Chapter 15.30
DUST CONTROL

Sections:

15.30.010    Dust control measures.

15.30.010 Dust control measures.

A.    Ground Cover Removal Prohibited. No person shall disturb the topsoil or remove ground cover on any real property within the city limits and thereafter allow the property to remain unoccupied, unused, vacant, or undeveloped, unless reasonable actions are taken to ensure adequate weed abatement and prevention of the manmade generation of dust, including application of soil binders and installation of windbreaks, as described below.

1.    Weed Abatement. Discing shall be permitted on any real property, including vacant property and property not actively used for agricultural operations, for the purpose of weed abatement. Discing includes the use of a row or rows of concave circular steel discs to cut and pitch the soil. Weed abatement activities may also be conducted using alternative methods, other than discing.

When weed abatement is undertaken on vacant land, the following must also occur: (1) Property owners are responsible for clearing the property of any debris prior to undertaking weed abatement in order to decrease the risk of fire, and (2) When discing is utilized on any real property for weed abatement purposes, from May 1st through October 31st, active water trucks must follow the discing machinery to help decrease the risk of manmade dust and fire hazards.

B.    Application of Soil Binders. For all property used for agricultural operations and inactive construction sites, soil binders shall be applied to exposed soil surfaces to temporarily prevent wind induced erosion. Soil binders are a site-specific, environmentally benign material sprayed onto exposed soil.

C.    Upwind Temporary Windbreaks. All construction sites (whether active or inactive) shall have installed temporary upwind windbreaks, including fabric fences at least four feet above grade in height, and with the bottom of the fence sufficiently anchored to the ground to prevent material from blowing underneath the fence. The aforementioned temporary windbreaks and fabric fences shall be maintained in an upright and functional condition at all times until the state of emergency has been removed.

D.    Watering or Chemical Dust Suppression. For all vacant land, paved or unpaved parking lots and road ways, property owners shall be responsible for watering or applying chemical suppressants to suppress dust creation. Unpaved parking lots include graded but unsurfaced areas used for occasional to moderately frequent vehicle parking and other purposes. Chemical suppressants include petroleum resins, asphaltic emulsions, acrylics, adhesives, or any other approved material that are not prohibited for use by the city, the California Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or any other law, rule, or regulation. Chemical suppressants shall be applied in amounts and rates recommended by the manufacturer and maintained as recommended by the manufacturer. (Ord. 17-04 § 2: Ord. 07-26 § 2)