Air Quality Bureau

Doña Ana County, New Mexico

Introduction

Doña Ana County is 3,804-square-miles in the south-central section of New Mexico with a population of 174,682. Doña Ana County borders El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. This area is considered part of the Paso del Norte air shed, which includes El Paso County, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. This region of the state has historically had air quality problems, including particulate matter and ozone pollution.

There is presently one nonattainment area within Doña Ana County. In Anthony, NM, which lies on the border of Texas and New Mexico, there is a particulate matter 10 microns or less in size (PM10) nonattainment area. This area was designated nonattainment for PM10 by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1991.

In 1995, the EPA declared a 42 square-mile region in the southeast corner of the County on the border of Texas and Mexico as a marginal nonattainment area for the 1-hour ozone standard. The nonattainment area included the City of Sunland Park, Santa Teresa, and La Union, New Mexico. The 1-hour ozone standard was revoked by EPA in 2004 with the adoption of the new 8-hour ozone standard. Due to the revocation of the 1-hour ozone standard, Sunland Park was redesignated to maintenance for the new 8-hour ozone standard.

In March of 2008, the federal government lowered the NAAQS for ozone from 0.08 parts per million (ppm) to 0.075 (ppm). Due to the lowering of the federal standard, the governor is recommending that Sunland Park, NM (including the communities of Santa Teresa and La Union) be designated as nonattainment of the new 8-hour ozone standard.

Click here for a map of the Sunland Park maintenance area or the Anthony nonattainment area.

• Click here to view monitoring data.

 

Dust Open House

On September 2, 2009, the Air Quality Bureau held an open house in Las Cruces to provide information and request feedback on a potential dust control regulation.

• Click here to view the posters from the open house

 

Nonattainment Plans

2009 Sunland Park Ozone

• New Mexico Ozone Nonattainment Recommendation

 

Public Meeting Information on the 2009 Ozone Nonattainment Recommendation

The New Mexico Environment Department’s Air Quality Bureau held a public meeting and open house on ground level ozone pollution in Sunland Park and Las Cruces on Monday, January 5th, 2009.

• Presentation given by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Sunland Park
• Presentation given by NM Air Quality Bureau in Sunland Park
• Meeting Agenda for Sunland Park
• Invite for Meetings in English
• Invite for Meetings in Spanish

 

2007 Sunland Park Ozone Maintenance Plan

• Maintenance Plan
• Appendices

 

Other Nonattainment Plans

• 1998 Sunland Park, New Mexico Ozone State Implementation Plan Revision Update Proposal
• 1995 Sunland Park, New Mexico Ozone State Implementation Plan Revision
• 1991 Anthony, New Mexico Particulate Matter State Implementation Plan Revision

 

The Natural Events Action Plan

In recent years, Doña Ana County has not met the federal ambient air quality standards for PM10. These high levels of PM10 are largely due to dust storms throughout the area. While much of the dust in the Doña Ana County area is caused by natural events such as high wind speeds and ambient dry conditions, man-made dust sources are on the increase as the County becomes more populated and development increases.

In December of 2000, a Natural Events Action Plan (NEAP) for Doña Ana County was submitted to EPA for review. The focus of the NEAP is to control man-made sources of wind blown dust. This plan includes agreements between primary stakeholders (such the New Mexico State Highway and Transportation Department and New Mexico State University) and the State of New Mexico Environment Department (NMED), dust ordinances on both the city and county level, educational outreach tools, documentation of exceedances, and tools to minimize the public’s exposure to PM10.

 

2005 Reevaluation of Natural Events Action Plan

2005 Reevaluation of Doña Ana County Natural Events Action Plan

• Appendix A: Environmental Protection Agency Natural Events Policy
• Appendix B: Doña Ana County, New Mexico Natural Events Action Plan
• Appendix C: Suggested Best Available Control Measures (BACM) for Reducing Windblown Dust from Manmade Sources in Doña Ana County
• Appendix D: Particulate Matter Emissions Inventory for Doña Ana County
• Appendix E: Public Outreach and Educational Material
• Appendix F: Local Ordinances and Reevaluation Letters
• Appendix G: Stakeholder Agreements and Letters of Support
  

 

2000 Natural Events Action Plan

2000 Doña Ana County Natural Events Action Plan

• Appendix A: Natural Events Policy and Supporting Background Documents
• Appendix B: Public Health Education and Outreach Materials
• Appendix C: Implementation and Determination of BACM
• Appendix D: Local Ordinances
• Appendix E: Stakeholder Agreements
• Appendix F: Letters of Support
• Appendix G: Working Groups
• Appendix H: Stakeholder and Public Review Documentation

 

Other NEAP Documents

• Addendum to NEAP submitted in April 1998
• NEAP document submitted in November 1997 
  • Attachment 2
  • Attachment 2 maps