SAN DIEGO — The Port of San Diego is contributing an additional $480,000 to provide air filtration devices to schools and homes in communities near the port’s maritime and industrial operations.
The funding, provided through the Port’s Maritime Industrial Impact Fund, will go to the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District for the distribution of approximately 500 air filtration devices to residents and as many as 300 devices to schools.
The program is intended to reduce exposure to air pollution and improve indoor air quality for residents, students and school staff in the Portside Community, which includes Barrio Logan, Logan Heights, Sherman Heights, and West National City.
The Maritime Industrial Impact Fund was established to support projects addressing effects associated with maritime industrial activity, including air quality concerns and heavy vehicle and equipment movement in nearby neighborhoods.
“Every family deserves clean air at home, and every child deserves a healthy place to learn,” Port of San Diego Board of Port Commissioners Chair Ann Moore said. “This partnership is one more way we’re listening to our communities, being a good neighbor and working together to create healthier air for all who live, work, and play on and around San Diego Bay.”
The latest funding builds on other projects supported through the fund, including $800,000 for air filtration at the Logan Heights Library, $488,000 for air filters at Perkins Elementary School and $103,000 for residential air filters in the Portside Community.
Other investments have included $1.5 million for the National City segment of the Bayshore Bikeway; $400,000 for the Free Ride Around National City program; and $66,000 for a freight signal prioritization demonstration along Harbor Drive.
According to the Port, the investments are part of its broader effort to address the effects of maritime and industrial operations on neighboring communities while continuing to support commercial activity around San Diego Bay.
