A Project Blue contractor has been cited by Pima County for air quality violations.
The Pima County Department of Environmental Quality said it served AMES Construction with a violation notice after inspections on May 8 and May 11 showed violations of its dust permit, the agency said Wednesday in a news release.
The fugitive dust violation means the county found high levels of particulate matter in the air that often comes from construction, mining, or agriculture.
The dust crossed the property lines at the site north of the Pima County Fairgrounds, the citation says. AMES “failed to employ dust mitigation practices (i.e. water), which resulted in visible fugitive dust emissions being generated.”
The county can fine the contractor up to $10,000 per day, according to state law.
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Earlier this month, city officials shut off water access to the construction site after discovering what they claimed was unauthorized use of city water. The council unanimously voted to reject annexing the site for a data center complex last August due to concerns that included water and electricity usage.
Dust can be seen during recent construction at the Project Blue site on South Houghton Road near the Pima County Fairgrounds.
City Manager Tim Thomure wrote a letter to AMES Construction notifying them that the city had revoked their construction water meter, which was being used for dust control purposes.
The company has a deadline of May 17 to respond to the violation notice. PDEQ is also asking AMES to immediately comply with its permit and provide details on what actions led to the dust violations.
AMES must secure water at the site to ensure that no further violations occur.
In a statement, Beale Infrastructure said that they were cooperating with county officials and construction would be paused for now.
"Beale Infrastructure’s contractors have fully cooperated with the numerous Pima County DEQ inspections at our Houghton Road site and are ensuring that dust control measures comply with all applicable requirements. Current site work has been temporarily paused while the contractor formalizes a non-potable water source. We will respond to the Pima County DEQ in accordance with their letter."
