VCAPCD News

This monitor is set up on West Cochran Street.

Real-time data on fine particle concentrations at Simi Valley sites is online

(SIMI VALLEY, Calif. — May 29, 2025) The Ventura County Air Pollution Control District has installed temporary air quality monitors near the Simi Valley Landfill and adjacent to Highway 118 to measure levels of fine particulate matter.

The information is available at fire.airnow.gov and the AirNow Interactive Map. The monitors are marked with T’s for temporary on the Fire and Smoke Map and by diamond symbols on the Interactive Map. They are on both sides of Highway 118 near Madera Road. People can see current readings and where they fall on the Air Quality Index, which indicates whether they pose a health risk. The AirNow NowCast AQI is a multi-hour average. The recent history of hourly values and corresponding AQI for the monitors is also available. The monitors measure levels of PM 2.5, particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less.

The Environmental Beta Attenuation Mass Monitors, or E-BAMs, are portable, real-time beta gauge instruments comparable to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency methods for PM 2.5 and PM 10 measurements. Data records are updated hourly.

This monitor is capturing data on Madera Road.

The monitors were installed in response to concerns about the transportation and disposal of debris from the January wildfires in Altadena and Pacific Palisades to the landfill. Debris is wrapped and moistened to reduce dust before arriving at the landfill, which is not authorized to accept hazardous waste.