air pollution in Utah? (Provo, Bountiful: health, house, college)

[hueimo]

is it really that bad and affects people's health? we're thinking of moving there, but read articles about this pollution which is what's holding us back, heard that it's the fifth worse air pollution state..please help explain, feel so depressed.

[eggalegga]

Depends on which town you're considering moving to and what health issues you currently have. I've lived in utah for over 40 years. All of those years along the wasatch front....the most heavily populated areas. In the winter, there are days where the air is unhealthy. If I just stay inside I'm fine. But people with asthma sometimes struggle.

[MomtoFour]

Where are you moving from? Where are you looking to move to? My experience is with Salt Lake Valley and Utah Valley.

I moved to Utah for college and stayed for 10 years, then moved to the East Coast. In my experience, the poor air quality really hits you when you first move there (in terms of noticing it), but after a while you get used to it. Our friends and relatives don't seem to be fazed at all by air quality we find shocking when we visit.

We have never noticed any health issue (no asthma or anything), but it just *seems* unhealthy to breathe bad air.

The explanation has to do with pollution being trapped in the valleys by (I think) cold air. Look up the term "inversion." If you can buy a house in the foothills, that might put you above at least some of the pollution.

[hueimo]

you mean to buy a house at the town name, Foothills in SLC area? I'm from Hawaii. thanks for everyone's your input!

[MomtoFour]

Originally Posted by hueimo

you mean to buy a house at the town name, Foothills in SLC area? I'm from Hawaii. thanks for everyone's your input!

Sorry, I can see where my response was confusing.

No, I mean to buy a home that is actually on a hill. Herriman on the west side of the valley is one option, but most of the higher homes are on the east side of the SL valley. I'm not as familiar with SLC (we lived in Utah Valley but are contemplating a move back to Utah and are looking at SLC) or I'd give you specific town/area names.

[DP525]

All areas of the valley will experience the air pollution, even Suncrest which is on a small mountain at the south end of the valley. You would have to go higher up in the mountains like to Park City to get above it.

[RockyMtnr]

Years ago (perhaps 25?), Kennecott Copper Mines - which sit on top of the Ochre Mountains that define the west side of the Salt Lake Valley - had a smokestack on the "visible" side of the mountains. They built a new extractor/smokestack and stuck it on the "other" side of the mountains. It reduced a lot of the pollutants but more accurately, made the pollutants more invisible.
Years ago, there were smokestacks at 33rd South St. right near the freeway. They hauled those out but they were radioactive ... and of chemical makeup such that people living within only a few blocks would go out in their yards barefoot - only to have burning feet ... and probably suffering some long-term effects during those strongest years. They emptied out that "tailings" area in the 80's, I believe it was.
That same area (33rd & the Freeway) also has a lot of noise pollution from the sheer volume of traffic in the area - and that can translate into exhaust pollution.
Years ago, Utah Steel used to be a source of pollution - sitting on the ... well, smack-dab on Utah Lake near Provo. I do not know what the story is these days. Somebody?
So, with regular windage, most of Utah is cleaner than most places - wind keeps the streets clean, some of the neighborhoods, etc. There will be some local "hot-spots" but really, Utah is not an industrialized nation - no mountan-west state is - not enough water to support factories all over. The major problem comes, as everybody says - at inversion time ... which is usually around January for a month or so.
I would not live too near Kennecott - much of the ground water was spoiled years and years ago. I wouldn't live near and near-east of the freeways because of exhaust fumes. I wouldn't live too near to North Salt Lake or Bountiful because of the refineries.
Hey - it's cleaner than Pittsburgh, no matter what!