Sand Clearing Efforts In May Reduce Bad Air Days: SCAQMD

COACHELLA VALLEY, CA — Clearing sand from roadways throughout the Coachella Valley over the next year to reduce windblown particulate matter that impacts residents' health will be managed by street sweeping operations using $220,000 in grants, the South Coast Air Quality Management District announced Friday.

The SCAQMD awarded the funds to the Coachella Valley Association of Governments for a program initiated in 2019 to remove "blowsand," according to the agency.

"Extending the street sweeping program is a continued strategy to control dust and protect public health while we advance broader, medium and long-term dust mitigation strategies," Riverside County Board of Supervisors Chairman and SCAQMD Governing Board member Manuel Perez said.

An aggregate $1.5 million has been provided for sweeping operations in the last six years, officials said.

"The program provides weekly street sweeping across about 43,000 curb miles each year, reducing an estimated .4 tons of PM10 per day," according to an agency statement. "The Coachella Valley faces a unique challenge, where strong winds routinely push fine sand onto paved surfaces, where traffic breaks it into particles that become airborne ... Crews use low-emission natural gas sweepers, with pickup and dump trucks on designated routes. Additional sand cleanup occurs after major wind events."

Real time monitoring of dust generation and migration is accomplished with cameras. One is located at high elevation in San Jacinto State Park "to track dust generation and movement on the Coachella Valley floor," the SCAQMD said.

Another camera is slated for installation to track blowsands in the eastern valley region, officials said.