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A first in Leesburg: Town to replace controversial herbicide with goats
Last edited Wed Apr 24, 2019, 01:41 PM - Edit history (1)
A first in Leesburg: Town to replace controversial herbicide with goats
By Elizabeth Stinnette, Special to the Times-Mirror Apr 23, 2019 Updated 2 hrs ago
A five-day-old goat runs around the barn at Silver Maple Farm.
Courtesy Photo/Anna Merod
Here you goat, Leesburg.
After years of concern and recent requests by residents, Leesburg Town Council will vote Tuesday night to end the spraying of a controversial herbicide along three area waterways. In its place, the town will clear undergrowth with goats. ... “It’s actually kind of cool,” Councilman Josh Thiel said. “I think it’s a unique way to look at a problem.”
At issue are three streambank floodway channels: the Town Branch behind Dry Mill Townhomes, a drainage area through Carrvale Park and one near Plaza Street Bridge. By law, these channels need to be clear of plants so they don’t block the waterway and cause flooding. Grass and weeds, however, grow quickly, becoming waist-high by early June.
While staff recommends a study to re-engineer these floodways, built in the 1990s, that doesn’t fix this summer. ... For years, the town has sprayed the areas with Aquaneat, an herbicide that contains glyphosate, the same chemical in Roundup. Health hazards are not universally agreed upon, but some argue that exposure to glyphosate can lead to cancer, and the herbicide does leach into the water.
Leesburg’s Environmental Advisory Commission has advocated against Aquaneat for years, and after recent complaints by residents, including students, the town agreed to study the issue. ... Staff offered three solutions: Avengers, an organic herbicide; cutting by machine or hand; and goats.
....
Staff warned the public that as cute as the goats are, the public should not try to pet or feed them—they’re doing an important job.
By Elizabeth Stinnette, Special to the Times-Mirror Apr 23, 2019 Updated 2 hrs ago
A five-day-old goat runs around the barn at Silver Maple Farm.
Courtesy Photo/Anna Merod
Here you goat, Leesburg.
After years of concern and recent requests by residents, Leesburg Town Council will vote Tuesday night to end the spraying of a controversial herbicide along three area waterways. In its place, the town will clear undergrowth with goats. ... “It’s actually kind of cool,” Councilman Josh Thiel said. “I think it’s a unique way to look at a problem.”
At issue are three streambank floodway channels: the Town Branch behind Dry Mill Townhomes, a drainage area through Carrvale Park and one near Plaza Street Bridge. By law, these channels need to be clear of plants so they don’t block the waterway and cause flooding. Grass and weeds, however, grow quickly, becoming waist-high by early June.
While staff recommends a study to re-engineer these floodways, built in the 1990s, that doesn’t fix this summer. ... For years, the town has sprayed the areas with Aquaneat, an herbicide that contains glyphosate, the same chemical in Roundup. Health hazards are not universally agreed upon, but some argue that exposure to glyphosate can lead to cancer, and the herbicide does leach into the water.
Leesburg’s Environmental Advisory Commission has advocated against Aquaneat for years, and after recent complaints by residents, including students, the town agreed to study the issue. ... Staff offered three solutions: Avengers, an organic herbicide; cutting by machine or hand; and goats.
....
Staff warned the public that as cute as the goats are, the public should not try to pet or feed them—they’re doing an important job.
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