Desert Foothills air quality remains in question
by Kathleen Stinson

DESERT FOOTHILLS – Air quality in North Scottsdale, Carefree and Cave Creek has not deteriorated in the past year, according to public health officials.

“We haven’t seen elevated levels of particulate matter up there,” said Holly Ward, spokeswoman for the Maricopa County Air Quality Department.

Two of the county’s 23 monitoring sites are located in the Foothills area–the Cave Creek and Pinnacle Peak stations.

Particulate matter, or dust in the air, is a problem countywide– especially with all the construction going on, according to Ward.

“When there is no wind, the dust just hangs in the air,” she said. “The tiny particles go deep inside the lungs, causing problems for sufferers of asthma and other respiratory problems.”

In the autumn and winter of 2005, the Desert Foothills had more high‑pollution advisories than is typical, noted Arizona Department of Environmental Quality spokesman Cortland Coleman. He pointed out, however, the same was true across the county.

Air quality in Maricopa County has improved in some ways over the past several years, Coleman said, and the county now meets Environmental Protection Agency health standards for carbon monoxide levels. But the Valley still has not met health standards for ground‑level ozone, often referred to as smog.

Ground‑level ozone is formed by a chemical reaction between volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides in the presence of sunlight, according to the EPA. Ozone concentrations can reach unhealthy levels when the weather is hot and sunny and there is little or no wind.

ADEQ was unable to provide The Desert Advocate with data from the Cave Creek air monitoring station after a week of requests. Although the county owns the stations, the data is shared with the state’s meteorologists who interpret the information.

Reach the reporter at kathleen@thedesertadvocate.com.