Residents living near the intersection of Blue Diamond and Jones are dealing with a persistent problem: dust drifting in from a nearby quarry.
I spoke with residents to see what they are dealing with inside their homes. Residents near Blue Diamond and Jones frustrated by dust from nearby rock quarry
“I literally wash my cars almost every day. In my house, I have to clean the railings, the windows, cause there’s dust every day,” said Angelica Peraza.
Peraza, who lives in the area, told me the dust is coming from a rock quarry operated by Las Vegas Paving just across the street from her home.
“At nighttime, when you drive here, let’s say 1 a.m., 2 a.m., you’ll see it looks like it’s a war zone. There’s dust everywhere. You can’t even see,” she said.
The problem extends beyond just dirty surfaces. Peraza, who has asthma, reports that the dust is impacting her health.
“You can’t even breathe. It’s like sneezing, I’m wheezing,” Peraza said.
Peraza walked us through her home and pointed out layers of dust collecting on her kitchen, bedroom windows, and balcony.
“It’s like we are outside, living outside,” she noted while showing the dust accumulation.
Delon Bebar, who lives a few houses down from Peraza, faces similar challenges with the dust.
“Allergies and the cleaning, cause you can’tyou have to vacuum. You can’t just wipe it,” Bebar said.
To combat the constant influx of dust, Bebar has made several modifications to his home.
“Put extra netting, we have real good air filters. We had to do the door seals, re-seal them,” Bebar said.
When asked how often he changes his air filters, Bebar replied, “It’s supposed to be every three months, but we do it every 30 days.”
Residents said they’ve attempted to address the issue with Las Vegas Paving, the owners of the quarry, but have been told the company is following all regulations.
Peraza believes more could be done to mitigate the dust problem.
“Cover them with something at night when it’s windy. In the daytime, don’t grind that much. They just have to be a little bit more reasonable with the population here,” Peraza said.
Bebar agreed, adding, “They should be able to do a little bit more, you know, a little bit more water or something.”
We reached out to Las Vegas Paving multiple times for comment. While the company indicated they would provide a response, we are still waiting to hear back.
The county tells us Las Vegas Paving Corporation is classified as a Stationary Source and was issued a Synthetic Minor Source Permit pursuant to Section 12.1 of the Air Quality Regulations (AQRs). These permits are issued on five-year cycles, with the most recent permit being issued on Nov. 2, 2023. The current permit expires on Nov. 1, 2028.
Las Vegas Paving also holds a portable minor source permit for equipment stored at this location. Additionally, Section 41 (fugitive dust rule) and Section 26 (opacity rule) of the AQRs would apply if fugitive dust and/or stack emissions were observed from the LVP facility.
While the Division of Air Quality works daily to enforce compliance, they encourage people to contact their Dust and Odor Hotline at 702-385-DUST if they believe a source is exceeding the bounds of their permits. They will respond within 24 hours of any complaint.
You can also reach them via email at DustHotline@ClarkCountyNV.gov.
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