EPA Dust Report & Pesticide Disposal

EPA Dust Report & Pesticide Disposal. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report.

Recent dust storms across Eastern Washington have prompted the Washington Department of Ecology to developed a report showing the dust storms were uncontrollable events. During these events the air pollution levels exceeded the national air quality standard. Laurie Hulse-Moyer is an Air Quality Planner with the Department of Ecology.

HULSE-MOYER: We submitted to EPA and they agree with our assessment. We have been working closely with them to and it seems likely that they'll approve it. Once they agree and in the official parlance of the exceptional event rule is concur then those monitoring results won't be included when they calculate compliance value. They're left out of the calculations so it won't count against the area. If they're left in the area violates the standards.

Agricultural producers, dealers, professional applicators and homeowners who are storing unusable pesticides will have a safe, legal and free opportunity to dispose of them this fall when the Idaho State Department of Agriculture conducts its unusable pesticide collections. Pesticides include – herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, rodenticides or anything with a "cide" at the end and should be brought to the closest collection site. Questions about these collections or other collection dates can be answered by calling your local ISDA field office.

That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network of the West.