Le Grand is a small, predominantly Latino agricultural community in eastern Merced County, located within the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District. The town is characterized by its youthful population, large households, and strong cultural traditions rooted in generations of farmworker and immigrant families.
Residents face persistent air quality challenges, including dust from unpaved roads and fields, pesticide drift, diesel pollution from trucks and trains, and wood smoke. The lack of historical air quality data has made it difficult to pinpoint pollution hotspots and advocate for solutions, despite community concerns about health impacts-especially for children and seniors-living near agricultural and industrial operations.
The district has teamed up with Aclima and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to launch a community air monitoring project guiding future actions as a part of SMMI. Using Aclima’s advanced sensors, the project collects detailed, block-by-block data on air quality throughout the community. This provides residents with clear information about local pollution and helps guide actions to improve air quality, focusing on the areas and people most affected.
In April 2025, Le Grand residents, local organizations, and project partners gathered to discuss these ongoing air quality concerns and help shape the Community Air Monitoring Plan.
