Free air purifiers are available for residents in the eastern Coachella Valley as part of the AB 617 Residential Air Filtration Program, and an outreach event will be held Saturday in Mecca for residents who need help with the application process.
South Coast Air Quality Management District staff will help residents with their applications from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Mecca Community Center, 65-250 Coahuilla St., according to Riverside County Supervisor V. Manuel Perez. Residents will be eligible for the free portable air filtration units and three years of replacement filters.
“This is a great use of air quality improvement funds to help our community members enhance the quality of life and promote environmental justice,” Perez said in a statement. “This is free, good for health, and I hope residents will take advantage of this program and apply.”
The program provides California Air Resources Board-certified air purifiers in an effort to reduce residential exposure to particulate matter like dust, Perez said. Air filtration units were set to be distributed to eligible residents on a first-come, first-served basis.
Applicants must live within Coachella, parts of Indio or La Quinta, or the communities of Carver Tract, Mecca, North Shore, Oasis, and Thermal, according to Perez. The application would also require applicants to provide proof of residence within the eligible areas.
The application and more information was available at aqmd.gov/raf.