United StatesEnvironmental ProtectionAgency

Office of WaterWashington, D.C.

EPA 832-F-99-003September 1999

Storm Water Management Fact SheetDust Control

DESCRIPTION

Dust controls reduce the surface and air transport ofdust, thereby preventing pollutants from infiltratinginto storm water. Control measures are ofteninstituted in industrial areas or in areas where landis being disturbed.

Dust control for industrial activities normallyinvolves mechanical systems designed to reducedust emissions from in-plant processing activitiesand/or materials handling. These may includehoods, cyclone collectors, bag-type collectors,filters, negative pressure systems, or mechanicalsweepers.

Dust control measures for construction activitiesinclude windbreaks, minimization of soildisturbance, spray-on adhesives, tillage, chemicaltreatment, and water spraying.

While there are a number of temporary alternativesfor dust control, one option is to permanentlymodify the site to eliminate dust generation.Modifications could include such measures ascovering exposed areas with vegetation, stone, orconcrete.

APPLICABILITY

Dust control measures may be applied to any site. However, application of dust controls is especiallycritical in arid areas, where exposed soil is morelikely to be transported into receiving water bodiesthrough runoff or wind action. Dust controlmeasures should also be applied to any industrialactivity that generates large quantities of dust,

particularly if this dust could be transported to anearby water body.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

There are several advantages to using dust controlmeasures.

Dust control reduces the surface and airtransport of dust, which minimizespollutants from infiltrating into the stormwater.

Dust control methods are widely applicable.

Most dust control methods are inexpensive,non-intrusive, and promote natural growth.

The majority of dust control methods areeasy to install and maintain.

Some disadvantages to dust control may include thefollowing.

Some temporary dust controls must bereapplied or replenished on a regular basis.

Some controls are expensive (e.g., chemicaltreatment), may be ineffective under certainconditions or have their own associatedimpacts.

Industrial dust control is typically labor andequipment intensive (i.e., usingconventional street sweepers), and may notbe effective for all sources of pollution.

Some dust control measures (i.e.,windbreaks) may require land space that isnot be available at all locations.

If a chemical dust control treatment is over-applied, excess chemicals could potentiallycause both surface and groundwatercontamination.

PERFORMANCE

In order to determine which dust control measuresto implement at a specific site, it is necessary toconsider the performance objectives required at thatsite. Some examples of performance objectivesinclude:

Preventing wind and water-based erosion ofdisturbed areas.

Reducing employee respiratory problems.

Implementing the control rapidly and at lowcost and effort.

Causing little or no impact on theenvironment.

Permanently controlling the dust problem.

Determination of the objectives for the dust controlprogram will often determine the appropriatecontrol measure. For example, simply sweepingthe impervious areas for larger dust particles on adaily basis may provide an efficient and reliablemethod of dust control that can be quicklyimplemented. However, this method would notpermanently control the dust problem. If theobjective was to permanently control the dustproblem, then another alternative, such asconstructing vegetative windbreaks, would be moreappropriate.

DESIGN CRITERIA

The design of any dust control project should limitthe amount of soil or dust particulates exposed atone time, and reduce the potential for dustgeneration. The performance objectives establishedfor the particular project should also be considered

during the design stage. Additionally, some projectsites may require solutions to both industrial andland disturbance dust control problems.Realistically, it may not be practical or possible todevelop a design that meets all of the project goalsand objectives at one time. Therefore it may bemore appropriate to develop a phased designapproach that utilizes a combination of temporary,permanent, and mechanical measures for dustcontrol.

Temporary Measures

Vegetative Coverings: Temporary seedingand mulching may be applied to cover baresoil and to prevent wind erosion. The soilmust be kept moist to establish cover.

Barriers: Solid board fences, snow fences,burlap fences, crate walls, bales of hay, andsimilar material can be used to control aircurrents and blown soil. Barriers placed atright angles to prevailing wind currents atintervals of about 15 times the barrierheight are effective in controlling winderosion.

Calcium Chloride: This material is appliedat a rate that will keep the surface moist.Pretreatment may be necessary due tovarying site and climatic conditions.

Irrigation: This is generally done as anemergency treatment. The site is sprinkledwith water until the surface is wet andrepeated as necessary. If this method is tobe employed at a construction site, it isrecommended that a temporary gravel rockentrance be created to prevent mud fromspreading onto local streets.

Tillage: This practice roughens the soil andbrings clods to the surface. It is anemergency measure that should be usedbefore wind erosion starts. Plowing shouldbegin on the windward side of the site usingchisel-type plows spaced about 12 inchesapart, spring-tooth harrows, or similarplows.

TABLE 1 DESIGN OF ADHESIVEMEASURES

Type ofEmulsion

WaterDilution

NozzleType

ApplicationRate (gpa)

AnionicAsphalt

7-1 Coarse 1,200

Latex 12.5- 1 Fine 235

Resin andWater

4-1 Fine 300

Source: City of Eagan, 1984.

Adhesives: Use spray-on adhesivesaccording to Table 1. These adhesives formfairly impenetrable surfaces, and should beused only if other methods prove to bedifficult to work with.

Permanent Site Modification Measures

Permanent Vegetation: Seeding andsodding should be done to permanentlystabilize exposed areas against winderosion. It is recommended that existingtrees and large shrubs be allowed to remainin place to the greatest extent possibleduring site grading processes.

Stone: Coarse gravel or crushed stone maybe placed over highly erodible soils.

Topsoiling: This method is recommendedwhen permanent vegetation cannot beestablished on a site. Topsoiling is aprocess in which less erosive soil material isplaced on top of highly erodible soils.

Dust Collection Methods

Cyclone Collectors: Cyclone collectors usecentrifugal force to separate dry dust andchemical pollutants in the air.

Bag Collectors/Fabric Filters: Bagcollectors and fabric filters remove dust byfiltration. Storage and disposal of collected

dust should be carefully considered so thatit does not become a source of fugitive dust.Negative Pressure Systems: These systemsminimize the release of dust from anoperation by maintaining a small negativepressure or suction to confine the dust to aparticular operation.

Water Spraying: This temporarymechanical method confines and settles thedust from the air by dust and water particleadhesion. Water is sprayed through nozzlesover the problem area.

Street Sweepers: Recent studies have shownthat street sweepers effectively remove thesmallest dust particles and achievemeaningful runoff quality benefits. Twokinds of street sweepers are common inmechanical dust collection systems. Thebrush system has proven to be efficient atan industrial facility generating dust on adaily basis. It has proven to be extremelydependable and picks up the majority ofgenerated dust. Vacuum sweepers may bethe best choice for areas that are prone tostorm water overflow. This is because theyare more efficient at picking up the smallerparticles that are typically associated withcontaminated storm water. Othertechnologies include the tandem sweepingoperation, the regenerative air sweeper, andthe EnviroWhirl. The tandem operationinvolves two successive cleaning passes,first by a mechanical sweeper and thenfollowed by a vacuum assisted sweeper.The regenerative air sweeper blows air ontothe pavement and immediately vacuums itup. The EnviroWhirl is a vacuum-assisted dry sweeper. It is able to removedebris and dust down to 2.5 microns.Independent studies conducted in Oregonand Washington report that the EnviroWhirlsweeper alone was able to remove 99.6percent of all particulates over 10 microns.A series of once-a-week sweepings resultedin a 76 percent reduction of suspendedsolids in downstream receiving waters.

OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE

Typically, dust control measures require periodicand diligent maintenance. For example, mechanicalequipment should be operated according to themanufacturers recommendations and inspectedregularly as part of an industrial site's preventivemaintenance program. Temporary dust controlmeasures, such as chemical spraying, watering, etc.,require periodic renewal. Permanent solutionssuch as vegetation, wind barriers, and impervioussurfaces, also require upkeep and maintenance inorder to remain effective.

COSTS

The costs associated with dust control measures aregenerally lower for more temporary methods suchas vegetative and barrier methods. This isattributed to the availability of the materials andthe common practices associated with them. Otherdust control methods, such as using street sweepers,cost considerably more because of the investment inspecialized equipment. For example, a mechanicalbrush sweeper can range from $60,000 to $120,000and will last for about five years while vacuum-assisted sweepers can range from $75,000 to$180,000 and have a life of eight years. The City ofLakeland (Florida) has determined their costs to be$33.38 per curb-mile of street sweeping. This costincludes equipment costs (for a vacuum assistedstreet sweeper), maintenance costs (i.e., fuel), theemployees salary (not including benefits), andtransferring the collected debris to a landfill. TheCity of Lakeland also has an arrangement wherebythey are not charged for sending the sweepingdebris to a landfill because it is then used as groundcover for the landfill.

REFERENCES

1. Bill Busch, City of Lakeland (FL)Construction and Maintenance Department,1998. Personal communication withParsons Engineering Science, Inc.

2. City of Eagan, Minnesota, 1984. ErosionControl Manual.

3. Finley, S., 1996. Sweeping Works.Pavement Maintenance and Reconstruction,pp. 16-17.

4. Hennepin County, Minnesota, 1989.Erosion and Sediment Control Manual.

5. Minnesota Board of Water and SoilResources, November, 1987. MinnesotaConstruction Site Erosion and SedimentControl Planning Handbook.

6. Runoff Report. July/August, 1998. AClean Sweep Now Possible. Vol.6, No.4.

7. Satterfield, C., 1996. Enviro Whirl 1 PM-Efficiency Study Removing Re-entrainedRoad Dust. Lake, CA.

8. Sear, T., J. Bay, and G. Medley, 1996.Development of Cost-EffectiveStormwater Treatment Alternatives.Proceedings Watershed 96 Conference.

9. Southeastern Wisconsin Regional PlanningCommission (SEWRPC), 1991. Costs ofUrban Nonpoint Source Water PollutionControl Measures. Waukesha, WI..

10. Sutherland, R., 1996. Studies ShowSweeping has Beneficial Impact onStormwater Quality.

11. U.S. EPA, 1979. NPDES Best ManagementPractices Guidance Document.

12. U.S. EPA, Preprint, 1992. Storm WaterManagement for Industrial Activities:Developing Pollution Prevention Plans andBest Management Practices. EPA 832-R-92-006.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Center for Watershed ProtectionTom Schueler8391 Main StreetEllicott City, MD 21043

For more information contact:

Municipal Technology BranchU.S. EPAMail Code 4204401 M St., S.W.Washington, D.C., 20460

Northern Virginia Planning District CommissionDon Waye7535 Little River TurnpikeAnnandale, VA 22003

NuWhirl Technologies, Inc.Don Thomack2338 East Calumet StreetCentralia, IL 62801

Kurahashi & AssociatesRoger Sutherland12600 SW 72nd Avenue, Suite 100Portland, OR 97223

Southeastern Wisconsin Regional PlanningCommissionBob Biebel916 North East AvenueP.O. Box 1607Waukesha, WI 53187-1607

The mention of trade names or commercialproducts does not constitute endorsement orrecommendation for the use by the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency.