Public Health and Safety & Air Quality

  1. Public Health and Safety issues in Mono County focus on air quality, water quality, noise levels, protection from hazardous materials and waste, and protection from natural hazards. Air quality is addressed in this section of the Conservation/Open Space Element; water quality is addressed in the Water Resources section of the Conservation/Open Space Element; noise is addressed in the Noise Element; hazardous materials and waste are addressed in Mono County’s Integrated Waste Management Plan; and protection from natural hazards is addressed in the Safety Element.

  2. One of the county's most valuable resources is its good air quality. The county is designated as a non-attainment area for the state particulate matter (PM10) and ozone standards, and the Mono Basin is designated as a non-attainment area for the national PM10 standard. PM10 in the Mono Basin results primarily from dust from the exposed lakebed of Mono Lake; levels are higher on the north shore of Mono Lake than in Lee Vining due to the prevailing wind conditions. PM10 concentrations in the Mono Basin have remained relatively stable between 2000 and 2012 with much lower concentrations in Lee Vining and higher concentrations on the north shore (see www.arb.ca.gov, PM10 Trends Summary). For ozone, the State Air Resources Board concluded that ozone exceedance in the Great Basin Air Basin (Alpine, Inyo and Mono Counties) was caused by transport from the San Joaquin Valley Air Basin; the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District adopted an Ozone Attainment Plan for Mono County that identified the county as an ozone-transport area, and required the adoption of a New Source Review Rule requiring Best Available Control Technology for emissions over 25 tons per year.

  3. The Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District (GBUAPCD) regulates air quality in the area and establishes standards for the area. Currently, the GBUAPCD is focusing its efforts in Mono County on Mammoth and the Mono Basin. Mammoth has established regulation to control wood-burning emissions as part of its plan to meet the agency's standards. Similar regulations may be applicable in other areas of the county, such as June Lake and Crowley Lake. There is also the potential in these areas for increased transit services to reduce emissions in order to meet the agency’s standards.

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