Twin Falls Sheriff's Office Says Blowing Dust Not Illegal

Dust isn’t a controlled substance.

People who’ve lived in Idaho for decades tell me they haven’t seen wind blowing as much as it has this spring in recent memory. Some say it’s the windiest they can recall. I live in a neighborhood where there’s a new development going up just a couple of hundred feet away. Combine dry conditions and wind and I’m blinking dust. Driving Washington Street one evening last week, a dust devil popped up on the west side of the College of Southern Idaho.

Considering the volume of construction across the Magic Valley, there is a lot of blowing soil. In a part of the country already known for blowing sand and dust.

It was brief and about 30 feet tall.

One afternoon I stopped at a favorite sandwich shop. There’s construction underway on the next block. My face got sand blasted!

The Twin Falls County Sheriff’s Office is getting inundated with complaint calls about dust. Unlike water from pivots on highways, there’s no ordinance against blowing dirt! Pivots are excused from the law when the wind blows the water across the pavement. The soil is always excused.

Considering the volume of construction across the Magic Valley, there is a lot of blowing soil. In a part of the country already known for blowing sand and dust. Then you add the drought to the mix and it’s not going to get better anytime soon.

One construction project I frequently pass has a large tank of water on site. It’s spread on the project in an attempt to keep dust down.

Keep in mind, even after sod is put down in some new neighborhoods, dry conditions and water restrictions won’t end the localized dust storms.