FAQ
AGRICULTURE
Agriculture - Odors And Spraying
Agriculture - Open Burning
ASBESTOS
CFC's & FREON
COMPLAINTS
General Information
Smoke and Odors
Dust
INDOOR AIR QUALITY
General Information
Mold
LEAD
MOBILE SOURCES
OZONE
REFERRALS - INFORMATION AND COMPLAINTS
Generators
AGRICULTURE
Odors and Spraying
Why are odors from
agricultural operations exempt from APCD Rules and
Regulations?
The California Health & Safety Code
exempts odors from agricultural operations from Public
Nuisance.
Agricultural operations include:
- Operations necessary for the growing of crops or the
raising of fowl or animals.
- Operations that produce, manufacture, or handle compost,
provided that the odors emanate directly from the
compost facility or operations.
- Operations that compost green material or animal waste
products derived from agricultural operations, and that
return similar amounts of the compost produced to that
same agricultural operation.
Does this include odors from farms
growing hemp?
Yes, the Ventura County APCD has no enforcement
authority over odors associated with the growing and
harvesting of industrial hemp. The district will
investigate complaints about odors emanating from hemp
storage, processing, manufacturing and retail operations
to determine whether they constitute a public nuisance
violation that must be abated. The district also
requires permits for stationary equipment associated
with these purposes that emit odorous pollutants as well
as air contaminant-abatement devices. Additional
information and FAQ regarding the growing and harvesting
of industrial hemp can be found at the
California
Department of Food and Agriculture’s website.
Who can I contact regarding agricultural odors?
Contact the Ventura County Agricultural Commissioner's
office at (805) 388-4222
Does the District regulate Pesticide or Herbicide
spraying operations?
No. Pesticide spraying complaints
and requests for information are handled by the Ventura
County Agricultural Commissioner's office. They can
provide information of what's being sprayed, by whom and
for how long.
For more information on Pesticides you can also contact:
- The Department of Pesticide Regulations at (916) 445-4300
- The National Pesticide Information Center at
(800) 858-7378
- The Agricultural Pesticides Federal Information Center
at (800) 726-4995
Open Burning
Why is Agricultural burning
allowed in Ventura County?
State law allows
agricultural burning to be reasonably regulated but not
prohibited. District Rule 56 regulates all open fires,
including agricultural burning. The requirements of Rule
56 minimize public exposure to smoke and ash fallout
while allowing farmers to burn.
How does the agricultural burning permitting process
work?
- When a farmer wishes to burn agricultural materials,
typically orchard trees, they first must contact their
local Fire Station.
- The Fire Department inspects the piles to be burned to
ensure that the material is dry and that the piles are
free of trash, construction debris, fertilizer, etc. and
will not cause a fire risk.
- The Fire Department then issues a "Burn Permit" to the
farmer and sends a copy to the Air Pollution Control
District.
- The farmer must wait until the District has declared a
"Burn Day" for their area before starting a burn.
Ventura County is split into 6 geographical "Burn
Regions" for this purpose.
The Air Pollution Control District meteorologists, in
consultation with the Fire Department and California Air
Resources Board, decide when to declare a burn day.
Agricultural burning may be allowed in the morning, the
afternoon or the morning and afternoon. The District
maintains the "Agricultural Burn Forecast" voicemail
center, which is updated twice a day with the current
forecast.
For more information on the Agricultural Burn process
you can contact the District Meteorologists at
(805) 303-3889.
How do I know when it will be an Agricultural burn day?
Call the District's "Agricultural Burn Forecast"
voicemail center at (805) 303-3888 to hear the updated
burn status or click here. The message is updated at 8am
and 4pm daily.
ASBESTOS
Does the District regulate Asbestos?
The
District regulates demolition and renovation operations
that include the removal of Asbestos Containing
Materials from buildings and residences (except for
projects at single-unit dwellings, performed by the
owner/occupant). See the District's Asbestos Web Page
for more information.
CFC's & FREON
Does the District regulate Freon & CFC
refrigerant releases?
No. The Environmental Protection
Agency regulates Freon & CFC Refrigerant. Refrigerators
and motor vehicle air conditioners use Freon & CFC
Refrigerants for cooling. For general information about
Stratospheric Ozone Depletion contact the EPA's
Stratospheric Ozone Depletion Information Hotline at
(800) 296-1996 or visit EPA's website at
http://www.epa.gov/ozone.
COMPLAINTS
General Information
How can I register an
Air Quality Complaint?
- Call the District's 24-hour complaint line at
(805) 303-3700.
- Call the Compliance Division at (805) 303-3708, M – F, 7
am - 4:30 pm.
- Call the APCD receptionist at (805) 303-4005, M - F, 8 am
to 5 pm.
- Email a complaint
To register an air quality complaint with
California Air
Resources Board
- Call complaint hotline at (800) 952-5588 to report a
problem. This number can also be used for complaints
against gasoline dispensing facilities.
See the
District's Air Quality Complaints Web Page for
more information.
Smoke and Odors
Can the District do
anything about my neighbor burning trash in his backyard
or his fireplace?
The District has no direct
jurisdiction over residential fireplaces. However, the
District may send a letter to the resident to make them
aware of the problem and request their cooperation. The
letter also informs them of the potential fines and
penalties associated with creating a public nuisance.
What about smoke and odors from backyard barbecues?
The California State Health and Safety Code provides an
exemption to the opacity limits for "Open outdoor fires
used only for cooking of food for human beings or for
recreational purposes." However, cooking odors are not
exempt from causing a public nuisance. If a sufficient
number of complaints are reported to the District and an
Inspector witnesses the problem, the District can issue
a Notice of Violation.
What can the District do about smoke and odors from
restaurants?
A District Inspector can often resolve
these complaints by making the source aware of the
problem and letting them know a complaint has been
registered. A restaurant can change its operating
practices, improve maintenance of its cooking equipment,
or install odor control equipment. Restaurants are not
exempt from public nuisance. If a sufficient number of
complaints are reported to the District and an Inspector
witnesses the problem, a Notice of Violation can be
issued.
Dust
What can the District do to stop
dust from a construction site?
The District responds
to dust complaints and, if necessary, will inform the
source that the problem needs to be abated. In the case
of a construction site, the District will request that
the dust be kept to a minimum. Ways to reduce dust
include using water trucks, restricting earthmoving
activities to times when the wind is low, and altering
work practices.
What can the District do to stop dust from a business?
The District will inspect a permitted business to
determine whether the business is complying with their
permit conditions and District Rules. If a company is
operating in violation of their permit or District Rule
or they are causing a public nuisance, the District can
issue a Notice of Violation.
INDOOR AIR QUALITY
General Information
Does the
District respond to Indoor Air Quality Complaints?
No.
The District has no jurisdiction over Indoor Air Quality
issues (IAQ).
How can I tell if there is a carbon monoxide problem in
my home?
Carbon monoxide is a by-product of combustion
and can be found inside buildings. For information
contact EPA's Web Page For Indoor Air Quality and search
for "carbon monoxide".
Does the District regulate Radon sources?
No. You can
contact the following agencies with questions on Radon:
- Ventura County's Environmental Health Department at
(805) 654-2813
- California Air Resources Board at (916) 323-1504
- The California State Radon Office at (800) 745-7236.
- National Safety Council's Radon hotline at
(800) SOS-RADON.
-
EPA's Radon site
For more information on Radon and to obtain a copy of
radon-mitigation companies in your area, contact the
Consumer Federation of America Foundation's Radon Fix-it
Program at (800) 644-6999. The program is free.
Please, also visit Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention and
American Lung Association sites.
Mold
I suspect Mold is affecting
my health. Who should I contact
Mold is an indoor air
quality problem and is not regulated by the District. To
determine if your home or office has a mold problem you
will need to hire a properly trained Hygienist. Consult
the yellow pages under "Building and Home Inspection
Services" and "Laboratories - Testing".
For more information pertaining to Indoor Air Quality
and mold, please visit the
EPA,
Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention and
American
Lung Association (800) LUNG-USA sites.
Mold in Homes
State law requires anyone who sells,
transfers or rents residential, commercial, or
industrial real property or a public entity that owns,
leases, or operates a building who knows, or has
reasonable cause to believe, that mold is present
affecting the unit or building and exceeding the
permissible exposure limits to mold, would be required
to provide a written disclosure to potential buyers,
prospective tenants, renters, landlords, or occupants of
the mold conditions.
The Air Pollution Control District is not involved in
the implementation of this law. Nor does the District
have the capability to determine or test for the
presence of mold. However, in the interest of providing
the public with as much information as possible on this
subject, information and resources have been compiled.
LEAD
Does the District regulate the removal of Lead
Paint from buildings?
No. The District has no
jurisdiction over lead paint issues.
- If you have a concern about lead paint removal in your
workplace, contact Cal-OSHA at (805) 654-4581.
- For information on lead paint removal, refer to
EPA's
site.
- For more information you may call the Lead National
Information Center at (800) 424-LEAD (800) 424-5323.
MOBILE SOURCES
What can the District do about smoking
vehicles?
You can report a smoking vehicle to our
Smoking Vehicles Hotline at (800) END-SMOG (1-800-363-7664)
or at
https://air.arb.ca.gov/Forms/VehicleComplaint/SmokingVehicle. You
need to report the following information:
- the smoking vehicle's license number
- make of the vehicle
- the location and time where you saw the vehicle
What about diesel exhaust from trucks, heavy machinery,
trains or ships?
If you observe smoke from any of
these vehicles, report it to the District’s 24-hour
complaint line at (805) 303-3700. The District will
investigate. However, the District does not have a
specific rule prohibiting emissions from mobile sources.
State regulations limit the amount of time commercial
diesel trucks and buses can idle. For more information
see the ARB site for
School Bus Idling and
Commercial
Vehicle Idling.
How do motor vehicles contribute to air pollution in
Ventura County?
There are currently almost 555,000
motor vehicles registered in our county. And, according
to the Ventura County Transportation Commission, about
fifteen million miles are driven in Ventura County every
day. Why is this critical to air pollution? Motor
vehicles are responsible for over 50 percent of the air
pollution in Ventura County. A typical car equipped with
air pollution control devices will spew out some 300
pounds of smog-forming compounds and 34 tons of carbon
monoxide over the course of its lifetime! However, a new
car sold today is 97 percent cleaner than its
predecessor 25 years ago. The primary pollutants
stemming from motor vehicles are nitrogen oxides (NOx)
and reactive organic compounds (ROC). When these come in
contact with sunlight, ozone is formed, and ozone is our
most serious air pollution problem here.
And what about motorcycles?
New motorcycles may be
lighter and more fuel efficient than passenger cars, but
they are more polluting. The average new motorcycle
emits approximately 20 times more hydrocarbons (1.9
grams/mile) than the average new car (less than 0.1
grams/mile) and about four times more than the average
car on the road (0.5 grams/mile). California Air
Resources Board (CARB) staff has developed a regulatory
proposal to further reduce emissions from on-road
motorcycles by applying more stringent emissions
standards and progressively increasing the number of
zero-emission motorcycles sold each year, starting in
model year 2028. For more information, visit the
CARB website.
When employers conduct their employee commute survey for
Rule 211, motorcycle trips are counted as drive-alone
trips. The survey is based on occupancy only. A
motorcycle trip could possibly be a two-person carpool.
This survey method provides an estimate of average
vehicle occupancy for each of the county’s large
employers. Other factors, such as longer commutes and
older vehicles, can produce more pollution but are not
considered for this survey. Our intention is to decrease
the number of vehicles on our roads to reduce air
pollution and congestion, which creates additional air
pollution. The size of the vehicle, or its engine, is
not a factor. Motorcycles are allowed on some HOV
carpool lanes. This decision was made due to the limited
road space that motorcycles take up, not their air
quality efficiency.
OZONE
Is ozone good or bad?...
Well, it’s really both. Ozone, in fact, has a dual
personality. Ozone in the stratosphere, (9 – 30
kilometers above the Earth’s surface) protects our world
from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays. But when ozone
is in the troposphere (0 - 9 kilometers), it is a
harmful pollutant that can cause health problems. Ozone
is always the same toxic compound. Its effect simply
depends on where it is in the atmosphere.
Ground level ozone is the primary ingredient of smog.
It’s a colorless, highly reactive gas produced by a
complicated web of chemical reactions between nitrogen
oxides and reactive hydrocarbons and sunlight.
These "ozone precursors" come from varied sources like
gasoline vapors, chemical solvents, fuel combustion, and
household products such as hairspray, glass and oven
cleaners, and deodorants. Maximum ozone concentrations
occur in the afternoon, when sunlight is the strongest.
REFERRALS - INFORMATION AND COMPLAINTS
Who can I
contact for more information on environmental topics?
(Please call information for the most current telephone
listing):
|
Accuracy of fuel dispensers
|
Department of Weights and Measures
(805) 654-2444
|
|
Agricultural odors & Information
|
Ventura County Agricultural Commissioners Office
(805) 388-4222
http://www.ventura.org/agcommissioner/
U. S. Department of Agriculture
|
|
Aircraft emissions
|
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
|
|
American Lung Association
|
|
|
Automotive Repair
|
Bureau of Automotive Repair
(800) 952-5210
|
|
Barbecue smoke or odors
|
Ventura County APCD
complaints@vcapcd.org
|
|
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
|
|
|
Channel spills
|
Regional Water Quality Control Board
California State Department of Fish and
Game (916) 653-7664 DFG Region 5--South Coast Region
LA, Orange, San Diego, SB & Ventura Counties Public
Information (858) 467-4201
|
Consumer products |
California Department of Consumer Affairs
California Air Resources Board
|
|
Diesel-powered vehicles
|
California Air Resources Board (ARB) Mobile Sources
Division
|
|
Dumping & Gutters - Illegal Dumping
|
Regional Water Quality Control Board
|
|
Dumping or water stagnation
|
Regional Water Quality Control Board
|
|
Environmental Protection Agency (Indoor Air Quality)
|
|
|
Fireplace / chimney smoke or odors
|
Ventura County APCD
complaints@vcapcd.org
Local city / county police
|
|
California Department of Fish and Game
|
California Department of Fish and Game
(916) 653-7664
Region 5 - South Coast Division: Los Angeles,
Orange, San Diego, Santa Barbara & Ventura
Counties Public Information (858) 467-4201
|
|
Gas odors or leaks
|
Southern California Gas Company
(800) 427-2200 (Residential Customers)
(800) 427-2000 (Commercial & Industrial Customers)
|
|
Gasoline Dispensing Facilities
|
Ventura County APCD
complaints@vcapcd.org
California Air Resources Board
(800) 952-5588
|
|
Gutters or storm drains
|
Regional Water Quality Control Board
|
|
Hazardous materials
|
Ventura County Environmental Health Department
(805) 654-2813
|
|
Idling School Buses and Commercial Vehicles
|
Idling School Buses
Idling Commercial Vehicles
|
|
Illegal businesses
|
City / County Code Enforcement Departments
|
|
Illegal dumping or spills
|
Ventura County Environmental Health Department (805) 654-2813
Regional Water Quality Control Board
|
|
Illegal dumping - Hazardous Materials
|
Ventura County Environmental Health
|
|
Information on Lead
|
EPA's Site for information on lead
The National Lead Information Center (NLIC) (800) 424-LEAD (800) 424-5323
|
|
National Safety Council
|
|
|
Noise from idling trucks or vehicles
|
Local city/county police
City/County Ordinances (Code Enforcement Departments)
|
|
Oil spills
|
California State Department of Fish and Game
(916) 653-7664 DFG Region 5--South Coast Region
Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Santa Barbara &
Ventura Counties Public Information (858)
467-4201
|
|
Pesticides or aerial spraying
|
Agricultural Commissioner's Office (805) 933-3165
Department of Pesticide Regulation
(916) 445-4300
National Pesticide Information Center
(800) 858-7378
|
|
U. S. Department of Agriculture
|
|
|
Water pollution
State Water Quality Control Board
|
Regional Water Quality Control Board
California State Department of Fish and Game
(916) 653-7664 DFG Region 5--South Coast Region
Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Santa Barbara &
Ventura Counties Public Information (858)
467-4201
|
Generators
Do I need a permit to use an
emergency generator during a Public Safety Power Shutoff
Event?
Permits for this emergency use are only required for
diesel-powered generators, not for those that run on
natural gas, gasoline or propane. Also, air pollution
permits are not required for generators that are used
for a residence with four or fewer families, those with
less than 50 brake horsepower or portable rentals.
