South Coast AQMD continues to invest in comprehensive
strategies to better understand, monitor, and reduce dust
pollution across the Coachella Valley. These efforts
include new research initiatives, expanded monitoring tools,
on-the-ground mitigation work, and insights gathered during
the recent Coachella Valley Dust Summit.
In partnership with Riverside County Supervisor V. Manuel
Perez, South Coast AQMD hosted the Coachella Valley DustSummit in Palm Desert on November 6, 2025. The event
brought together scientists, government agencies, community
leaders, businesses, and residents to discuss persistent dust
challenges in the region and their impacts on air quality,
public health, and quality of life.
South Coast AQMD, along with experts from the California
Air Resources Board, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, Coachella Valley Association of Governments
(CVAG), Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians, Riverside
University Health System Department of Public Health,
the Coachella Valley Conservation Commission, and UC
Riverside shared data on dust sources, health impacts,
and new mitigation strategies. Community members also
highlighted how dust affects daily life across the region. The
Coachella Valley has long faced dust pollution (particulate
matter - PM10) driven by high winds and desert conditions.
A major focus of the Summit was a three-part dust-reduction
plan approved by the Governing Board in October, with an
initial funding allocation of $750,000 and the potential for up
to $3.1 million to support implementation.
The plan will:
• Support scientific research led by UC
Riverside and UC San Diego/Scripps
to identify and prioritize major dust
sources to focus on future mitigation
efforts;
• Develop targeted strategies to
determine the most effective dustcontrol
measures by location and dust
type; and
• Implement dust-mitigation projects
in the highest-emitting areas through
future funding opportunities.
South Coast AQMD has also significantly expanded dust
monitoring since 2023. A camera has been installed in SanJacinto State Park to track dust movement in the northwestern
valley. A second camera, operated by UC San Diego, as part
of the Alert California and HPWREN* network, is located on
Toro Peak overlooking the area from Indio to the north Salton
Sea shore. A third camera is planned for the eastern portion
of the valley to expand dust tracking data. In parallel, South
Coast AQMD is working
with UC Riverside to guide
targeted dust-mitigation
actions using field
measurements, satellite
analysis, and computer
modeling. The expanding
camera network will
strengthen these efforts and
help inform more precise
strategies to reduce dust
emissions and improve
regional air quality.
Other near-term efforts
include extended street-sweepingoperations with
CVAG to reduce blowsand
and roadway dust,
enhanced enforcement
of dust-control rules,
and road-paving projects
funded through the
AB 617 program.
For more information on
dust-mitigation efforts
in the Coachella Valley,
including real-time
monitoring images, visit www.aqmd.gov/cvcameras.
*High Performance Wireless Research and Education
Network