Dust Control – Soil Stabilization – Erosion Control

Due to expected high winds, Clark County Department of Air Quality and Environmental Management (DAQEM) officials are advising residents and operators of local construction sites of the possibility of blowing dust Saturday afternoon through Sunday afternoon.

It’s the second time this week that officials have issued an alert for dust storms in the area, as rapidly lowering temperatures have been accompanied by strong winds.

At this time, unhealthy levels of dust are not occurring.

As part of the county’s dust-control program, air quality officials are sending notices to construction sites around the county, asking them to take precautions to prevent blowing dust.

Air Quality officials will continue to monitor the situation and will post an alert on the forecast page of the DAQEM website if unhealthy levels of dust actually occur.

Under windy conditions, localized or valley-wide areas of blowing dust are likely to occur.

Airborne dust is a form of inhalable air pollution called particulate matter, or PM, which aggravates respiratory diseases such as bronchitis and asthma.

Children, the elderly and people with respiratory diseases are urged to stay indoors during dust storms.

Residents are encouraged to call Air Quality’s dust-complaint hotline at 385-DUST to report excessive amounts of blowing dust.

Officials also recommend the following tips to keep dust down:

• Drive slowly on unpaved roads.

• Don’t take short cuts across vacant lots.

• Ride off-road vehicles in approved areas outside the urban Las Vegas Valley .

• Fence off barren property or cover it with gravel, rock or desert-friendly landscaping.