Mosquito Bills Becomes Law

Mosquito Bills Becomes Law

Mosquito Bills Becomes Law

I’m Lacy Gray with Washington Ag Today.

In late August last year a 2-year-old gelding in Grandview was euthanized after it was confirmed to have West Nile virus, a disease spread by mosquitos. Three human cases of West Nile were also reported in the state last year, and large mosquito populations made it difficult for farmers in the mid-columbia region to even conduct fieldwork. On Friday two bills sponsored by Senator Jim Honeyford dealing with mosquito population control were signed into law by Governor Inslee. Ag Information Networks Greg Martin expounds.

MARTIN: SB 5002 will give local mosquito districts more flexibility in their operations, allowing them to enter adjacent lands to conduct inspections and abate mosquito breeding places, as well as authorizing districts to cut or remove shrubbery or undergrowth as necessary to carry out abatement operations upon consultation with the landowners. SB 5324 encourages municipalities to use state Department of Ecology design guidelines when constructing stormwater-retention ponds in an effort to reduce the mosquito population, and will require the DOE to consult with the state Department of Health about strategies to prevent West Nile virus. And any retention ponds found to contain West Nile virus will be the responsibility of the area’s mosquito-control district.

Senator Honeyford stated that he hopes the bills will go a long way toward keeping the public safe from West Nile virus. Both Senate Bill 5002 and 5324 will go into effect on July 27th of this year.

I’m Lacy Gray and that’s Washington Ag Today on the Ag Information Network. 

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