Smoke from wildfires continued to create hazardous conditions in much of North America and led to a second day of closure of the Ford Lake venue hosting the USRowing RowFest National Championships, the combination of what used to be the summer club national championships, masters national championships, and the International Rowing Challenge at the same venue over a nine-day period, July 11-19, in Ypsilanti, Mich.
The Air Quality Index, a measure of five air pollutants (ground-level ozone, particulates, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide) reached 471 early Friday morning near the regatta site. The index‘s scale is 0 to 500, with higher numbers reflecting worse conditions. Above 150 is considered unhealthy, and the value across much of the upper midwest have been hazardous during the week.
“To ensure safe conditions for all rowers, we are pausing all racing today and closing Ford Lake park completely,” said a July 16 statement on the RowFest page of RegattaCentral.com. Friday’s update read, “While AQI levels in the Ford Lake area are beginning to improve, they remain within the unsafe range for both physical and non-physical activity (rigging & trailer parking). The venue will remain closed on Friday, July 17, for all on-site activities.”
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