State & local air quality regulators tour asphalt plants to get an up-close view of operations, environmental controls
Above: Tracy Zubek (left) explains the operation of the DeSilva Gates materials laboratory in Sunol.
Above: Matt Eala (pointing) conducts part of the briefing inside the plant's control room.
By Russell W. Snyder, CAE
T
he inner workings of an asphalt plant are unlike any other industrial facility, which is why no amount of animation, verbal explanations or published studies can take the place of actually seeing one in operation. CalAPA’s educational mission extends to helping communities, elected representatives and regulators better understand how modern asphalt plants function, and the myriad of environmental controls and best practices that help them operate safely and in harmony with the communities they serve. A group of air quality regulators from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the San Francisco 8
Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) recently got an up-close demonstration of these principles courtesy of CalAPA member DeSilva Gates Materials. Virtual technologies were used to give another group of regulators from the South Coast Air Quality Management District a similar experience, courtesy of CalAPA member Sully-Miller Co. In both instances, regulators found the experience to be illuminating. The tour of the state-of-theart DeSilva Gates asphalt and aggregates operation in Sunol took place March 3, just prior to COVID-19 travel restrictions, and was attended by five representatives of CARB and nine
representatives of the BAAQMD, which has local jurisdiction over the plant. The DeSilva Gates operation off the 680 Freeway in Alameda County is about 17 miles north of the center of San Jose and 32 miles southeast of San Francisco, yet operates in harmony with nearby wildlife corridors and watershed. The facility visit and orientation took place prior to restrictions put in place by public health officials in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tour was an outgrowth of ongoing discussions between the CalAPA Environmental Committee and Bay Area regulators over permitting and enforcement
California Asphalt Magazine • 2020 Environmental Issue
