For years now, on windy days large amounts of visible dust have been pouring off the Grand Junction Regional Airport’s runway construction project and wafting over town, creating what appears to be a major point source of particulate air pollution in the Grand Valley’s air shed.
High levels of fine particulate dust in the air doesn’t just interfere with visibility. Exposure to it has known health consequences (pdf). It can decrease lung function, exacerbate chronic bronchitis, asthma and emphysema and increase people’s susceptibility to lung infections. The cardiac effects of exposure to high levels of fine particulate dust include increased blood pressure, arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats) and non-fatal heart attacks. It can also damage sensitive farm crops.
A 12-year project
In September, 2025, the airport won a $38 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) (pdf) for a runway pavement project, making for a total of $53 million in total federal Airport Improvement Program funding in 2025. The airport has been using the funds to build a new runway from scratch instead of using it to repair and improve the existing runway. The project began in 2018 and isn’t scheduled to be completed until 2030, which could mean many more years of exposure to fine particulate dust for some area residents who live near and around the airport, unless more effort is put into controlling the dust coming off the project, or unless work on the project stops during periods of high wind.
The county landfill compliance manager says whenever people see dust emanating from a source, always take photos of it. It also helps to note the date, time and place the photos were taken, and the source of the air pollution, if known.
Citizens for Clean Air says state authorities have been notified about the large amounts of dust coming from the airport project and the state Air Pollution Control division will be sending someone out to the site within 30 days. State public health authorities will also be contacting local code enforcement authorities to follow up on the problem.