Hillside ‘Dust Bowl’ Is Under Control
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The “dust bowl” on Western Avenue in Rancho Palos Verdes has been brought under control, a city official said last week.
About 110,000 cubic yards of soil are being removed from a hillside that will be terraced for new buildings at the old Harbor Heights shopping center at Caddington Drive. The center is being refurbished and expanded by a Denver developer.
When work started two weeks ago about 20 residents complained to City Hall about spilled dirt and wind-blown dust, said Robert Benard, environmental services director.
As a result, officials said, the developer began reducing truck loads, watering down the soil, sweeping the street and washing it off at noon and at the end of the day.
“It was a dust bowl last week . . . . Compared to that, it’s 100% better,” Benard said.
Benard said the developer is cooperating and the city has no plans to shut down the operation, which is scheduled to be completed Nov. 23.
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