SDCN Staff
San Diego, CA–The San Diego County Air Pollution Control District continues to distribute free air purifiers, through their Air Improvement Relief Effort program, to help the communities affected by the odors produced by the transboundary wastewater and sewage flows near the Tijuana River Valley.
Since the program launched in early February, the district has received over 4,000 applications and has distributed over 2,500 air purifiers to eligible households, with an additional 500 expected to be shipped out in the coming days.
Households can apply for the program by registering online which takes less than 5 minutes to complete. Once an application is approved, the air purifier is shipped directly to the applicant’s address, along with a replacement filter. The air purifiers being distributed by the district contain potassium permanganate, a compound that specifically helps filter hydrogen sulfide, the gas responsible for the odors impacting communities near the Tijuana River Valley.
With the warm months ahead and the ongoing construction of the wastewater treatment plant in Mexico, residents are encouraged to complete the registration application as soon as possible to ensure they receive an air purifier prior to potentially increased levels of hydrogen sulfide.
“Our goal is to provide some relief to impacted residents during these periods of potential increased odors. We are hoping to distribute 10,000 air purifiers as quickly as possible, but it takes some time to process applications and distribute the air purifiers,” said Paula Forbis, SDAPCD Air Pollution Control Officer. “That’s why we are urging residents to apply now.”
The San Diego County Air Pollution Control District has funding to distribute up to 10,000 air purifiers through the AIRE Program.
For more information about the program, including requirements and application, click here.
