Overview

The diversion of water into the Los Angeles Aqueduct led to the desiccation of Owens Lake, located in California's Owens Valley. The dry lakebed became one of the nation's largest sources of fine airborne particulate matter (PM10), which can cause or worsen a variety of health problems such as asthma, bronchitis, and respiratory infections. Owens Lake Scientific Advisory Panel: Off-Lake Sources of Airborne Dust in Owens Valley, California states that off-lake sources now cause a majority of air quality exceedances. This report examines the origin of these off-lake dust sources and how they might change over time. The report discusses possible dust control measures that could be applied to off-lake sources, as well as the applicability of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Exceptional Events Rule. Owens Lake Scientific Advisory Panel: Off-Lake Sources of Airborne Dust in Owens Valley, California states that if dust control measures are determined to be necessary for off-lake sources, implementation will require a systems-level landscape approach that considers cultural resources. Establishing and maintaining native vegetation is the most stable and sustainable dust control measure across all emitting off-lake surfaces. However, many areas around Owens Lake are extremely dynamic settings and require different approaches over space, and possible re-treatment over time, unless self-sustaining controls are implemented.

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