Everyone living in Las Vegas has experienced a wind storm, or even the unsettling haze from a distant wildfire as it sets in the valley.
Both of those things can effect the quality of the air Las Vegans breathe every day. But who monitors what's in the air? The Clark County Department of Air Quality, of course.
Through a series of monitoring stations throughout the valley, the department is constantly monitoring levels of different pollutants, at levels set by the Environmental Protection Agency.
With a population of more than two million and more than 40 million visitors a year, that equals some unique challenges for the department.
Earlier this month, Marci Henson was named the new director of the department.
Henson has an extensive background in natural resource management, and has held positions with the Southern Nevada Water Authority, Springs Preserve and the Clark County Department of Air Quality.
"We're required to adopt regulations to monitor emissions and pollutants and require certain measures to be taken by business and industry to make sure those emissions are reduced and that those pollutants are reduced and that we're meeting the federal regulatory requirements," Henson explained.
There are 18 air quality monitoring stations around Clark County. The stations take in data what kinds of pollutants are in the air, along with weather conditions.
Staff at the department then monitor the monitors and decides if a air quality advisory needs to be issued for too many pollutants like dust on a windy day or smoke from a California fire.
"We issue those so people who have those health conditions can be aware and make daily decisions about how they want to spend their day and whether or not they want to be exposed to those events," Henson said.
Non-compliance to EPA rules for air quality can cost Nevada federal highway funds, which is what happened in the early 2000s when Clark County wasn't following the rules on carbon monoxide and particulate matter, which essentially means dust.
"That's definitely a challenge that we face, because we've seen so much construction here in Southern Nevada that was a big challenge of maintaining economic development and growth and allowing construction activities to occur while trying gain compliance on particulate matter and dust," Henson said.
She said the county has taken an aggressive approach to dust abatement which has helped it come into compliance with EPA standards.
Marci Henson, director, Clark County Department of Air Quality