Developer, contractor fined in dust case

Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2003 | 10:17 a.m.

The Environmental Protection Agency fined a Las Vegas developer and a contractor a total of $90,000 on Monday for failing to train their employees in dust control.

Del Webb Communities in Henderson received a $50,000 fine, and Western States Contracting was fined $40,000 for violations from 1996 to 2000.

The Clark County Department of Air Quality Management issued more than 10 violation notices to each of the companies in a four-year span.

County officials asked the EPA to look into the repeated violations and take action to ensure compliance with county air regulations.

"All businesses must adhere to air regulations to combat the serious dust pollution problem that can plague Las Vegas area air," said Jack Broadbent, the EPA's Air Division director for the Pacific Southwest Region. "Dust control solutions are out there; companies just need to inform their people and implement them."

Dust pollution affects the elderly, children and people with health problems. Those with chronic lung disease, influenza or asthma are especially sensitive to high levels of dust particles.

As part of the remedy, the companies are required to have all employees go through the county's dust control class.

Del Webb Communities and Western States Contracting violated standards while working projects that were hundreds of acres in size, EPA spokeswoman Lisa Fasano said.

The Del Webb violations occurred while the Anthem community in Henderson was being developed.

Western States also violated the dust program while working on Anthem as a contractor for Del Webb, and was also cited for violations on numerous projects throughout the Las Vegas Valley.

County Air Quality Management spokeswoman Stacy Welling said that 151 Del Webb employees and 139 Western States workers have completed dust control training classes to date.