Posts Tagged ‘Dust’
Mesa County and the city of Grand Junction are collaborating with state health officials to monitor and control dust that can whip up blinding storms in the spring and pose an unhealthy nuisance for residents.
County commissioners adopted an agreement Monday with the city and the state’s Air Quality Control Division that officials say should help protect the public and reduce the chances that the Grand Valley violates federal air-quality standards when it comes to dust pollution.
Local and state officials are trying to address elevated air dust levels in the valley that exceed the federal particulate matter standard known as PM10, as well as determine whether increased levels are created here or outside the area.
The federal government allows Mesa County to exceed the PM10 standard three times in a three-year period. If the standard is exceeded a fourth time, the state and local governments have to develop a plan to bring the valley’s air quality back into compliance.
Mike Brygger, county air quality specialist, said the county exceeded the PM10 standard three times in 2005 but not once since.
“We haven’t exceeded that standard in the last couple of years, but there’s always the potential to have a bad year,” he said.
Local officials aren’t just watching for elevated levels of dust. They’re also looking to see where the dust comes from.
That’s important because if air monitors register particulate sizes that violate federal standards, but those particulates came from a dust storm that blew in from outside the valley, local officials can claim the elevated levels were beyond their control. They can then petition the Environmental Protection Agency to remove the incident from a federal database and not have it count as a strike against the county.
For example, Brygger said, two of the PM10 standard violations in 2005 were the result of regional, not local, dust.
The agreement between the state, county and city reinforces dust-control measures already in place.
For the first time, it also brings in another agency to notify the public when high levels of dust are in the air.
Beginning this spring, the National Weather Service will issue blowing dust and public health advisories as necessary, advising elderly and citizens with breathing problems to stay indoors and people in general not to exercise outside.
The agreement also requires the city and county to review the effectiveness of their dust-control measures and implement any necessary modifications every two years.
Tags: PM10, Dust, dust control
Posted in 
Tags: 
A recent piece of writing about Curt Ditter caught my awareness. This article, which I will announce below, talked about the issues of a small rural community that often times finds itself scraped for money. While the banksters are getting bonuses and bailouts, we the citizens have to find ways to make ends meet. This includes our towns as well. It was within this commentary that they mentioned Dust Control . Now in times past and in numerous places still today, the usual operating course of action was to utilize Calcium Chloride. Granted Calcium works for dust control , for a time moreover it has a number of drawbacks with regards to the decomposition and environmental aspects. I speak for a while for one straightforward purpose. When it starts to shower on that Calcium Chloride it starts to wash away.
In the company of Top-Seal you do not have this problem. But you appreciate, when the dust control issue arises in argument the fee per application is the only number usually taken into deliberation. If they really wish to save notes they need to look at the anticipated life of each treatment. For example if one product cost 30% extra yet only needs to be applied once compared to 4 applications of the less expensive product. Which would you select. Well if you like to keep your votes you chose the less expensive but if you desire to stay in office for a while, you outdo imagine long term. For a temporary, reoccurring dust control product, continue with Calcium Chloride, for a extended term answer you should seriously consider Top-Seal. Finally the article that caused this thought.
Several people are running for two trustee seats in Brush Creek community. Rumors of promises made are spreading faster than a plague. Water being extended, chip-seal for roads. We thought water line extensions were handled by the county commissioners, not township trustees. As for chip-seal, Brush Creek is a poor rural community and can barely afford dust control that is put down on part of our 36 miles of gravel road. We go to meetings and listen to them trying to find money to do more for the rural community. We can’t even afford a building to lock equipment in to protect it from vandals.
Tags: dust control, Dust, fugitive dust