Cache is close to clean-air violation

All areas of Utah presently meet federal clean air standards, but environmental officials are worried about two "near misses" that come close to violating them.

The more dramatic is the case of Cache Valley, where an air monitor in Logan reported that in 2004, the standard for tiniest particles, those of 2.5 microns in diameter, was exceeded. Concentrations reached 100 micrograms per cubic meter in a 24-hour concentration, far above the 65 set by the standards.

However, that does not mean Cache Valley is in violation of Clean Air Act regulations. The rule that matters is the three-year average in terms of 24-hour concentrations. And the Logan record is below — just barely — the 65 microgram standard.

Still, the close shave means that if the standards are exceeded a few more times this winter, Logan's air could violate the health rules.

This is of concern to the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, said Rick Sprott, director of the Division of Air Quality.

Sprott, DEQ director Dianne R. Nielson and agency spokeswoman Donna Kemp Spangler met this past week with the Deseret Morning News about environmental issues.

Livestock waste and agricultural chemicals could contribute to fine particulates in Cache Valley, Sprott said during the meeting. Nielson said the topography of the region could be a factor, locking in air pollution during a temperature inversion.

More and more people are moving to the area, she added. "It's an attractive place to live. There are more students and more people who live up in that area, and that probably contributes" to the air pollution.

After the meeting, Sprott said the state is intensely involved in researching the problem. Professors at Utah State University, Logan, are helping with a project to detect dozens of types of chemicals and analyze how they react in the air.

"Something that appears to have a role up there, that is very bizarre, is ozone," he said. This form of oxygen is known to be involved in small particulate formation, but in a foggy, cold place — like Logan in the winter — one might not expect ozone to cause much trouble.

"Clearly, there's some strange chemistry going on," Sprott said.

"Starting this winter there'll be sampling going on around USU dairy farms and that sort of thing, for particulates."

The Environmental Protection Agency has been discussing tightening the standard on PM 2.5 pollution to 35 micrograms. If that happens, the Wasatch Front will be in violation.

According to a chart provided by the environmental experts, all of the monitors cited — in Lindon, Utah County; Salt Lake City (in Hawthorne School); North Salt Lake, Ogden and Logan — failed to meet the possible new standard.

Another worry is that the Wasatch Front air quality is close to the ozone standard, without quite violating it. If EPA toughens that rule as some have discussed, areas would be in violation, Sprott said.

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E-mail: bau@desnews.com