The Clean Air Act states that an area can be redesignated to attainment if specific conditions are met, such as attainment of federal air quality standards; approval of a state implementation plan and a maintenance plan; and permanent and enforceable improvements in air quality. This document demonstrates that all CAA requirements for attainment have been met, summarizes the progress of the area in attaining the PM10 standards, demonstrates that the Payson area qualifies for EPA’s Clean Data Policy and Limited Maintenance Plan option, and includes a maintenance plan to assure continued attainment for ten years after the redesignation. This document is a formal request to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to redesignate the Payson, Arizona PM10 nonattainment area to attainment of the health-based 24-hour average and annual average PM10 National Ambient Air Quality Standards.

Analyses included in this document show that ambient air quality measurements have remained below the NAAQS for PM10, and both the 24-hour average design value and annual average PM10 design value are below EPA allowable limits. This document also demonstrates that the emission reduction control measures responsible for the air quality improvement are both permanent and enforceable.

The Arizona State Implementation Plan describes the programs that the State will rely upon to make reasonable progress toward “preventing any future and … remedying any existing impairment of visibility” in the large parks and wilderness areas in Arizona and those in other states that may be affected by pollution generated in Arizona (Class I areas). The federal regional haze rules require states to develop and submit SIPs for improving visibility through the year 2018 that make reasonable progress toward achieving “natural visibility conditions” by the year 2064. This plan is designed to adopt the basic visibility program that addresses impairment of visibility that can be traced to older major industrial sources and implements recommendations adopted by the Grand Canyon Visibility Transport Commission in its 1996 report to EPA.

This document consists of the attainment demonstration, maintenance plan, and redesignation to attainment request for the Ajo Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) nonattainment area. The purpose of this document is to demonstrate how the area has met the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for SO2 and intends to maintain compliance with the NAAQS. Air quality standards are divided into two types: primary standards based on health effects and secondary standards based on environmental effects such as damage to property, plants, visibility, etc. Both standards are established by Environmental Protection Agency for criteria air pollutants such as sulfur dioxide.

The Office Air Quality, acting for the Director of the Department of Environmental Quality, is responsible for determining each regulated air pollution source’s capability and continuing ability to comply with air pollution source's emission rules; and any terms of conditional permits issued by the Arizona Air Pollution Control Hearing Board. This applies to all sources under the jurisdiction of the Department in matters of air pollution control. Performance tests, and/or visible emissions observations by agency personnel, are required to assure that sources are compliant with all applicable emission limitations at all major emission points before air pollution source operating permit are issued or renewed.

A massive pile of wood debris caught fire and burned from October 27 to October 31, 2001, in northern Pinal County, Arizona. The fire consumed wood debris from citrus trees that had been stored in an approximately 25-acre area in Pinal County near the Queen Creek area. The fire generated a large quantity of smoke. Persons reported smelling the smoke up to 40 miles away from the fire. Meteorological conditions during the fire intermittently created conditions that limited lift, especially at night, causing smoke to settle in residential neighborhoods in the Queen Creek area. The Arizona Department of Health Services issued public health advisories for the evenings of October 29 and 30. This report summarizes the events that occurred during the fire and analyzes the data collected by the Arizona Department of Health Services and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality to determine the extent of the public health threat from the fire.

The Rodeo-Chediski Fire Complex began as a small blaze in a remote region of east-central Arizona and within days erupted into the largest wildfire in Arizona history. Fortunately, no lives were lost. However, from June 18, 2002 to the time of its containment on July 7, 2002, the Rodeo-Chediski fire destroyed over 490 structures and 467,000 acres of ponderosa pine and pinyon-juniper woodland—an estimated 500 million to 1.3 billion board feet of timber. Jurisdictions involved included the Fort Apache Indian Reservation, the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, the Tonto National Forest, and private lands adjacent to Highway 260, from the Town of Forest Lakes east to the City of Show Low. Virtually all of the acres burned were in Navajo County, with some damage in the contiguous counties of Coconino, Apache, and Gila Counties. This health assessment describes the fire events and summarizes the resulting public health impacts from the fire.

The Arizona Department of Health Services Cancer Registry has identified 7 cases of childhood leukemia in the Sierra Vista, Arizona area since 1995. Five of the childhood leukemia cases were identified as a class of lymphoid leukemia and 2 of the cases were a class of myeloid leukemia. Based on random variation, a total of 6 or fewer cases of leukemia would have been expected over those seven years. An analysis of the data suggests that the number of cases is statistically elevated for the time period 1995 to 2001. The objective of this report is to determine whether there are any documented environmental exposures from drinking water, ambient air or waste sites that may have placed residents of the Sierra Vista, Arizona area at greater risk of developing childhood leukemia.

The Arizona Department of Health Services completed this health consultation at the request of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. This consult evaluates whether soil vapors from volatile organic compounds in the subsurface near the Silver Creek Subdivision in Tucson, Arizona are present at levels that may cause adverse health effects.

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry has asked the Arizona Department of Health Services, Office of Environmental Health, to conduct a health assessment for the off-site residential area located adjacent to the Tucson Industrial Center, also known as the 3 Hangars site, within the larger Tucson International Airport Area Superfund site, in Tucson, Arizona. Previous investigations found that elevated levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the drainage areas at the TIC site had migrated off-site into residential areas presenting a health threat to residents. The purpose of this Public Health Assessment is to evaluate if a public health hazard still exists since the remediation activities have been conducted at the off-site El Vado residential area. ADHS concludes that no current public health hazard exists as a result of ingestion, dermal, or inhalation exposures by residents, children, or transients to the post remediated soil in the residential areas on El Vado Road. Replacement of the top soil with certified clean soil has removed all contact with the soil containing PCBs eliminating any future public health hazard.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency asked the Arizona Department of Health Services, Office of Environmental Health, to provide an evaluation of the health hazards that may result from exposure to soil and soil gas contaminants present on the West-Cap site, located just north of the Tucson International Airport. Improper waste disposal practices from previous industrial activities at the site have resulted in contamination of on-site soil and soil gas. The objective of this health assessment is to assess the potential adverse health impact to on-site workers from exposure to the on-site contaminated soil and soil gas. Community exposures are not presented in this public health assessment.