Dust field to be treated

By Tom Purdom
Staff Writer

MILAN — State officials got word about noon Friday a deal had been worked out over the dusty 300 acres just west of here and at 12:01 p.m. workers on heavy equipment shifted into action.

Landowner Wesley Adams, of Las Vegas, Nev., gave the New Mexico Department of Transportation permission to trespass on his land in an effort to reduce blowing dust, which smothers nearby Interstate 40 with brown clouds which instantly turns visibility to zero. The field is located south of Interstate 40 near Mile Marker 78.

Actually the deal was worked out Thursday, but Friday the District 6 Department of Transportation was given the go-ahead so at 12:01 p.m., workers driving road graders scrambled to the dusty patch of dry New Mexico ground to put a plan into action.

"What we're doing is digging trenches about a foot deep to get to the wet ground and that dirt will cover the dry sand," said Rosie Sais, the district six public information officer. "What we're hoping is that this will last until the end of the windy season."

Blowing dust from the 300-acre field has virtually brought Interstate 40 to a standstill. The dust gets so thick that people can actually not see the hoods of their cars from the drivers seat. When those times happen, the New Mexico State Police shut down Interstate-40 between Mile Marker 79 and Mile Marker 72. Interstate traffic is rerouted to New Mexico 122 (Old Route 66).

April 2004, dust storms roared through the interstate twice in a week and because of it, three people were killed in horrific chain-reaction accidents. In one of the accidents, 13 people were injured, many of them seriously.

Last year experts were saying that the earth just reached a critical point. Drought conditions kept vegetation from growing on the 300 acres and the earth was so parched when the winds picked up to about 30 miles per hour, it also picked up the dust from the field.

This year there has been a lot more rainfall and moisture in the area, but when the winds hit 50 miles per hour, the dust once again kicked up and suddenly the interstate was covered in the blinding clouds.

The storms caught officials by surprise last year.

This year there were no surprises. As soon as the winds picked up and dust began swirling, state police immediately shut down the interstate.

Three times in April the interstate was closed and traffic re-routed to nearby New Mexico 122, about a half mile north of the interstate.

In the meantime, state officials were trying to contact the land owner because the transportation department could not just march to the land and do something, it needed permission first.

That permission came this week.

"This is a public safety issue that needs immediate attention," said New Mexico Department of Transportation Secretary Rhonda Faught. "We're glad that we were able to get on the property and improve our ability to open the interstate during the spring windy season. This measure should also help the smooth flow of interstate commerce that has taken a beating every time we close I-40 and reroute the traffic."

At least three pieces of heavy equipment worked the field Friday. Sais said it may take up to a week to get the earth-turning job done, but that will not be a long-term solution.

According to a department news release from Santa Fe, the department also intends to disc the soil after the windy season ends to break up the clumps and soften dirt so that seeds can be planted. The news release states the seeding operation will include various native plants which will not require a significant water supply to survive. The release states the department also intends to put a blanket of hay mulch over the top of the newly planted soil and then put a mixture of water and special solution on top of the hay mulch to hold it in place for six to eight weeks.

It is hoped that with vegetation on the 300 acres the dust will not be as likely to blow when the winds pick up.

In a related matter, Commissioner of Public Lands Patrick Lyons said plans are underway to re-vegetate state trust lands between the interstate and New Mexico 122 just outside of Milan. The re-vegetation project comes from technology developed in China by Guangcong Goldensand Eco-Protection, Inc. Lyons said the company has offered to do a demonstration of the technology at the Milan site. The technology is called "Artificial Vegetation Technology."

Sais said the project should help reduce blowing sand from state trust lands onto New Mexico 122.

The new technology treats areas void of vegetation without digging, watering.