Approved. County of Santa Clara Office of the County Executive Administration CE Prepared by:.naresh Duggal Program Manager

Transcription

1 County of Santa Clara Office of the County Executive Administration CE DATE: December 9, 2003 Prepared by:naresh Duggal Program Manager TO: Board of Supervisors FROM: Sandra Y Nathan Deputy County Executive SUBJECT: Integrated Pest Management and Pesticide Use Ordinance Quarterly Status Report for the period of September'03 November'03 RECOMMENDED ACTION Accept the quarterly status report on the progress of implementation of the Integrated Pest Management and Pesticide Use Ordinance This report was approved by the Housing, Land Use, Environment & Transportation Committee on November 20, 2003, to be forwarded with a favorable recommendation to the Board of Supervisors 1

2 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS There are no fiscal implications to the General Fund CONTRACT HISTORY Not applicable REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATION A Structural IPM Implementation Plans: Initial inspection summary reports and recommendations on pest activity and related sanitation, housekeeping and maintenance issues were completed Coordinated recommendations for methods on sanitation, housekeeping and maintenance have been reviewed with department IPM coordinators These preventive methods will assist in averting pesticide applications Summary reports are available upon request The frequency of structural inspections at residences on park grounds has been curtailed to on call Service inspection frequency at other facilities within Department of Parks & Recreation and Department of Roads & Airports has also been reduced from monthly to quarterly/alternate month or on call This will assist departments to focus resources on implementation of preventive measures as recommended B Landscape maintenance & related pest management services: A landscape maintenance RFP was released on August 8, 2003, but was withdrawn for revisions in contract language It was reissued on October 9, 2003 with a closing date of November 14, 2003 The Procurement department is expected to complete the contract paperwork by December 2003 The Landscape Maintenance IPM initial surveys for County grounds & facilities will commence effective January1, 2004 A primary objective of this area of activity is to implement a strategic plan for maintenance of county turf and landscape areas Proactive maintenance of a healthy landscape through timely monitoring, and sound cultural and mechanical practices will preserve long term investments, effectively manage recurring maintenance costs and avert continuous use of pesticides Although some in house landscape maintenance is performed, outsource services are also used as needed Services that are not possible within department budgetary resources will be 2

3 managed through the landscape maintenance contract Demonstration and trials will also be possible through the landscape contractor In addition, the County IPM Coordinator is working closely with the GSA, Roads & Airports and HHS Custodial & Grounds Maintenance on a case by case basis to perform field surveys and respond to pesticide application requests C Posting of Pesticide Use: Land signs will be in use with commencement of new landscape maintenance contracts These signs will be ordered and distributed to the user departments as soon as the new landscape contract is signed D Pest Management & Pesticide Use Record Keeping & Reporting: Electronic data base development work continues to progress Two additional planning and development sessions were held during this quarter Estimated completion time has been extended with launch expected in January 2004 E Pesticide Use Exemption: Four (4) pesticide use exemptions, per Section B28 5 of the IPM Ordinance, were granted in the last quarter: 1Use of Pyrethrums for control of honeybees infesting a structure at Santa Teresa Park 2Use of Sulfuryl Fluoride (Vikane) fumigation to control dry wood termite infestation at Sunnyvale Superior court: fumigation to be performed on Thanksgiving weekend 3Use of Sulfuryl Fluoride (Vikane) fumigation to control dry wood termites infestation at 272 Curie Drive, San Jose (Structure at Santa Teresa Park): fumigation date to be decided 4Use of Treflan EC & Grass preventer (ai Trifluralin) Franklin McKinley project to sterilize aggregate base (soil sterilization) This exemption was given after the fact The contractor has been notified to obtain use exemption in advance The following use exemptions are under consideration for this coming season: 1Use exemption for Pre Emergent herbicides (Surflan, Oust, Gallery: these products are not on County's approved list of pesticides) is under consideration The IPM Coordinator is reviewing the subject matter in consultation with Cornell University, Department of Roads & Airports, Department of Parks & Recreation, Department of Agriculture, and the Fire Marshall The Department IPM coordinators are working to define high risk areas based on road safety and fire hazard standards Pre emergent herbicide applications to 3

4 high risk areas will be granted on season by season basis until viable alternatives are carefully evaluated for wide scale adoption Pesticide applicator safety education training, scheduled for November 12 & 14, 2003, will also address this issue 2Use exemption for Termidor (Fipronil 0006%) liquid spray application to control argentine ants is also under consideration on case by case basis F IPM Projects & Demonstrations aiming at Pesticide Use Reduction: The IPM projects and demonstrations provide sites where hands on education about IPM is coupled with relevant, "real world" examples Full reports on demonstration site visits are available from the IPM Coordinator 1 California Ground Squirrel & Pocket Gopher trapping projects : A trapping project is underway throughout park facilities to emphasize trapping over the use of chemicals to control ground squirrels Rodenticide has not been used on the County Parks in the last quarter, as per the Department of Parks IPM Coordinator It is hoped that trapping will gradually replace the rodenticide use in County parks and other open spaces, making rodenticide last resort component of IPM It is encouraging to report that neighboring counties and city agencies have shown interest in this approach and adopting the protocol The Department IPM Coordinator has also been asked to present this protocol to County of San Mateo's IPM workshop Reed Hillview Airport has also started a trail project on pocket gopher control using black hole traps 2 Stinging Arthropod control: Yellow jacket trapping trials were conducted in the last quarter and a protocol was set to intercept yellow jackets on seasonal basis Protocol is available upon request However, since the ban/withdrawal of Diazinon (organophosphate), and non availability of abatement chemicals for yellow jacket control, presence of these insects in the recreational areas is on the rise Structural infestation of honeybees is another challenge to be dealt with Besides trapping, control for these pests is limited to "Search & Destroy" actions, such as those followed by fire departments and other emergency response groups To respond in such emergency situations, three reduced risk pesticide products (Exempt 4

5 IC (Rosemary Oil), EcoPCO Jet (Eugonol/Phenothyl Propionate), and EcoExempt D (Clove Oil/Phenothyl Propionate)) have now been included on the approved list of pesticides With increased human intervention, through both search & destroy actions and honey beehive removals, departments are expected to incur higher cost to mitigate these pests At the request of the Department of Parks & Recreation, the IPM Coordinator is developing an informational brochure for park users to increase awareness of the hazards of venomous arthropods while visiting wilderness areas 3 Argentine Ant Control: A precision baiting efficacy trial will soon be set to demonstrate alternatives to liquid spray application and minimize non target exposure The County IPM Coordinator is making tenants aware of sanitation and building maintenance issues and their role in mitigating this problem in some county facilities 4 Aquatic Weed Harvester: Two demonstrations took place this quarter, one at Lake Vasona (Department of Parks & Recreation) and the other at the Los Gatos percolation ponds (Santa Clara Valley Water District) The Department of Parks & Recreation is considering use of this technology to mechanically manage aquatic weeds in ponds and lakes Utilizing this technology will minimize or eliminate the aquatic herbicide usage 5 Vegetation Control: Mulch as means of Weed Control: It is known that use of quality mulch offers cost savings over its life cycle besides environmental benefits The Department of Roads & Airports is developing a demonstration: Mulch will be applied on selected road clovers, medians and landscape Once proven, phase in of remaining acreage under such sites will be completed in next 5 10 years with in the budgetary framework The Department of Parks & Recreation will follow a similar strategy Use of Clove Oil formulation in post emergent vegetation control: This project will be expanded to airport taxiways and right of ways at Ed Levin Park The County IPM Manager is currently negotiating a collaborative trial with the manufacturer We are also negotiating for better prices for large orders from the distributor/manufacturer Cost economics studies will be done once efficacy trials are completed 5

6 Right of Way vegetation control: During FY02 03, pre emergent herbicide use was completely withdrawn from all weed management applications and impact studies were completed Careful consideration of road safety and fire hazard issues indicates that use of pre emergent herbicide in Priority 1 areas should continue until a suitable and cost efficient alternative is found Finally, a number of studies/protocols have been identified for further study this year in the area of vegetation control G IPM Awareness, Education & Interactive Application: 1 IPM Outreach: During the past quarter, the County IPM Coordinator participated in education and outreach through speaking engagements at the Santa Clara County annual safety seminar, the Professional Association of Pesticide Applicators annual seminar (PAPA), the annual meeting of California Pest Control Advisors (CAPCA), a meeting of Parents for Safer Environment (Moraga, CA), Putting IPM into Practice (a workshop organized by Santa Clara Valley Urban Runoff Pollution prevention program (SCVURPPP) 2Staff Training: Staff education, training, and refresher courses are important components of a successful program A six (6) hour pesticide applicator training was held November 14 & 16, 2003, for all pesticide applicators and managers with Department of Roads & Airports and GSA Custodial Grounds Department of Parks & Recreation staff will undergo this training in February 2004 The objective of the training is "Reducing Risk through IPM education & Pesticide safety" The cost of approximately $200 per year to furnish this training in house will allow cost savings of $ for departments by eliminating the need to hire outside contractors to provide similar training 3 Annual IPM Training: As many agencies have IPM related needs for training, plan development, and evaluation, a collaborative process has the potential for maximizing collective resources, sharing costs, and providing benefit to cities, the County, and other key agencies The County IPM Coordinator is continuing efforts related to establishment of a countywide annual IPM training program Estimated cost for the 6

7 first year is $28,000 and $20,000 in subsequent years Details of a draft proposal and budget are attached to this report 4 Public Awareness: Two brochures are being developed by the IPM Coordinator One will focus on public education about IPM; the second will promote the County's efforts These brochures will introduce the concept of IPM to diverse audience, helping to encourage more active participation in the development and implementation of IPM plans An initial print run of 10,000 copies will be produced at an estimated cost of $ BACKGROUND On May 21, 2002, Board adopted the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and Pesticide Use Ordinance The IPM Ordinance went into effect on June 20, 2002 As required by the ordinance, staff is to provide a quarterly status report to the Housing, Land Use, Environment, and Transportation Committee and then to the full Board for their review and comment The Technical Advisory Group (TAG) has previously agreed to proceed on the implementation priorities summarized in this report CONSEQUENCES OF NEGATIVE ACTION Not applicable STEPS FOLLOWING APPROVAL None ATTACHMENTS Annual IPM Training (Miscellaneous) 7