The new grant from the Environmental Protection Agency, which totals roughly $3.9 million to the County, will continue and expand on previous efforts to exchange wood burning stoves with cleaner devices approved by the EPA. These include electrical units like heat pumps, propane, natural gas and geothermal heaters in addition to EPA-approved wood-burning and pellet-heating devices.
In 2009, Klamath Falls was named a 鈥渘onattainment area,鈥� meaning it did not meet the EPA鈥檚 national air quality standards for the pollutant PM 2.5. This inhalable particulate matter causes adverse health effects especially in infants and older adults with heart or lung diseases.
According to project documents, Klamath Falls detected more than double the amount of PM 2.5 required to meet the EPA鈥檚 air pollution standards for 鈥渁ttainment areas鈥� from 2016-2018.
PM 2.5 particles are emitted from a variety of sources, although project documents show that 鈥淲inter air pollution from residential wood-burning stoves and fireplaces contributed at least 44% of the overall PM 2.5 emissions鈥� in Klamath Falls. The County received an initial award of $1.8 million from the EPA in 2020 which started the project of changing out wood-burning stoves.
In November 2023, another $4.5 million grant was awarded to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality from the EPA. In the time between the first and second grants, roughly 115 wood stoves were changed out.
鈥淭he current program that鈥檚 going on right now is almost finished,鈥� said Klamath County Public Health Director Jennifer Little in the July 2 meeting. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e almost expended all those funds and done their change-outs.鈥�
Klamath County is expected to swap out between 210 and 323 wood stoves within the next four years, resulting in an estimated PM 2.5 emissions reduction of 9.93 to 15.27 tons per year.
The agreement specifies additional efforts to 鈥渨eatherize鈥� 100 homes, which includes insulating homes and other 鈥渁ctivities necessary to undertake heat-related improvements.鈥�
The money will be sent in installments over a four-year period to Klamath County and directed as needed to the South-Central Oregon Economic Development District and Klamath Lake Community Action Services.
The new funding also includes a new special emphasis on providing these services to 鈥渦nderserved populations that rely on wood for heating.鈥� The responsibility of making sure money is being targeted towards these households will belong to a new Klamath Air Program Coordinator, who is supposed to be hired before the end of the summer.
Low-income households in the can apply for the Woodstove and Weatherization Changeout Program using .
