Outdoor dust management

We monitor the air for dust in areas of Washington where dust storms happen. Monitors track air quality to measure whether areas meet national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS), which are set by EPA. Our atmospheric scientists also monitor weather conditions to identify potential dangerous and unhealthy dust storms. By doing this, we can provide advance warning to people in affected areas.

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Outdoor dust storms can be very unhealthy. Ecology and farmers have been working to reduce dust from fields.

During a dust storm, massive amounts of soil and dust are suspended in air that can harm your health, impact your breathing, and put your safety at risk. Dust storms are an immediate concern for travelers due to limited visibility .

Dust storms mainly happen in Central and Eastern Washington. They can happen during any season, but mostly occur in the summer and fall. Read our blog for more about dust storms.

Dust consists of particles suspended in the air. While larger dust particles may sting and irritate your eyes, smaller particles of dust are of greater concern to people's health because they can lodge deep into your lungs.

In dust storms, particles of all sizes get picked up and blown away, causing particle pollution. The smallest particles, known as PM₁₀ and PM_2.5, are too small to be filtered out by your nose and your body's other natural defenses. This fine dust is inhaled deep into your lungs where it can cause increased problems with:

Breathing too much dust is especially harmful to:

Infants, children, teens, the elderly, and pregnant women
People with asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, or other respiratory conditions
People with heart disease
Healthy adults working or exercising outdoors

Most dust storms are short. They happen mostly in the summer and fall. A combination of high winds, dry weather, and uncovered fields contribute to dust storms. A few dust storms per year happen in Central and Eastern Washington. Your local news may provide advance warnings when conditions are ready for a dust storm.

Dust storms can’t be prevented, but we and our partners continuously monitor air quality to measure the amount of pollution in the air. Monitoring helps us identify high-risk areas so we can work toward reducing and controlling dust pollution in:

Kennewick
Cheney
Spokane

Exceptional events — like wildfires, dust storms, earthquakes, or volcanoes — can affect air quality, but can’t be controlled to meet the national air quality standards. Under air pollution laws, exceptional events may be treated differently than other sources of air pollution.

For example, if a dust storm raises particle levels above air quality standards, the area may be in "non-attainment." We can show EPA that the dust storm was an "exceptional event." This allows the area to continue to be classified as meeting the air quality standards (or "in attainment").

Exceptional events:

Some things can be done to prevent windblown dust, but even best efforts can be overwhelmed by drought and high winds.

Farmers and construction industries can:

Use less intensive tilling methods.
Plant cover crops.
Work in phases to keep land from being exposed.
Use dust suppressants, like water or gravel.

Contact your local clean air agency or city or county planning department if there is a dust problem in your area.

Agricultural dust mitigation

We've identified that farmlands southwest (Horse Heaven Hills) and northeast of Kennewick are the likely main sources for high wind dust events, also known as exceptional events. Because of the number of these exceptional events, EPA required Ecology to prepare a mitigation plan for the area. Our High Wind Dust Prevention Workgroup works to:

Educate our partners about the impacts of high wind dust events and the importance of adequate controls on agriculture.
Promote measures to minimize soil erosion from agricultural lands.
Share resources with other agencies and agricultural partners.
Educate the public about control measures and precautions to take during a high wind event.
Provide grants to prevent nonattainment.

More information

Contact information

Caitlin Cannon
Environmental Planner
caitlin.cannon@ecy.wa.gov
360-489-4046

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Outdoor dust management

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