Delta County is a fast-growing area of Colorado located in a valley where smoke from wood stoves can get trapped for days at a time, resulting in unhealthy temperature inversions.  The community was also once home to a Louisiana-Pacific (L-P) Corporation plant that was the source for significant levels of toxic emissions.  In response to growing concern among citizens about air quality, the local board of health appointed the Delta County Air Quality Advisory Commission to create a forum for addressing clean air issues.

Soon after the Commission was formed, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ruled that the L-P plant in Delta County was in violation of environmental standards.  L-P agreed to do a Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP) – a voluntary environmental improvement project performed by a company found to be in violation of an EPA regulation as part of the settlement of an enforcement action.  

When the Commission learned that SEP grants were available as a result of the L-P settlement, they submitted an application and received an initial grant of $20,000 from the state, followed by another one for $175,000.  After gathering public input on how to conduct the changeout, the program kicked off in 1995 at the Delta Home and Garden Show, and continues to this day providing significant rebates for low-income citizens and smaller discounts for other residents of the community.

• There were 162 wood stove changeouts in Delta County, and officials have expended $108,605 of their funding for an average of $670 per changeout.
• SEP grants offer a viable option for funding wood stove changeouts, but they may not be top-of-mind as a potential source for funds among staff at local and state air quality and health agencies.  The Commission in Delta County submitted their grant application to the state Attorney General’s office, which administered the settlement.

Ken Nordstrom
Delta County Health Department
970-874-2169       
knordstrom@deltacounty.com