Report links OHV activity to air pollution

[Sal]

This is happening in the dunes near the beach. Of course sand is sand. What is reported is directly applicable to the desert environment.

Published: Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009
Editorial: Public health should trump recreation at the Dunes
Air quality on Nipomo Mesa needs to be improved soon


Some amount of air pollution is the price we all pay for living in an industrial world, even here in relatively rural San Luis Obispo County.

But it’s unreasonable — even downright arrogant — to expect one group of residents to breathe in harmful levels of pollutants so that others can get their kicks out of riding around on the Oceano Dunes.

That’s outrageous, yet it appears to be the case for one South County community. As Tribune writer David Sneed reported last week, a soon-to-be-released county study has pinpointed off-road recreation on the Dunes as a major cause of the dirty air that’s been an ongoing problem on the Nipomo Mesa, located downwind of the Dunes.


First, we’ve got to ask: What took so long?

High particulate levels have been reported on the Mesa for at least 15 years, so we’re somewhat baffled as to why we are only now getting a definitive report.
On a more positive note, the report does appear to be exceedingly thorough and well researched. Data was collected over three years, and the results were scrutinized by some of the nation’s top air pollution experts.

Despite that, the study already is coming under attack, and it’s bound to get worse in the weeks ahead as the findings are presented in public workshops.

That’s no surprise. Members of the off-roading community — many of whom are from out of the area — zealously lobby for continued access to the Dunes and react vehemently to any hint of new restrictions. They often point out that with so little coastal land open to them, they’re entitled to use at least this small stretch in Oceano.

It’s a persuasive argument; we agree that a wide range of recreational activities should be accommodated on public land.

However, we also believe that public health trumps recreation, and if the well-being of Nipomo Mesa residents is jeopardized by off-roading activities, that’s unacceptable.

We aren’t advocating for complete closure of the Dunes to off-roading, but we do believe it’s imperative to take steps to protect the health of residents — particularly the children and elderly people who are more susceptible to illnesses related to air pollution.

If it hasn’t already been done, data should be collected to document any higher incidences of bronchitis, asthma and other illnesses associated with exposure to particulate pollution on the Nipomo Mesa.

Officials also should look for ways to improve air quality on the Mesa as soon as possible.

Some of the suggestions offered so far — installing screens to block sand particles, watering down the sand and planting vegetation to anchor it — seem pie-in-the-skyish, but if they’ve worked elsewhere, they’re worth considering.

We suspect, though, that a more practical approach may be to limit off-road activity, especially during periods when air pollution levels exceed allowable standards.

If such measures don’t solve the problem, then it’s time to talk about closing all or part of the current OHV area to off-roading.

That would be an unpopular and difficult process, and we hope it doesn’t come to that. OHV recreation is a major source of revenue on the Central Coast, particularly in the South County, and we would not want to see any more economic hardship imposed on local communities.

But consider: When private industry spews dangerous levels of pollution, it faces fines and other sanctions. A recreation facility should be treated the same way.

It should not get a pass, no matter how popular it is or how much revenue it generates for local communities.

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/opinion/st ... _Container

[Brew]

Sal
Can you provide a link to the actual data to back up the claims?

Brew

[Pharo]

This link is to an opinion page, Sal do you know what the difference is between fact and opinion?

Later,

PBiZ

[Sal]

Dunes vehicles pollute air, study says
Written by San Luis Obispo Tribune
Thursday, December 10, 2009
David Sneed

A scientific study has concluded that off-highway-vehicle riding at Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area is a major cause of unhealthy air quality on the Nipomo Mesa.

Larry Allen, county air pollution control officer, announced the findings of the study at a recent meeting of the San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District.

“The results in the study do conclude that there is a strong link between OHV activity on the SVRA and particulate levels on the Mesa,” Allen told the board, referring to Oceano Dunes.

The air district hopes to release the study to the public before Christmas, Allen said. The district has also tentatively scheduled two public workshops, on Jan. 5 and 6, at the South County Regional Center in Arroyo Grande to discuss the findings.

The study does not contain recommendations about how to reduce dust pollution from the park, Allen said. Members of the air board will begin discussing what to do with the study when they meet Jan. 27.

Andrew Zilke, Oceano Dunes superintendent, said he accepts the findings of the study and promised to work with air officials to find ways to minimize the problem.

“We can’t ignore it,” he said. “I think we are still a ways out from being able to determine what we need to do.”

Allen’s announcement prompted a debate among the air board directors, including all five county supervisors and one council member from each of the county’s seven incorporated cities.

Kris Vardas, Pismo Beach’s representative on the panel, said the board needs to protect public health but keep in mind that Oceano Dunes is economically important to nearby cities.

Ed Waage, another Pismo Beach city councilman, suggested that dust screens might be a solution to the problem. Zilke said his department is likely to look at what other jurisdictions with high particulate levels have done to address the problem.

For example, in the Owens Valley east of the Sierra Nevada, revegetation and watering were used to control dust, Zilke said. However, it is questionable whether those solutions are practical in a dune environment, he said.

The study is likely to add fuel to the debate about the environmental consequences of off-highway-vehicle riding in the park. Nell Langford, a longtime critic of the park, said the county and air officials should use their authority to shut the park down.

“If there was ever an opportunity to protect public health, this is it,” she said.

Public health impact

The study is the result of more than three years of data collection and analysis, Allen said. An initial phase of the study showed that the Nipomo Mesa, which is downwind of Oceano Dunes, has much higher particulate levels than any other part of the county and frequently exceeds state and federal health standards.

“This is a significant public health issue,” Allen said. “People on the Mesa are breathing very high levels of particulates.”

A second phase of the study sought specifically to determine whether the vehicular recreation area was exacerbating the problem. Monitoring stations compared the amount of particulates coming off parts of the Dunes where OHV riding is allowed with areas where they are not allowed.

The findings that dune buggies are contributing to the particulate pollution on the Mesa were peer-reviewed and confirmed by some of the top particulate scientists in the nation, Allen said. He told air board members that they should reject any effort to undercut the scientific validity of the study.

“Our only agenda is protecting public health,” he said.

Particulates are airborne particles small enough to be inhaled deeply into the lungs. Smoke and dust are two common forms of particulates.

At a public workshop in San Luis Obispo in September, Melanie Marty, chief of air toxicology and epidemiology at the state Environmental Protection Agency, said multiple studies have shown a link between high particulate levels and increased sickness and mortality.

Health problems caused by particulates include decreased lung capacity, asthma, chronic bronchitis, irregular heartbeat and heart attacks, Marty said. The elderly and children are at greatest risk.

Allen declined to elaborate specifically on how OHV riding increases particulate levels pending the release of the study later this month. However, there are three possible causes.

Dirt bikes and other vehicles often send plumes of sand into the air, increasing the likelihood that it will be blown away by prevailing winds that come from the northwest.

Vehicles can also crush the sand into smaller particles, similarly increasing the chance of them becoming airborne.

Finally, under natural circumstances, a crust forms on top of sand dunes and holds the particles in place. OHV riding breaks up this crust.

http://www.responsibletrails.org/Califo ... -says.html

[Pharo]

There is a lot of opinion in this “study” as well Sal. I like the fact they mention this mythical “crust” that forms on top of sand. Fact is this crust only forms when conditions are right. A mix of sand and gravel is needed to form this crust. Something that isn’t going to happen on sand dunes.

I also like that they mention Owens dry lake bed. This “dry lake” is a direct result of the L.A Aqueduct and it is more responsible for the dust in the air then OHV’s are.

I wonder if anyone has done a study connecting ground water pumping to dust in the air?

Later,

PBiZ

[MMM]

Just look at who wrote this piece of junk. Responsible Trails my arse, they are in alliance with folk like COW. Just another anti-ohv group flapping their collective mouths.

Mike

[castle]

Sallytori, Just like we've all said here right along. You are not, in any way, wanting compliance from illegal OHV riders, you don't want ANY OHV riders. All you ever post is what you think are reasons to BAN OHV use, EVERYWHERE. You don't want to work with OHV groups so they can secure any area to ride in. You just want to ban OHV use. You are the typical enviro-nazi.

[Brew]

Looks like we wait for the results of the study before making any decisions.

Brew

[Sal]

Just another anti-ohv group

With the growing poularity of OHV wreckreation and the increasing problems it begets, look for more grass-roots efforts to protect traditional values of sanctity of home and respect for the environment.

Community groups organized to oppose the effects of unregulated OHV use are springing up all over our great country. It's democracy in action, and our leaders are listening!

[castle]

Just another anti-ohv group

With the growing poularity of OHV wreckreation and the increasing problems it begets, look for more grass-roots efforts to protect traditional values of sanctity of home and respect for the environment.

Community groups organized to oppose the effects of unregulated OHV use are springing up all over our great country. It's democracy in action, and our leaders are listening!

Unregulated? They are regulated as to where they can ride, they have to be stickered, i.e. a tax. Where does the unregulated part come in? Are you talking about the illegal riders, riders we'd all like to see go away? Well yes the illegal riders are sort of unregulated. Kind of like bank robbery is unregulated. Maybe we should require stickers and visable plates on back packers to catch the ones who walk off the trail, cut new trails and camp where they're not supposed to.