CA Air Resources Board backs Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District
In a long awaited decision, the California Air Resources Board ruled this week that the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is required to construct additional air pollution controls on the dried Owens Lake bed. The LADWP has opposed existing federal, state and local air pollution control laws because of the cost of the required controls. LADWP’s water diversions from the Eastern Sierra cause the Owens Lake bed to be dry, creating the largest single source of fine particulate matter air pollution in the country. Particulate air emissions are a danger to human health and the environment; the particulates lodge deep in the lungs, causing respiratory injuries and additional risks to children and the elderly. Over the past year, LADWP’s operations have created dust storms exceeding the federal standard on 25 separate days resulting in the issuance of local health alerts.
In late 2011, the agency responsible for enforcing the law, the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District, determined that an additional 2.86 square miles of the Owens Lake bed require dust controls in order to meet air quality standards in the Owens Valley. The LADWP appealed Great Basin’s determination to the State Air Board and a hearing was held on the issues in Sacramento last June. The Air Board’s decision supporting Great Basin was released on Nov. 19 (click here to read the document).
“The State Air Board found in favor of Great Basin on every one of the issues,” said Ted Schade, Great Basin’s Air Pollution Control Officer. “Having across-the-board support from the premier technical and legal air quality organization in the state is very gratifying. The ARB spent an entire year carefully evaluating all the LADWP’s objections and found no grounds for the LADWP’s claims that no additional controls are required. Great Basin encourages LADWP to move forward immediately to protect the air quality of the Owens Valley.” –Press Release
Most of those exceedences didn’t reach any populated areas, they were measured at monitors that are right on the edge of the lakebed. Also PM10 particles do not go as deep into the respiratory system as PM2.5, which is not a large component of Owens Lake dust.
The dry lake is 99% cleaner than it was. Its sort of like calculus, the line approaches zero but never gets there. Great Basin has a large interest in keeping DWP working on the lake forever, because they are about 90% funded by LADWP, and Schade might have to layoff 60% of his little empire if that cash were to dry up. Ooh, and maybe he would have to take a pay cut.
As far as ARB goes, what else would one expect from an Agency that is attempting to destroy the economy of California with onerous and unnecessary environmental regulations that are at best based on poor science, and at worst based on no science at all.
Great Basin spouts the same old tired press releases as always, hoping to cause fear and loathing in an ignorant population.
Oldtimer,
Estimates of the dust control at OL are in the 80-90% range. The data is available at LADWP and GBUAPCD. Monitors at the edge of the lake would include Keeler, Olancha and Cartago. Lone Pine is a short few miles away and kept school kids in at recess during bad air days. LA funding Great Basin Is appropriate (they are the culprit) and it is what they agreed to do.
CARB’s defense of the health of children and families in CA is supported by all responsible people. Hundreds of studies have been done on the harm caused to lung tissue by PM-10’s and PM 2.5’s. This is not bad science and is not disputed by LADWP.
I’m part of our Eastern Sierra population and resent your labeling me and any others as ignorant while giving no evidence at all.
So you are aware Mr. Prather, that if EPA and CARB abandoned the PM10 standard for the PM2.5 Standard, that the Lake would not violate that standard?
There have been a lot of studies, mostly pointing to PM2.5 as the culprit in disease, and larger then 2.5 mostly just irritating. Although particulates are aggravating to asthma and other lung conditions.
So, after Owens Lake is “fixed” do you intend to turn your attention to the Stove Pipe Wells dunes? Eureka Valley? Saline Valley? Who’s responsible there?