# PALA

BAND

OF MISSION

INDIANSPMB50,35008PalaTemeculaRoadPala,CA92059Phone760-891-3500



# IFax760-742-1411December10,2013JaredBlumenfeldU.S.EPARegionalAdministrator74HawthorneStreetSanFrancisco,CA94105SUBJECT:PROPOSEDATTAINMENT/UNCLASSIFIABLEPM2.5DESIGNATIONFORTHEPALABANDOFMISSIONINDIANSRESERVATION.ThankyoufortheopportunitytosubmitadesignationrecommendationfortheareaunderthePalaBandofMissionIndiansjurisdictionforthe2012AnnualPM25NationalAmbientAirQualityStandard(NAAQS).ThegoalsofthePalaBandofMissionIndiansaretomaintaingoodairquality,strivetoprotecttheairresourcesforfuturegenerations,andexerciseourinherentsovereignauthorityoverourairshedasprovidedinsections301(d)and110(o)oftheCleanAirAct.Palarecommendsthatthelandswithintheexteriorboundariesofthereservationremaindesignatedasanattainment/unclassifiableareaforthe2012AnnualPM25NAAQS.Belowarethereasonsforthebasisofourrequest:JURISDICTIONALBOUNDARIESThePalaIndianReservationislocatedinthecentralnorthernpartoftheSanDiegoCountyAirBasin(SDCAB)andiswithinthejurisdictionoftheSanDiegoCountyAirPollutionControlDistrict(SDCAPCD).TheSDCABandSDCAPCDcoverSanDiegoCountyonly.TwootherairbasinsadjointheSanDiegoCountyAirBasin.ThesearetheSouthCoastAirBasintothenorthwestandtheSaltonSeaAirBasintotheeastandnortheast.Emissionsfromthese



# twoadjoiningairbasinscouldimpacttheairqualityintheSDCAB,particularlytheReservationarea.WindsassociatedwithseasonalweatherfrontscouldbringemissionsfromneighboringairbasinsintotheSDCAB.However,theairqualityintheruralpartsoftheSDCAB,includingthereservation,isgenerallyquitegoodduetoseveralfactorsincludinglowpopulationandalackofmajorindustriesorstationarysources.GEOGRAPHICAREATheterrainwithintheReservationboundaryvariesfromrelativelyflatlandwithelevationsofapproximately200feetabovemeansealeveltoverysteepterrainwithelevationsgreaterthan3,000feetabovemeansealevel.ThespectrumofelevationswithintheReservationisdueinparttothemountainrangeoftheClevelandNationalForest,whichislocatedwithinthenortheasternportionoftheReservation.POPULATIONDENSITYANDDEGREEOFURBANIZATIONWhileSanDiegoCountyisoneofthemostpopulatedcountiesinCalifornia,thenorthernpartofthecountyandthePalaReservationspecificallyissparselypopulated.TheCensusBureaudefinesan“urbanarea”asanareacontainingatleast1,000personspersquaremile.TheReservationconsistsof12,449acres,or19.45squaremiles.Withapopulationof1,618,thereservationpopulationdensityis83personspersquaremile.ComparethiswiththeCityofSanDiegoatapopulationof1.25millionandadensityof3,877personspersquaremile,anditbecomesreadilyapparentthatthetwoentitiesarevastlydifferent.TRAFFICANDCOMMUTINGPATrERNSUSInterstate15isamajorcommutercorridorbetweenSanDiegoCountyinthesouthandRiversideCountytothenorth.Trafficvolumesareheavyandcontributetotheoveralldeteriorationofairquality.US-15islocatedsevenmileswestofthePalaReservation.PrevailingwindsblowfromtheSouthwesttowardthereservation.ThePaumaValleyisnarrowandaffordsalimitedareaofexposuretocommutertrafficpollution.CaliforniaStateHighway76crossestheReservationfromeasttowest.Caltranstrafficvolumecountsshowapeakhourlyvolumeof1,200vehicles.VehiclesusingSH-76areamixoflocalresidents,visitorstothecasinosandlimitedcommutertraffic.GROWTHRATESANDPATTERNSOverallthegrowthrateinSanDiegoCountyisdeclining,bothnumericallyandpercentage-wise.Theslowedgrowthratecounty-wideisinresponsetoout-migrationbythoseseekingmoreaffordablehousing.Ofthe12,449acreswithintheReservationonly2,639arefeelandswhichhavestrictregulationsgoverningtheirdisposition.LanddevelopmentandconcurrentpopulationgrowthonthePalaReservationisstrictlyregulatedbytheU.S.DepartmentofInterior,BureauofIndianAffairsinconcertwiththePalaBandofMissionIndians,andnotsubjecttothesamedevelopmentalpressuresasprivatelyheldlandselsewhere.Withatotaltribalpopulationof924thereislittledemandfordevelopmentatthepresenttime.Withsignificantgrowthrestraints,airqualitydeteriorationonthereservationshouldremainunchangedintheforeseeablefuture.METEOROLOGICALDATAThePalareservationiseastofthecoastalrangeandhasafairlymildclimatethatdoesnotexperiencegreattemperaturevariationsbetweenwinterandsummer.Theareaexperiencestemperaturesthatarecomfortablymildinthewinterandpersistentlywarmthroughoutthesummer.TheprevailingwinddirectionblowsfromtheSouth-SouthwesttowardtheNortheastregionofthereservationatanaverageof436milesperhour.EMIssIoNsDATAAnEmissionsInventory(El)ofthevariouspollutionsourceswithinthereservation’sexteriorboundarieswasupdatedin2010.ItwasfoundinthisinventorythatthemajorityofourPM2.5emissionsareproducedfromtrafficonSH-76andUS-15.NotonlyaretherenosignificantPM2.5emittingfacilitiespresentonthereservation,butourdesignvalueshowswefallunderthenewstandardof12.tg/m3Seeairqualitydatasectionbelow.

# AIR QUALITY

DATA Pala

is currently conducting

PM 25 monitoring

with

a Met-One BAM-1020

which

is located

within

our jurisdictional

boundaries

just

one

mile

east

of the

Pala Casino.

The closest

PM 2 . 5 monitor

to our station is located approximately

25 miles

south

in Escondido

off

of

E. Valley Parkway.

We have

been sampling with

this monitor

since

2005

and have collected

the three

years

of data required

to make

an attainment designation.

The

data

used

in this designation

letter

was collected

in accordance

with

the requirements of

40 CFR

part

58.

The

last three

years

of data clearly demonstrates

Pala meeting

the newly revised PM 2 . 5 annual standard

of

12 .tg/m 3

(see

data below). YEAR

ANNUAL AVERAGE 2010

8.8 2011

9.9 2012

9.8 DESIGN

VALUE

95 Because

our design

value

is 9.5 ig/m 3 ,

well below

the standard,

we respectfully

request

that

the

Pala Indian Reservation

remain designated

as unclassifiable/attainment

for

the 2012 annual

PM 2 . 5 NAAQS. Thank

you

for your attention

to this matter. If you have

any questions

regarding

this recommendation

please contact: Shasta Gaughen

Pala Environmental

Director

760-891-3515 Rodney

Watkins

Pala

Air Quality Specialist

760-891-3511 Frank Spurgeon

Pala

Air Technician

760-891-3540 Robert

H. Smith Tribal Chairman