Reducing Pesticides on MWRD Land

I presented a motion that was passed at the District’s May 5th, 2011 Board Meeting to develop a policy to reduce, restrict, and ultimately eliminate the use of chemical pesticides on District-owned Land through the use of sustainable pest control practices. Pesticides are linked to a variety of known adverse health effects in people as well as environmental impacts to water, soil, air, and wildlife. Sustainable pest control practices depend on effective long-term solutions that emphasize prevention and methods that cause the least harm to people and the environment. The reduction and ultimately the removal of pesticides through the adoption of sustainable pest control practices will reduce the run-off of pesticides in our watershed and promote public health and the environment. The policy will be developed in the next couple months and presented again for board approval. This is an important step for the District to be a leader in environmental issues.