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Extracted from Consolidated Report
This investigation was originally published as part of a larger consolidated report containing multiple investigations. View the consolidated PDF for the complete document.
San Luis Obispo County Grand Jury
• 2017-2018
Moving the Dial at the County Jail
⚠️ Translation Notice: This content has been automatically translated. The original English text is the official version. Translation may contain errors.
⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
Findings 9 findings
F1
Page 137
The District does not have an effective system to follow-up with the public, schools, medical clinics, hospitals, or those who sign up to receive AirAware Alerts and Better Breather Alerts.
F2
Page 137
The LMUSD does not use the APCD AirAware Alerts system or routinely use the CARB AQMIS system.
F3
Page 137
CARB computer modeling performed in 2017 confirmed that emissions of PM2.5 and PM10 predominately originate from riding areas in La Grande Tract of the ODSVRA.
F4
Page 137
State Parks Deputy Director and the District APCO have worked together cooperatively to create a mitigation plan that was accepted by the APCD Hearing Board.
F5
Page 137
When PM10 concentrations were recorded in the hazardous range, the Nipomo Mesa experienced some of the worst air quality conditions in the United States.
F6
Page 137
A collective total of 605 individual exceedances of the State PM10 air quality standard were recorded on 363 days between 2012 and 2017 at three monitoring stations on the Nipomo Mesa.
F7
Page 137
San Luis Obispo County is the owner of most of the land in the La Grande Tract, and the Board of Supervisors has the authority to terminate vehicular riding activity on the La Grande Tract.
F8
Page 137
The APCD Hearing Board has the authority to require vehicular riding activity on the La Grande Tract be terminated.
F9
Page 137
There is a health risk to the residents on the Nipomo Mesa and nearby communities caused by high levels of PM2.5 and PM10 particulate matter in the ambient air. 2017-2018 San Luis Obispo County Grand Jury Final Report 126 IS THERE A HEALTH RISK FROM THE DUNES? “THE ANSWER, MY FRIEND, IS BLOWING IN THE WIND”
Recommendations 4
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R1Page 138The 2017-2018 Grand Jury recommends the San Luis Obispo County APCD prior to September 30, 2018 should: a. Contact senior centers, hospitals and clinics, child-care facilities, and local residents who may be unaware of the District air quality alert notification and alert forecast program and encourage them to sign up to receive AirAware Alerts. b. Perform follow-ups with residents and groups who previously signed up for District alert notification programs and confirm whether these residents and groups are receiving alerts and forecasts. c. Coordinate directly with the Lucia Mar Unified School District (LMUSD) and other schools on the Nipomo Mesa and nearby communities to facilitate sending them AirAware Alerts and warnings.
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R2Page 138The 2017-2018 Grand Jury recommends the LMUSD should prior to the start of the next school year: a. Enroll in the APCD AirAware Alert notification program so that it can obtain current air quality alert conditions or alert forecasts. b. Use the APCD’s online Air Quality Management Information System (AQMIS) to obtain first-hand knowledge of the days when high particulate levels are forecast.
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R3Page 138The 2017-2018 Grand Jury recommends to the Board of Supervisors that if the Particulate Matter Reduction Plan (PMRP) fails to achieve its required goal of eliminating exceedances of state and federal PM10 air quality standards within the four-year time-frame specified in the PMRP, the Board of Supervisors should perform the following: a. Rescind State Parks current month-to-month, informal agreement under which State Parks has operated and managed off-highway vehicular activities on the La Grande Tract, and under Board of Supervisors authority, do the following: • Give written notice to State Parks that all off-highway vehicular activity on the La Grande Tract shall cease after a period of no longer than six months. 2017-2018 San Luis Obispo County Grand Jury Final Report 127 IS THERE A HEALTH RISK FROM THE DUNES? “THE ANSWER, MY FRIEND, IS BLOWING IN THE WIND” • Support State Parks’ planned transition of off-highway vehicular activity on the La Grande Tract to State owned areas in the southern portion of the ODSVRA located near Oso Flaco Lake b. Choose one of the following two options: • Negotiate a lease with State Parks and include in the lease agreement the stipulation the La Grande Tract shall only be used for non-vehicular camping or conventional recreational activity and that it not be used for any type of vehicular-recreational activity. • Sell the La Grande Tract to State Parks and include in the sales agreement the stipulation that the La Grande Tract shall only be used for non-vehicular camping or conventional recreational activity, and it not be used for any type of vehicular-recreational activity.
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R4Page 139The 2017-2018 Grand Jury recommends to the APCD Hearing Board if the Particulate Matter Reduction Plan (PMRP) fails to achieve its required goal of eliminating exceedances of State and Federal PM10 air quality standards within the specified four-year time-frame of the PMRP, the Hearing Board immediately restrict vehicular riding activity on the La Grande Tract.