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Our Next Meeting
The 3rd Wednesday of every month at 10:00 a.m
If you have a special event or meeting that you believe the Air Quality Task Force should be involved with, please contact us below.
Meeting Location:
Associated General Contractors
(435) 628-1346
280 North 1680 East
Suite. B-1
St. George, UT
Links
Task Force Contacts
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Air Quality in Southern Utah, It's Everybody's Business
“Blue Skies” which are usually the norm for Southern Utah have not been so prevalent due to higher than usual rainfall, but soon enough we will all be enjoying that “Dixie” climate of endless sun, warmth and outdoor fun.
As the summer season arrives prevailing winds begin to stir the dust as we
strive to keep air quality in check. With that in mind let’s take a moment and
look at what the City has been up to with regards to controlling fugitive dust as
well as other aspects of air quality.
The City of St. George Air Quality Regulations ordinance has been in effect for
over two years and we have seen improvements in lowering dust impacts with
the implementation of air quality standards.
As a result, the negative effects to air quality have been less frequent because
development projects and local industries have been striving to keep their
activities within compliance. The covering of material loads on commercial
vehicles as they travel down roadways is a welcome sight reducing the volume
of citizen complaints of excessive dust.
The slowdown of the economy has undoubtedly been a contributing factor but
credit must be given to individuals and organizations who continue to do their
part in keeping air quality acceptable. In 2009 the City of St. George and the
Southwest Utah Public Health Department teamed together with assistance
from the Southern Utah Air Quality Task Force to create a program to conduct
air monitoring and sampling for particulate matter (pm10) at site specific
locations throughout low lying areas in the area. Evaluation of the resulting
data has revealed positive signs of improvement with the lowering of particulate
matter in several areas.
Currently, planning is in place to continue this effort into 2010 with additional
equipment and increased locations. Support from the Utah Division of Air
Quality has been helpful in this cause as their staff continues to work with local
contractors and companies on compliance and monitoring efforts.
For those interested in sustainable air quality for the area, you can
become involved by attending a monthly Southern Utah Air Quality
Task Force meeting which is open to the public. For meeting times and
locations and other pertinent information please visit the City of St.
George web site at www.sgcity.org.
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