AIR QUALITY

AIR QUALITY. Dubuque city officials in 1963 made a request through the Iowa State Department of Health for a study of air pollution in the city. Residents were complaining about "fly ash" collecting on cars, laundry and their homes. The study would be the basis of an air pollution ordinance which would provide legal action against those responsible. (1)

The study resulted in Dubuque being listed as one of the 26 worst cities in the nation in air pollution. Other Iowa cities were listed as having more than 100 micrograms of dirt per cubic meter of air according to the state health board. Dubuque had approximately 150 micrograms. Art Roth, city chemist, said the study did not reflect the overall picture. The sampling station used was located in the center of the industrial area of town on top of the city garage at 14th and Elm. Tests there indicated a fallout of 30.3 tons of dirt per square mile over the period of one month. A sampling at the University Avenue-Atlantic Street fire station showed a fallout of 8.5 tons per square mile. This, he claimed, was closer to the average of all residential districts. Roth and other city officials has been gathering data for nearly three years with the intent writing an anti-pollution ordinance. (2)

Air quality in Dubuque was a concern in 1964 when city employees again collected data to be the basis of a law. Sampling stations were established around the city and a gas detection station was established at 9th and Iowa STREETS. Samples taken from some of the stations were analyzed by a U. S. Public Health Service laboratory in Cincinnati, Ohio. (3)

Large improvement in air pollution was seen in 1974. Expensive pollution-control equipment placed on the power plant of INTERSTATE POWER COMPANY was given most of the credit. Air samples over the first three months of the year showed particulate levels in Dubuque less than half the federal standard to protect public health. The national air quality standard was 75 micrograms of particulates. Samples taken at the University Avenue-Atlantic Street fire station showed 37.3 micrograms while air samples at the EAGLE POINT water works averaged 33.5. Particulate readings at the city garage ranged from 152 micrograms per cubic meter in 1964 to 67 micrograms in 1972. (4)

The City of Dubuque in 2017 had come a long way in improving the quality of air. Between 2005 and 2009, the community had nearly exceeded federal standards for particulate matter in the air. With the possibility of the Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.) beginning regulatory measures, the city agreed to participate in a program of voluntary measures to improve air quality. (5)

In 2010 the air-monitoring station in Potosi, Wisconsin began showing air pollution in Dubuque beginning to drop. That information was sent to the E.P.A. to validate the city's efforts. Particulate matter steadily declined from 2010 to 2016. Particulate matter is composed of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air. Dust, dirt, and smoke are large enough to be seen with the naked eye. Electron microscopes are needed to find small particles which, lodged in the lung, can cause respiratory damage. Total emissions fell 32% from 2008 to 2014. The largest reductions in air pollution comes from industries, electric utilities, and transportation. ALLIANT ENERGY CORPORATION in 2011 and the JOHN DEERE DUBUQUE WORKS in 2013 switched from coal to cleaner burning natural gas. In 2013 the city spent $67.8 million retrofitting its wastewater treatment plant. Vehicle emissions fell more than 20% between 2008 and 2014. (6)

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Source:

1. "Dubuque Asks for U.S. Health Service Air Pollution Study," The Telegraph-Herald, June 26, 1963, p. 1

2. "City's Air-Pollution Rating Held Unfair," The Telegraph-Herald, November 10, 1966, p. 1

3. "Air Pollution Law Here Next Year," The Telegraph-Herald, September 15, 1966, p. 22

4. Knee, Bill. "City Air Cleaner Than Ever," Telegraph Herald, October 1, 1974, p. 1

5. Barton, Thomas. "City Breathes Easier," Telegraph Herald, November, 14, 2017, p. 1A

6. Ibid.