Under a cloud of dust

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Cory Rd. home owner Ron Probst would like a little less dust and noise from the motorcycle and ATV riders who use the Hoover Ponds area off Hwy 140.Bob Pennell

September 15, 2008

By Damian Mann

Mail Tribune

From his backyard in White City, Ron Probst often watches in alarm as another off-road vehicle kicks up a quarter-mile rooster tail of roiling dust while roaring across Hoover Ponds.

Soon the cloud of dirty air wafts over the Corey Road house he built a year ago, settling over everything.

"I can say I know what it means when they say, 'eat my dust,' " said the 62-year-old, who owns two five-acre properties with his 50-year-old wife, Maria.

Probst and his neighbors say they're tired of being bombarded by the wake left by off-roaders in the popular 256-acre Hoover Pond area, where 50 acres is set aside for off-roaders.

Probst, who planted trees to help block the dust, said he's heard many county officials worry about tiny particles kicked up on the paved roads throughout the county, but nary a mention of the choking clouds generated in his backyard.

"There's more dust stirred up in an hour right here than in five years on the roads," he speculates.

The Hoover Ponds area is 256 acres, with 46 acres of ponds and about another 50 acres set aside for off-road vehicle use. The ponds area also has hunting and fishing.

"We understand there is a potential dust problem out there," said Randy Hutton, Jackson County parks manager.

Hutton said he has received only one complaint about the dust, but anticipates more as White City grows.

"If it becomes a serious issue, I would go out and put out signage," he said. The signs would potentially alert off-roaders to be mindful they are affecting nearby residents.

Hutton said some off-roaders will spin around in circles, creating more dust.

Access into the ponds is obtained by getting a key from the county at a cost of $2.50.

Hutton said 2,038 keys have been handed out. "It's a lot more than we anticipated," he said.

On Jan. 1, the county is changing its policy on keys. They will be available on an annual basis only, and the cost will go up to $15.

"That might help the neighbors," said Hutton, who thinks the higher cost might result in less usage of the ponds area.

Hutton said people who use the ponds often leave the gate open, so other people end up using the park who aren't authorized.

In October, Hutton expects to begin working on a master plan for Hoover Ponds and the nearby Sports Park.

He said the plan, which will establish long-term goals, will be developed through comments and meetings with the public.

Hutton said he would like to find some other solutions that would allow off-roaders to enjoy their hobby next to homes.

He said some areas have worked with private nonprofits that would monitor the use, potentially watering down the trails or finding some other means to curb the dust.

For Norm and Patty Alexander, the dust is more than just a nuisance.

Patty, 63, suffers from asthma and Norm, 75, has respiratory problems. The Alexanders say they have to run the air conditioner all the time.

"If you leave the windows open, your house just fills with dirt," said Patty.

When they bought their house three years ago, she said they didn't anticipate this kind of problem.

The Alexanders are constantly getting their windows cleaned.

"Our carpets get full and it just ruins them," she said.

They run their sprinklers a lot in the backyard to help cut down on the dust before it hits their house, but that only makes a small dent in abating the problem.

"Sometimes when you look out it is just foggy out there," said Alexander, who thinks some of the off-roaders want to stir up the dust.

"They drag mattresses around," she said, adding that she's heard about the practice second-hand from others in the area.

And the problem isn't just during the daytime.

"I don't understand it," she said. "In the middle of the night you hear these motorcycles out there."

Noise is also a problem if she goes outside, but Alexander said her house is well insulated.

She is particularly concerned about her husband, though.

"He has to run a vaporizer at night to keep from suffering with the dust," she said. "It gets in his eyes. He has to wash his eyes out all the time."

John Becker, air quality manager in Medford for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, said the Hoover Ponds area is not under the jurisdiction of the DEQ and the dust from off-road vehicles is not regulated by his agency.

Car emissions and industry are regulated by the DEQ. Quarry operations also have to meet state regulations, including controlling dust on roadways used by trucks, he said.

Becker said dust can be a horrible nuisance, particularly for nearby residents, but other sources that produce very fine particles pose more of a health risk.

Dust does produce some of these fine particles, but it is mostly made up of larger particles that are filtered out by the body, he said.

"The fine material from combustion is the stuff that can get in your lungs and cause harm," he said. "They put the body at much more risk than what dust does."

Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476 or dmann@mailtribune.com.

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