ARIZONA ARMY
NATIONAL GUARD................February 2000
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The Arizona The Arizona |
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Dust Suppressants Applied to Training Areas
The soil at the Equipment Staging Area and along the Main Supply Route is fine grained, which historically has resulted in dust when subjected to vehicular movement or moderate wind. Whitney Kirk, an environmental specialist at the National Guard said, “To help minimize the amount of dust from military operations, we evaluated various dust suppressant products to determine what might work best in this environment.” As a result of the study, two products were selected, EnviroKleen® and Soil-Sement®.
To further improve the effectiveness of the dust suppressant, other improvements are being made to the Equipment Staging Area and Main Supply Road. “In the past three months, we’ve brought in rock and soil that is better suited for traffic,” said Charles Bussey, Site Supervisor at the Florence Military Reservation. “These large-grained materials are heavier and are less likely to stay suspended in the air in the form of dust. We hope that the combination of these surface improvements together with the dust suppressant treatment will result in a lot less dust,” Bussey added. The Equipment Staging Area was treated with both of the dust suppressants the week of January 10, 2000, and treatment of the Main Supply Route is scheduled for early February. Both treatment areas will be evaluated for one year to assess the long-term effectiveness of the dust suppression treatment. National Guard Informs Community The Arizona Army National Guard hosted a public open house on December 7, 1999 at Florence Gardens Mobile Home Association Clubhouse to inform the local community about the plans to apply dust suppressants to the Mesa Staging Area and part of the Main Supply Route. The 34 people who attended were able to review displays, ask questions and offer oral and written comments. The displays included samples of the dust suppressant products and boxes of native soil treated with EnviroKleen® and Soil-Sement®, as well as aerial views of the areas to be treated.
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On one to two weekends each month, the Arizona Army National Guard conducts combat training at the Florence Military Reservation, located 1.5 miles north of the town of Florence. This training area is used primarily for live fire exercises, unit maneuvers, simulated engagements and small arms training. In preparing for the training exercises, personnel and equipment organize at the Equipment Staging Area, located south of Florence Gardens. Some of the equipment used includes tracked vehicles, wheeled vehicles and helicopters. The helicopters take off from the helipad located at the southwest corner of the Equipment Staging Area. The vehicles access the training area by traveling along the Track Road to access the Main Supply Route located east of and parallel to U.S. Highway 79.
Soil-Sement® creates a hard, water-resistant surface and will be applied in the wash areas along the Main Supply Route as well as the unpaved area around the helipad at the Equipment Staging Area. EnviroKleen® is a mineral oil-like product that coats the soil but does not bind it. EnviroKleen® will be used in the balance of the treatment areas. The dust suppressant products are applied by trucks specifically suited and calibrated for the application and are equipped with a spray bar close to the ground. The suppressants will dry clear, but may darken the soil slightly. Both of these products are safe to humans, animals, plant life and groundwater.
Most of the comments indicated support for the Arizona Army National Guard for being pro-active and taking measures to suppress the dust from military activities in the area. Some of the comments included “We are really excited about your concern for the dust problem” and “very good news on settling the dust.”
View this Soil-Sement Arizona National Guard Case History as an Acrobat PDF. document.