South Coast AQMD approves $220K to extend Coachella Valley street sweeping program
DIAMOND BAR, Calif. (KESQ) – The South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD) approved $220,000 in funding to the Coachella Valley Association of Governments (CVAG) to extend regional street sweeping for another year.
The additional funding will help reduce dust from “blowsand” and roadway activity—an ongoing challenge in the Coachella Valley, according to South Coast AQMD.
“Extending the street-sweeping program is a continued strategy to control dust and protect public health while we advance broader, medium and long-term dust-mitigation strategies,” said Manuel Perez, Riverside County Supervisor and South Coast AQMD Governing Board member.
The funding adds to the $1.15 million awarded in 2019 for CVAG’s sweeping program that helps control particulate matter (PM10) pollution.
According to South Coast AQMD, the Coachella Valley faces a unique challenge where strong winds routinely push fine sand onto paved surfaces, where traffic breaks it into particles that become airborne.
Without regular sweeping, these particles can travel into populated areas, cause poor air quality and pose respiratory problems such as worsening asthma.
The program provides weekly street sweeping across about 43,000 curb miles each year, reducing an estimated 0.4 tons of PM10 per day. Crews use low-emission natural gas sweepers, with pickup and dump trucks on designated routes.
Additional sand-cleanup occurs after major wind events.
Last month, South Coast AQMD and Supervisor Perez hosted a Dust Summit featuring community input, scientific presentations, and updates on current and future dust-mitigation efforts in Coachella Valley.
To support long-term dust-reduction planning, South Coast AQMD has installed a camera in San Jacinto State Park to track dust generation and movement on the valley floor, with another camera planned for the eastern valley.
In October, South Coast AQMD adopted a three-part dust-reduction plan focusing on identifying major dust sources, developing targeted mitigation strategies, and funding projects to reduce emissions in the most affected areas.
