OGDEN, Utah — For the first time, Ogden City has an air quality monitoring system that can help them know what is in the air in real-time, including dust blowing from the Great Salt Lake. It was funded by a local race and people who are passionate about clean air.
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Tara Warren lives in Ogden. At the 29th Street trailhead, she helps organize the "Running Up For Air" race in Ogden. She participated in the Salt Lake City race series and wanted to bring it to her neighborhood and help clean air initiatives where she lives.
RUFA is a winter challenge during the last weekend of February where participants do a six-hour, 12-hour or 24-hour endurance challenge on Malan’s Peak.
"I do it for my kids,” said Warren. “They want the quality of life, in a place where we're worried about our air and breathing and our overall health, long-term health."
Using a little over $15,000 raised through the race in 2025, organizers made their first donation to a local group — to Weber State University's sustainability team.
"Just to see and hold those air quality monitors and knowing that’s going to make quite a difference in our area is pretty cool,” Warren added.
In partnership with Ogden City, crews installed four Tellus air quality monitors around town. One is at Weber State's sustainable home, which is a place for people to learn how to make their own homes more efficient.
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Now, the city has a new way to see what exactly is in the air we breathe and can use it to make important, data-driven decisions about improving air quality.
"They monitor PM 10, which is actually what dust from the lake can typically be, and so this is really important because as we have low water years like this, that dust is going to start to blow more and more and Ogden is really on the front lines of that,” said Lorenzo Long, sustainability coordinator for Ogden City.
Long hopes the public uses this as a tool in their everyday lives. They can look at the Tellus map and learn about what the air quality is like on any day.
"I hope that they can make better decisions on their daily activities based on what they are seeing,” added Long.
Warren said she hopes it's something she can continue to do.
"Big thanks to everyone who comes out and supports the cause because we're making a difference,” she said.
