High Winds Raise Dust Levels around Quarries near Buffalo

September 29, 2006

BUFFALO - Laboratory results received this week showed that dust levels at a DNR monitoring site near Buffalo reached levels exceeding EPA health standards on Saturday, September 16. A DNR air monitoring station recorded 24-hour PM10 (dust) levels of 161 micrograms per cubic meter of air, above the EPA health standard set at 150.

“Our monitor is located next to a public road near two limestone quarries, and wind gusts of up to 30 mph were recorded on the day of the exceedance,” said Sean Fitzsimmons, of the DNR’s air monitoring group. The same site recorded exceedances of the EPA standard in September of 2004 and August of 2005. Fitzsimmons said that existing DNR permits limit emissions at limestone processing facilities in the area and require quarry operators to spray water on haul roads to reduce dust levels.

Persons with respiratory disease such as asthma are most at risk from aggravated symptoms, and are advised to avoid public areas near the quarries when high winds are predicted. Real time data from the Buffalo monitoring site is available at: www.uhl.uiowa.edu.