Bow Valley Clean Air Society


Bow Valley Clean Air Society



Excellent air quality for people, the environment and the climate



The Bow Valley is located in the Alberta Rockies and includes the towns of Canmore and Banff, and the hamlets of Exshaw, Dead Man's Flats, Lac des Arcs, Harvie Heights and Lake Louise.

It is a unique and beautiful valley characterized by clean, crisp mountain air and clear views of glorious mountain peaks. These attributes continue to attract more people to the Bow Valley and result in expanding residential areas and tourism in the valley.

The Bow Valley is also a major transportation corridor and industrial centre.



Real-time Airborne Particulate Monitoring in the Bow Valley



For real-time air quality data in the Bow Valley go to

(if one site is down, try the other):


https://map.purpleair.com/air-quality-raw-pm25?opt=%2F1%2Flp%2Fa0%2Fp604800%2FcC0#11/51.0672/-115.2979

or

https://cyclone.unbc.ca/aqmap/#10/51.1126/-115.1896


The data on these links is provided by eight of our PurpleAir air quality monitors that we have installed in the Bow Valley along with other PurpleAir monitors. The first link is to PurpleAir's map page and shows raw PM2.5 data. The second link is provided by the University of Northern BC and shows PurpleAir monitors as well as government operated monitors. The UNBC compares and corrects the raw data from the PurpleAir monitors against the very accurate government monitors.


See below for an excellent link to CRAZ's Guide to Wildfire Smoke.



BUILD YOUR OWN AIR FILTER




In 2024 BVCAS partnered with the Biosphere Institute, the Town of Banff and the Town of Canmore to offer three workshops on how to build your own indoor air filter.



click here for presentation
Click here for instructions on how to build your own air filter

CRAZ and the Portable Air Monitoring Lab (PAML) Project



Canmore Air Monitoring by CRAZ 2019 and 2021. Thanks to the Calgary Regional Air Shed Zone (CRAZ) for bringing the PAML to Canmore. The results of the air monitoring by the PAML are available here:

https://craz.ca/downloads/craz-documents/Documents/Air-Quality-Reports/PAML%20Deployments/PAML%20Monitoring%20Report%20-%20Canmore%20Apr%2018%202022.pdf




Recent and Ongoing BVCAS Activities



Industry



We have recently reviewed both the Graymont and Lafarge 10 year renewal applications. BVCAS issued a Statement of Concern with regard to the Graymont application and we will soon be meeting with Lafarge to try to address some concerns we have with their 10 year renewal.



Closed Door By-law



We recently submitted a detailed report to the Town of Canmore in support of a closed door by-law. Our members conducted 12 surveys through downtown adding up the number of doors propped open in cold weather and the corresponding outside temperatures. We then calculated the GHG's being emitted as a result of the energy lost through all of the open doors over a year. This number was equivalent to 53 return passenger flights between Calgary and Toronto!.

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Purple Air Monitors



Thanks to the town of Canmore, BVCAS recently purchased five (5) more PurpleAir monitors. We now have a total of eight (8) Purple Air Monitors in the Bow Valley. Realtime data is provided in partnership with PurpleAir. Our monitors (along with other private PurpleAir monitors in the Bow Valley) report on particulate matter. See links above on how to access the realtime data.


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Electric Vehicle Summit



BVCAS prepared graphs of carbon emissions from conventional vehicles vs. electric vehicles.

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Membership and Meetings



Membership fees are $10 per year for an individual
or $15 per year for a family.



Our BVCAS regular monthly meeting are usually held on the first Tuesday of the month but not always so check back to confirm.


For 2025 our expected meeting dates are as follows:

Jan 7, Feb 4, Mar 4, Apr 8, May 6, Jun 3, Sept 2, Oct 7, Nov 4, and
Dec 2 at 7:00 pm at the Georgetown Inn.

There are no meetings over the summer.


We need new members because they bring new ideas, talents and provide valuable operating revenue to enable us to carry out our mission. We encourage our members and anyone interested in our Society to attend. If you would like more information about our meetings or want to join our membership, please email us.



Contact Us


Email: info@bowcleanair.org

The Bow Valley in located within the Treaty 7 Region of Southern Alberta. In the spirit of respect, reciprocity and truth, we honour and acknowledge the traditional territory of the Stoney Nakoda, which is comprised of the Bearspaw First Nation, Chiniki First Nation, and Goodstoney First Nation – as well as the Tsuut’ina First Nation and the Blackfoot Confederacy comprised of the Siksika, Piikani, Kainai. We also acknowledge that this territory is home to the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3, within the historical Northwest Métis homeland. In addition, the Bow Valley has also long been important to the Ktunaxa and Secwépemc First Nations who traditionally occupied lands and used the watersheds of the Columbia and Kootenay Rivers and the eastern slopes of the Rockies. The area was also used by the Mountain Cree clan of Chief Peechee, and the Dene of the far north and far south. All who live, work and play here - and whose histories, languages, and cultures continue to enrich our vibrant community - celebrate and steward the land.





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