A win for cleaner air: Official air quality alerts now available on the Westside

Westside residents can now receive free alerts for when air quality reaches unhealthy levels. To subscribe, visit bit.ly/westsidealerts.  

Residents living on Salt Lake City’s Westside now have the ability to receive official air quality alerts for their specific neighborhoods. That’s according to recent updates from local air quality monitoring agencies.

The alerts bring attention to the elevated pollution, confirming what many residents have long observed and known: the air can often be worse on the Westside compared to other parts of the valley.

This recognition feels like a long time coming for advocates and residents who have raised awareness of the air quality for their communities. This is also a big moment for the communities of these neighborhoods.

For years now, The West View has been following community concerns about air quality on the Westside. As reported in The West View’s story in “Air Quality Alert: How Mobile Air Quality Monitors Reveal Neighborhood-Level Disparities,” local community groups and nonprofits such as HEAL Utah stationed mobile air quality monitors across the areas of the Westside. The data collected from those monitors revealed that some neighborhoods face worse pollution than the official sensors had shown.

These community efforts uncovered pollution “hot spots” in these overlooked neighborhoods, giving residents and advocates stronger evidence to push for targeted interventions, better resources, and more equitable environmental policies for their friends and families.

Such attention to these issues initiated a research project that identified key pollution sources and suggested targeted interventions, as reported in The West View in “New Project Studies Poor Air Quality on Westside, Proposes Possible Solution.”

And not only that but 100 residents gained access to free, high-efficiency air filters to improve indoor air quality — a crucial defense when outdoor conditions deteriorate, as explained in “Furnace Filter Exchange Program Launches on the Westside.”

After the tireless efforts of many of our neighbors, we see that the Westside is finally being acknowledged for its heightened risks to air quality. Communities and all those who have been advocating can celebrate this win: access to official air quality alerts.

This means:

• More attention from monitoring agencies and the public

• Better chances for resources like filter programs to reach the area

• A stronger case for neighborhood-specific solutions

This uplifts a healthier future for Westside residents and offers these communities a platform to voice their health concerns and receive more environmental justice solutions. This also means that you – local community members – have a better opportunity to see data about the air you breathe every day. 

What you can do:

1. Keep an eye on the alerts.
   When a “poor air quality” alert is issued in your area, take it seriously — limit strenuous outdoor activity, especially for kids, older adults, and those with asthma or respiratory issues.

2. Use indoor tools.
   Check out local programs offering high-efficiency furnace filters. The Westside filter exchange program remains active and free for residents.

3. Stay plugged in.
   Sign up for free email alerts and follow The West View plus other local monitoring groups for updates on conditions, resources, and community action. 

4. Advocate for change.
   With hard work and sufficient data, community members can push for cleaner transportation options, stricter industrial emissions, green buffer zones, and more community monitoring stations.

For updates on the alerts and ways to protect yourself during poor air quality days, sign up for free email alerts when air quality reaches unhealthy levels. To subscribe, visit bit.ly/westsidealerts.