Something in the Air?
by Kristy Kim, Public Relations Specialist

As the weather warms, windows are opened and more time is spent outdoors. The spring time also ushers in air quality complaints, and the Permits and Enforcement (P&E) section of the Hamilton County Department of Environmental Services (HCDOES) is prepared to address your air quality concerns. In the event that you notice a suspicious outdoor odor, smoke, dust or other air quality issue in the Hamilton, Butler, Clermont or Warren county areas, you have two options to register your complaint. The first is the online air quality complaint form, www.hcdoes.org/AQMD/aq_complaint_form.htm. You will be asked for general information relating to your complaint, including your name, address and phone number. This information will be received by the complaint coordinator and responded to by a HCDOES investigator within the next 1-3 business days.

The second option is to call the 24-hour Air Quality Hotline at 946-7777. The hotline is available 24-hours a day, seven days a week, excluding major holidays. An investigator from HCDOES will promptly return your call to discuss the complaint and to obtain more details about your air quality concern and try to make arrangements to meet at your home and verify the air quality problem with you and attempt to trace the origin/source of the problem if the air quality problem is still present.

Finally, HCDOES will contact you in the few days following your call to give you the results of your complaint. If you have any additional questions or concerns regarding the complaint program or procedure, please contact the complaint coordinator, Kerri Castlen, at 946-7738.