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Herbicide ban causing headache for drivers
August 2, 2006
by Genevieve Bookwalter, Sentinel Staff Writer

A year after county leaders passed a three-year moratorium on roadside herbicide spraying to protect residents' health, some board members are reconsidering their stance.

The issue arose Tuesday as county supervisors discussed a deluge of complaints they received from a variety of groups concerned about out-of-control weeds along county roads. Drivers say the overgrowth blocks their visibility, and cringe as their car wheels catch in potholes created as plant roots undermine roadbeds. Farmers loathe invasive seeds that drift into adjacent fields. Firefighters don't want excessive brush to fuel future flames.

County supervisors passed a three-year moratorium in May 2005 on spraying herbicide to control roadside weeds. At the time, environmentalists lauded the decision.

Now, however, road crews lack the staff to keep up with the extra mowing, said John Presleigh, assistant director of the county's Public Works Department. They are already overwhelmed with fixing the extensive damage from last winter's rains and patching the county's notorious potholes, he said.

"We're juggling, obviously, with mowing and fixing roads and doing storm damage right now," Presleigh said. "We're trying to do the best thing we can."

Were herbicide allowed, Presleigh said, his staff would be able to stay on top of it, even with the other tasks.

That leaves some convinced spraying is necessary in some circumstances.

Supervisor Tony Campos, for example, said he would return with a map of spots in Pajaro Valley that require Roundup, the county's previous herbicide of choice for 270 miles of unincorporated roads.

"I'll look at my district and I'll recommend where should be sprayed," said Campos, whose district includes most of Watsonville and the Pajaro Valley.

But Supervisor Ellen Pirie, who last year proposed the moratorium with Supervisor Mark Stone, said she'd rather see weeds run rampant than spray toxic herbicide.

"I'm not sure how big of a problem this is," said Pirie, who instead recommended a larger budget for mowing. She did not say how much.

While supervisors didn't take action on the issue Tuesday, the discussion hinted at further debate. Most agreed the weeds would get worse.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has said there are no reported cases of long-term health effects in humans due to glyphosate, which is found in pesticide. But some scientists have found links between glyphosate and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a form of cancer; damage to reproductive systems; and respiratory, gastrointestinal, kidney and liver problems. Herbicides are toxic to animals, too, critics say.

But for some invasive roadside pests, like French broom, mowing helps spread the seed, Presleigh said. The plant grows back thicker and fuller than before.

Also, during heat waves like the one last week, firefighters ask road crews not to mow because sparks from a mower can start a wildfire. Presleigh said his workers couldn't mow for 10 days this month because of high temperatures.

Money is an issue, too. Mowing generally costs about $3,000 per mile, compared with about $140 to spray, according to Public Works calculations.

The problems with overgrown roadways have Supervisor Mardi Wormhoudt considering Campos' call for a compromise, like allowing herbicide away from residential areas.

"It's great to talk about mowing and that is certainly good if you had the staffing to keep every road in the county mowed," Wormhoudt said. "What we're dealing with right now is bumping up against the reality of that."

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