PORTLAND – A new website provides air quality information as smoke from wildfires fills the skies throughout central and eastern Washington. Numerous county, state and federal health agencies are contributing information on air quality issues in Washington State. A volunteer web group is combining their information on one website. “This website is a big step forward in providing the public with one-stop information that will help them protect their health,” said Deputy Regional Forester Maureen Hyzer. “We recognize that smoke from wildfires is a big concern for the public. This site will help them get information quickly about air quality where they live.” A number of agencies are providing the information, including Washington State Department of Ecology, Washington State Department of Health, Washington tribes, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Forest Service and various Washington county health departments. Air quality in the Wenatchee area has remained in the ‘hazardous’ category for over a week now, according to the Washington Department of Ecology, with each day being a little worse than the previous day. This scenario is not expected to change much over the next few days,” said Ecology forecaster Ranil Dhammapala. Air quality in the Columbia Basin and the Palouse/Spokane region has been deteriorating very gradually over the last few days and is mostly in the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” category Friday morning, according to the Ecology Department. Air in these areas may improve slightly, but not much, Saturday evening through Sunday evening.