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Brown Air in the Valley

from Steve Eastwood

Has Phoenix Air Quality Improved Since 2000?

According to the EPA, the Phoenix area's air was improving during the past few years, but the agency issued Maricopa County a "Notice of Deficiency" in May 2005 for repeated violations during the preceding months of federal air quality standards set forth in the 1990 Clean Air Act. While data is still being reviewed for 2005, in 2004 Maricopa County racked up 30 such violations.

As a result, the EPA has mandated that the area's particulate pollution must be cut by at least 5% per year based on current levels. Those cuts will be enforced until the federal agency is satisfied certain health standards are met. Local officials have until late 2007 to present their plan to the EPA to meet those new standards.

Maricopa County officials called 2005 "the worst for air quality in memory" according to a January 2006 report in the "Arizona Republic." Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) Director Steve Owens said the air pollution during the winter of 2005 was "kind of like the Brown Cloud on steroids."

The Worst Polluters in Phoenix

According to the recently formed Maricopa County Air Quality Department, the largest offenders contributing to the area's most recent downturn in air quality appear to be housing developers who paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines for dust and permit violations during the past year. Manufacturers, trucking companies, and many others have also been fined by the department for a variety of infractions.

In addition to regulating industrial polluters, County officials are reaching out to citizens of the area to do their part in cleaning up the air. Recommendations include keeping cars tuned up and running properly, reducing and combining trips, using public transportation, and refraining from using wood stoves or indoor fireplaces during high pollution advisories, also known as "no-burn days." Outdoor fire pits are currently exempt from this regulation, though that exemption is under review. Residents can call (602) 506-6400 any time for messages in English and Spanish outlining up-to-the-minute wood burning restrictions.

Additional regulations may be considered for Maricopa County including stricter enforcement of vehicle and industrial emission standards and dust regulations along with extending no-burn bans to outdoor wood fires. Cities may consider imposing restrictions on leaf blowers and other sources of particulate pollution not already being regulated.

Looking Ahead

In the meantime, Valley residents and visitors will continue to deal with the health effects of the Brown Cloud by doing what they can including staying indoors during the region's all too common air quality advisories and visiting their doctors or hospital emergency rooms when breathing becomes a chore.

In the early 20th Century, the Valley of the Sun's clean air was a miracle cure for those with respiratory ailments. While the area may never be as pristine as that again, it can become cleaner in the 21st Century with the help of the area's residents and businesses. That will help everyone who calls the area "home" breathe a lot easier.

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Steve Eastwood Steve Eastwood has been a Valley resident since 1986 and runs Sherwood Web Design.

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