Issue:
DSS‐1
AZARNG Site: Activities at Florence Military Reservation
sometimes generate dust.
Florence
Military
Reservation Due to the desert landscape at Florence Military
Reservation, dust is sometimes generated from
military operations such as vehicle maneuvering
and weapons firing on ranges and has caused
some concerns for nearby residents. Dust could
become a larger concern if future development
occurs closer to Florence Military Reservation, or
if there is an increase in regulatory oversight that
requires the minimization of dust emissions.
Compatibility Assessment
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has designated portions of Pinal County as
moderate nonattainment for particulate matter between 2.5 and 10 microns in size, also
referred to as PM10. The area in Pinal County designated as moderate nonattainment
for PM10 is referred to as West Pinal. Because of this designation, the State of Arizona
and Pinal County are required to take actions to reduce PM10 emissions and bring the
nonattainment area into compliance with the NAAQS.
Pinal County has adopted air quality regulations for construction dust. Areas within the
nonattainment area are subject to additional requirements for managing construction
dust. For the purposes of these regulations, construction is defined as:
Vertical construction, residential construction, installing underground
utilities, installing above‐ground utilities, and building physical
infrastructure including roads, highways, rail‐ways, flood structures,
drainage works and irrigation works. Eliminating weeds by discing or
blading and conducted for the purpose of development activity or
maintaining a work site qualifies as construction.
The County has also adopted regulations pertaining to fugitive dust. Within the West
Pinal nonattainment area, fugitive dust from the following sites is also regulated:
Open areas / vacant lots
Unpaved lots
Unpaved roads
Background Report
5-29