Clean Air is a vital issue in the Imperial County, which has some of the worst particulate pollution in California as well as the highest hospitalization rates for childhood asthma in California. The Association is working to bring these issues to public attention, to develop a coordinated focus on solutions.
Air Pollution Picture
Imperial County air quality frequently violates the federal standards that govern ozone. Worse, even, than ozone, is Imperial County's problem with particulate matter—the suspended particles of dust, toxins, diesel exhaust, etc. that are inhaled and often trapped in the lungs. Particulate matter in Calexico has been measured at ten times above the federal standard and more than double the level at which the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says significant harm to health occurs.
Imperial Valley Air Quality Index
Pesticide Awareness
Advising the Court
Dust Storms from the Salton Sea Bed
As Imperial County struggles to contain the particulate pollution which so afflicts children and those with lung disease, an urgent new concern emerges with the possibility of exposure of the land underneath the Salton Sea. Dust storms of massive scale could develop as the level of the Salton Sea continues to drop. This concern prompted the Association to offer public comment April 12 on the proposed transfer of water from the Imperial Irrigation District to the San Diego County Water Authority. Sending water from the Imperial Valley to San Diego could more quickly expose the Salton Sea bed, which contains toxic and carcinogenic particles such as selenium, cadmium, and arsenic (due to irrigation runoff) that would become part of the airborne pollution problem. The Association has also offered language to Congressman Duncan Hunter to include in a proposed bill, HR 2764, to mitigate the effects on the Salton Sea of the proposed water transfer. Hundreds of millions of dollars would be required to mitigate the potential dust storms which could result from exposure of a significant fraction of the Salton Sea bed due to the water transfer project.
