CLEAN-AIR RULE PASSES MEASURE WILL LIMIT DUST ALLOWED FROM SAND, GRAVEL MINING.

Byline: Susan Abram Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - A new measure that would help reduce unhealthful particulate air pollution was adopted on Friday, and would affect almost 400 sand and gravel facilities located in Southern California.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District's 12-member governing board voted 9-2, with one member abstaining, to approve what was known as Proposed Rule 1157, a measure introduced more than a year ago that garnered support from Santa Clarita officials, who say it will impose new guidelines on the planned sand and gravel quarry in Soledad Canyon by Mexico-based cement company Cemex Inc.

City officials have said Cemex's current plans to mine 56 million tons of gravel from Soledad Canyon over the next 20 years would more than double state air quality standards for particulate matter in the area.

The city already is challenged by poor air quality because of smog, which moves in from the Los Angeles area, they have said.

``Sand- and gravel-related operations in the Southland produce significant amounts of particulate pollution that can be both a nuisance to neighboring communities as well as a health threat,'' Barry Wallerstein, executive officer of the South Coast Air Quality Management District, said in a prepared statement. ``This will reduce their emissions by 18 tons per day through improved housekeeping practices and other cost-effective measures.''

The measure will take effect in two phases in July and December of this year, AQMD officials said. Sand and gravel mining and processing operations, concrete batch and hot-mix asphalt plants, usually located in foothill canyons and washes throughout Southern California, will all be affected by the measure, according to the AQMD, an air pollution control agency for Orange County and major portions of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

Santa Clarita City Manager Ken Pulskamp, who attended a public hearing on Friday at the AQMD headquarters in Diamond Bar, said he was pleased with the approval.

``I think they voted in favor of the public over the desires of the mining industry,'' he said. ``There was a recognition on their part that mining is unhealthful for the public and we appreciate that, and we agree with that. We have some of the worst air quality in the country and any action that would help us is appreciated.''

Pulskamp said that while it was an advantage to have the measure in place, he also said he was confident that the Cemex mine would not be built.

The city, along with state, county, and federal assistance and several environmental groups, has been fighting off the plans for Cemex for years.

But Cemex officials said Friday's approval of the measure does not affect the company directly.

``The passage of the rule is really an industrywide issue, not just an issue for Cemex,'' said Sarah Simpson, spokeswoman for Cemex. ``A number of industries were involved in the process.''

Owners of local smaller operations say the measure does not come as a surprise to anyone in the industry, but it will prove costly.

``It's mostly going to affect us with with retrofitting, and new installations,'' said Ben Curtis, owner of Curtis Sand and Gravel. No one's really happy about it. It puts on another layer of requirements that will affect the smaller businesses.''

The measure is intended to help the region achieve a 2006 federally mandated deadline for PM10 air quality - particles smaller than 10 microns, or about one-seventh the thickness of a human hair - are associated with a long list of adverse health effects from increased hospital admissions to increased premature deaths, according the AQMD.

Among the requirements under Rule 1157:

--Dust emissions shall not exceed 20 percent opacity based on an average of 12 consecutive visual readings by inspectors, or 50 percent based on five consecutive visual readings.

--Dust plumes shall not extend more than 100 feet from any emissions source.

--Dust suppressants or other dust control measures will be applied to conveyors, crushers, storage piles and other activities.

--Paved roads at a facility will be swept daily or every other day depending on the size of the businesses, and chemical stabilizers or gravel pads will be used for all unpaved roads, parking and staging areas.

--Mitigation measures such as ``rumble grates'' and wheel washers must be used to minimize the amount of dust-causing materials tracked out of the facility by trucks onto public roadways.

Susan Abram, [phone]

susan.abram(at)dailynews.com