SR0082985_SSNL - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

4.1 – Air Quality Draft Environmental Impact Report February 2021 14800 W. Schulte Road Logistics Center 4.1-8 Valley Fever. Coccidioidomycosis, more commonly known as “Valley Fever,” is an infection caused by inhalation of the spores of the Coccidioides immitis fungus, which grows in the soils of the southwestern United States. When fungal spores are present, any activity that disturbs the soil, such as digging, grading, or other earth -moving operations, can cause the spores to become airborne and thereby increase the risk of exposure. The ecologic factors that appear to be most conducive to survival and replication of the spores are high summer temperatures, mild winters, sparse rainfall, and alkaline sandy soils. The fungus is very prevalent in the soils of California’s San Joaquin Valley. Per the California Department of Public Health, the range over 8 years (2011–2018) for coccidioidomycosis cases in San Joaquin County was 7.2 to 31.6 cases per 100,000 people per year. Statewide incidences in 2018 were 18.8 per 100,000 people (CDPH 2019). The Project would be required to comply with Rule 8021, Section 6.3, which would require the Project to develop, prepare, submit, obtain approval of, and implement a dust control plan. Sensitive Receptors Some land uses are considered more sensitive to changes in air quality than others, depending on the population groups and the activities involved. People most likely to be affected by air pollution include children, older adults, athletes, and people with cardiovascular and chronic respiratory diseases. Facilities and structures where these air- pollution-sensitive people live or spend considerable amounts of time are known as sensitive receptors. Land uses where air-pollution-sensitive individuals are most likely to spend time include schools and schoolyards, parks and playgrounds, daycare centers, nursing homes, hospitals, and residential communities (sensitive sites or sensitive land uses) (CARB 2005). The SJVAPCD identifies sensitive receptors as facilities that house or attract children, older adults, people with illnesses, hospitals, schools, convalescent facilities, and residential areas (SJVAPCD 2000). The closest off-site sensitive receptor to the Project site is a residence located 1,360 feet west of the Project site. 4.1.2 Relevant Plans, Policies, and Ordinances Federal Criteria Air Pollutants The federal Clean Air Act, passed in 1970 and last amended in 1990, forms the basis for the national air pollution control effort. The EPA is responsible for implementing most aspects of the Clean Air Act, including setting NAAQS for major air pollutants; setting hazardous air pollutant (HAP) standards; approving state attainment plans; setting motor vehicle emission standards; issuing stationary source emission standards and permits; and establishing acid rain control measures, stratospheric O3 protection measures, and enforcement provisions. Under the Clean Air Act, NAAQS are established for the following criteria pollutants: O3, CO, NO2, SO2, PM10, PM2.5, and lead. The NAAQS describe acceptable air quality conditions designed to protect the health and welfare of the citizens of the nation. The NAAQS (other than for O3, NO2, SO2, PM10, PM2.5, and those based on annual averages or arithmetic mean) are not to be exceeded more than once per year. NAAQS for O3, NO2, SO2, PM10, and PM2.5 are based on statistical calculations over 1- to 3-year periods, depending on the pollutant. The Clean Air Act requires the EPA to reassess the NAAQS at least every 5 years to determine whether adopted standards are adequate to protect public health based on current scientific evidence. States with areas that exceed the NAAQS must prepare a State Implementation Plan (SIP) that demonstrates how those areas will attain the NAAQS within mandated time frames. A more detailed discussion of the NAAQS, as well as the California Ambient Air Quality Standards (CAAQS) (discussed below), is provided in Appendix B.