Clean air: Dust cop

Part off-road enthusiast, part kid playing in the dirt. That's how Anita Gutierrez Sanders describes her job.

As a dust cop, or more precisely, senior air quality specialist for Clark County, Sanders makes sure businesses, particularly those in the construction industry, comply with air-quality regulations established by the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Air Act.

The 1990 act sets limits on how much of various pollutants are allowed in the air. The goal is to promote and protect public health and the environment.

Exposure to high concentrations of particulate matter, including airborne dust, affects breathing; aggravates existing respiratory and cardiovascular disease; and alters the body's defenses against foreign materials, lung damage, skin cancer and premature death, according to the EPA.

Sanders, an enforcement officer for the county's Air Quality Management department, likens her presence on a job site to that of a health inspector at a restaurant.

"Site workers take notice ... sometimes I just stop traffic."

During her inspections, Sanders looks for dust blooms (airborne dust), as well as the amount of dirt being tracked off construction sites onto roadways. She said "track out" is the worst offender because the dirt is ground to a powder that can be permanently trapped inside the lungs.

It can be controlled, however, with gravel pads.

"The rocks help break the dirt off trucks before they enter the roads."

If Sanders spots a violation, she issues a verbal warning or corrective action order, which involves another inspection and a fine.

"Most (construction crews) are very compliant and do what needs to be done. They are really good at working with us," she said. "We've spent a lot of money to come into compliance and it's really paying off."

The valley's climate and soil types contribute to the dust problem, said Sanders, who has a degree in geology from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

"Winds are also a big factor," she said.

Provisions and methods for controlling dust are included in the State Implementation Plan, a working guideline for the Air Quality Management department to reach "attainment," the EPA's limit on the amount of particulate matter in the air. Sanders said the county has until 2006 to reach attainment.

Several methods can be used with water applications being the most common.

"Water is one of the least expensive ways and, in many cases, the most effective," said Ron Smolinski, project manager, public outreach and education coordinator for the Air Quality Management department.

"We have a water truck on-site for dust control for four to six hours a day," said Gregg Camic, a superintendent for William Lyon Homes.

He said the company averages 400,000 gallons of water a week for dust control and grading at the project he is working on in North Las Vegas.

Although that sounds like an exorbitant amount, the roughly 4,000 acres under construction throughout the valley use only 3 percent or 4 percent of the area's annual water consumption, Smolinski, said. Whenever possible, brown or nonpotable water is used.

"Dust is a major heath issue and even though we have a drought, we have to keep the dust down," Smolinski said.

If the county does not comply with EPA requirements, the federal government can withhold highway funds and "all in our community will hurt," he said, adding that the department constantly strives to maintain a balance between "economic vitality and air quality."

Linda DeVeau, a county-trained dust monitor for North Valley Enterprises, said her goal is to maintain 20 percent or less opacity, meaning she can see at least 80 percent of the available sunlight.

"It's not difficult to do. You just have to be reasonable about it (as) we are working in dirt. I just slow the equipment down and tell them to keep their work buckets closer to the ground," said DeVeau, who works at Aliante.

Another way builders can reduce the amount of water they use is to apply surfactants. The chemical mixtures enable water to penetrate deeper, effectively reducing the amount needed to keep soil moist.

Sanders said the drawback to surfactants is that they are soil specific and crews don't know which chemicals to use.

If the ground is not going to be disturbed for a while, Sanders said palliatives can be applied. Palliatives are soil-stabilizing substances that glue dirt in place.

The ground's stability can be checked by performing a drop-ball test. The test involves dropping a small metal ball, about the size of a marble, to see if it bounces or creates any dust. If the parcel fails the test, a corrective action order is issued to the property's owner.

This is particularly effective when inspecting vacant property, one of the department's major concerns. Although property owners create "crusts" to keep dirt stable, trespassers often use empty land for recreation or as thoroughfares.

"Just making a pathway can disturb the ground," Sanders said. "People don't realize how much it costs property owners to come into compliance with the regulations."

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