Herbicide dumping in Belgrade ???
News from from maineindymedia.org
--Forward of a newsletter--
---Quote---
The Maine Department of Environmental Protection is planning to dump
hundreds of pounds of herbicide into Salmon Lake, which flows into
Hatchery Brook in North Belgrade, in order to kill Eurasian Milfoil.
The DEP is contracting with Gerald N. Smith of Aquatic Control Technology
in Sutton, Massachusetts to dump Navigate in the lake in early September.
The active poison in Navigate is 2,4-D, which is one half of the chemical
mix that made up Agent Orange. The first warning on the label for Navigate
reads “Toxic to fish.”
The DEP has stated that this herbicide will not eradicate the milfoil, but
will supposedly bring it down to a level that can be controlled by other
means. However, the DEP used herbicide to control milfoil in Scarborough,
and the milfoil came back at full strength.
In most cases that herbicide is used to get rid of milfoil, multiple
applications are needed, and the plant can develop resistance. The DEP has
dismissed suggestions of non-chemical methods such as putting a screen in
the dam between the lake and the stream, or using native milfoil-eating
weevils to control the weed, claiming “results are variable.”
The DEP is being supported in this plan by the Lake Associations in
Belgrade, which are mostly composed of summer people who own property on
Great Pond who are concerned that milfoil could spread from Salmon Lake to
Great Pond (and hurt their property values.) The herbicide would be added
to the lake in early September. At the last hearing on the plan, one of
the many summer people speaking in support of herbicide use pointed out
that September is an ideal time to add the herbicide since if the poison
is added after Labor Day weekend, fewer people will be put at risk (that
is, only the locals will be exposed, the summer people will be gone home
to New York...) Locals use water from the lake for bathing and washing.
The Board of Environmental Protection is accepting appeals from the Public
through Friday, August 28.
The Board will meet at 9am on Thursday, September 3 at the Ground Round in
Augusta, where it will decide whether to consider the appeals. If the
appeals are accepted, the herbicide application plan will be delayed,
likely until next Spring. Letters of appeal can be sent to: Chair, Board
of Environmental Protection, c/o Department of Environmental Protection,
17 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0017.
Letters to the editor and other actions to get the word out about this
plan could help, and don't need the paperwork that a formal appeal
requires.
Letters of appeal can help though, and info on how to file an appeal is at
the bottom of this email.
The DEP claims that herbicide is necessary for the following reasons:
(From the DEP Notice of Intent)
- The target population of aquatic plants cannot be controlled by
non-chemical means
- High potential for the plant(s) populations to spread rapidly
- Probability of significant disruption of aquatic habitat caused by the
target species
- The treatment is required to enable a broader scale plant control
project under an aquatic plant management plan
- The treatment is needed to restore habitat and/or that failure to
rapidly control the species
threatens to result in significant environmental harm to this or other
natural resources.
- Other Eurasian water milfoil is widely believed to be one of the most
problematic invasive aquatic plants in the United States. Eurasian water
milfoil out-competes native vegetation, displaces both game and non-game
fish populations, and wreaks havoc with surface and water-contact
recreational uses. IASP staff determined that herbicide treatment is
necessary to achieve maximum suppression of the target plant to prevent
spread to other waters and to allow the best chance of controlling the
infestation in Salmon Lake with manual means.
The herbicide will be dumped at the following location:
Directions to Treatment Site(s) Take Rte 27 north from downtown Augusta for
approximately 11 miles. Turn right on Rte 8 north and follow approximately
4.5 miles (note that Rtes 8 and 11 are together for the first +/-3 miles
of the 4.5 until Rte 8 takes off to the left.
Be sure to follow Rte 8). Turn right on Spaulding Point Road and follow
0.2 mile until a left turn on the road for the DIFW boat access (sign is
posted). The cove being treated is just west of and visible from the boat
ramp. Using Google Maps, get directions to Boat Access Lane,
Belgrade, Maine. See DeLorme Gazetteer Map 20.
About 2,4-D
Studies have shown 2,4-D to be toxic to many fish,
even in extremely small amounts.
2,4-D is able to bioaccumulate in fish, meaning that the poison can stay
in the bodies of fish long after the herbicide is added to the lake.
It can then be passed into the bodies of people who eat the fish.
2,4-D has been shown to reduce survival rates of frogs, earthworms,
ducks and waterfowl.
Health risks to people exposed to 2,4-D include weakened immune system,
brain damage, increased cancer risk, and contamination of breast milk.
2,4-D has high mobility in soil, meaning it is able to travel through soil
pathways and into groundwater, contaminating wells.
In Pleasant Hill Pond in Scarborough, where the DEP applied the herbicide
to control milfoil, the invasive plant returned.
In most places where Navigate has been used to control milfoil, repeat
applications have been required, and even then the plant has returned.
2,4-D is a relatively fast-acting herbicide that kills the entire plant
and root structure of Eurasian milfoil.
It also targets kills Water stargrass, Bladderwort, White water Lily,
Yellow water lily, Water shield, Water chestnut, and Coontail.
Although widely used in America and across the world, 2,4-D is considered
highly toxic since it is a severe eye irritant know to cause irreversible
damage.
2,4-D is the seventh largest source of dioxin in the U.S.
Studies show Dioxin exposure to increase risk of many types of cancer.
Herbicide application is dangerous and not expected to eliminate milfoil.
If herbicide application starts, it will be required again in the coming
years.
There is evidence that milfoil plants may become resistant to 2,4-D or
more herbicide-tolerant forms of milfoil may occur.
There are many ways to control the spread of milfoil that do not involve
putting poisons in the lake and local water supply,
including the use of native weevils to eat the milfoil.
Learn more
DEP Plans:
www.maine.gov/dep/blwq/topic/invasives/topics/salmon_lake/index.htm
Info on 2,4-D:
www.pesticide.org/factsheets.html#pesticides
www.sierraclub.ca/national/programs/health-environment/pesticides/2...
www.beyondpesticides.org
www.watoxics.org/issues/pesticides-in-lakes/aquatics-problems
Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides, PO Box 1393, Eugene OR
97440-1393 * 541-344-5044
Info on Milfoil Weevil and other non-herbicide milfoil control:
fwcb.cfans.umn.edu/research/milfoil/milfoilbc.html
www.middlebury.edu/about/pubaff/news_releases/2007/pubaff_633246789...
www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/plants/management/weevil.html
riverjournal.com/vivvo/News/471.html
www.scienceblog.com/community/older/1996/A/199600324.html
Milfoil Weevil Researcher: Ray Newman, Department of FWCB, University of
Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108 * 612-625-5704 * rmn@fw.umn.edu or
RNewman@umn.edu
HOW TO SUBMIT AN APPEAL TO THE BOARD
Signed original appeal documents must be sent to: Chair, Board of
Environmental Protection, c/o Department of Environmental Protection, 17
State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0017; faxes are acceptable for
purposes of meeting the deadline when followed by receipt of mailed
original documents within five (5) working days. Receipt on a particular
day must be by 5:00 PM at DEP’s offices in Augusta; materials received
after 5:00 PM are not considered received until the following day. The
person appealing a licensing decision must also send the DEP’s
Commissioner and the applicant a copy of the documents. All the
information listed in the next section must be submitted at the time the
appeal is filed. Only the extraordinary circumstances described at the end
of that section will justify evidence not in the DEP’s record at the time
of decision being added to the record for consideration by the Board as
part of an appeal.
The materials constituting an appeal must contain the following
information at the time submitted:
1.Aggrieved Status. Standing to maintain an appeal requires the appellant
to show they are particularly injured by the Commissioner’s decision.
2.The findings, conclusions or conditions objected to or believed to be in
error. Specific references and facts regarding the appellant’s issues with
the decision must be provided in the notice of appeal.
3.The basis of the objections or challenge. If possible, specific
regulations, statutes or other facts should be referenced. This may
include citing omissions of relevant requirements, and errors believed to
have been made in interpretations, conclusions, and relevant requirements.
4.The remedy sought. This can range from reversal of the Commissioner's
decision on the license or permit to changes in specific permit
conditions.
5.All the matters to be contested. The Board will limit its consideration
to those arguments specifically raised in the written notice of appeal.
6.Request for hearing. The Board will hear presentations on appeals at its
regularly scheduled meetings, unless a public hearing is requested and
granted. A request for public hearing on an appeal must be filed as part
of the notice of appeal.
7.New or additional evidence to be offered. The Board may allow new or
additional evidence as part of an appeal only when the person seeking to
add information to the record can show due diligence in bringing the
evidence to the DEP’s attention at the earliest possible time in the
licensing process or show that the evidence itself is newly discovered and
could not have been presented earlier in the process. Specific
requirements for additional evidence are found in Chapter 2, Section
24(B)(5).
_______________________________________________
DontWasteME mailing list
DontWasteME@lists.maineindymedia.org
http://lists.maineindymedia.org/mailman/listinfo/dontwasteme
--Forward of a newsletter--
---Quote---
The Maine Department of Environmental Protection is planning to dump
hundreds of pounds of herbicide into Salmon Lake, which flows into
Hatchery Brook in North Belgrade, in order to kill Eurasian Milfoil.
The DEP is contracting with Gerald N. Smith of Aquatic Control Technology
in Sutton, Massachusetts to dump Navigate in the lake in early September.
The active poison in Navigate is 2,4-D, which is one half of the chemical
mix that made up Agent Orange. The first warning on the label for Navigate
reads “Toxic to fish.”
The DEP has stated that this herbicide will not eradicate the milfoil, but
will supposedly bring it down to a level that can be controlled by other
means. However, the DEP used herbicide to control milfoil in Scarborough,
and the milfoil came back at full strength.
In most cases that herbicide is used to get rid of milfoil, multiple
applications are needed, and the plant can develop resistance. The DEP has
dismissed suggestions of non-chemical methods such as putting a screen in
the dam between the lake and the stream, or using native milfoil-eating
weevils to control the weed, claiming “results are variable.”
The DEP is being supported in this plan by the Lake Associations in
Belgrade, which are mostly composed of summer people who own property on
Great Pond who are concerned that milfoil could spread from Salmon Lake to
Great Pond (and hurt their property values.) The herbicide would be added
to the lake in early September. At the last hearing on the plan, one of
the many summer people speaking in support of herbicide use pointed out
that September is an ideal time to add the herbicide since if the poison
is added after Labor Day weekend, fewer people will be put at risk (that
is, only the locals will be exposed, the summer people will be gone home
to New York...) Locals use water from the lake for bathing and washing.
The Board of Environmental Protection is accepting appeals from the Public
through Friday, August 28.
The Board will meet at 9am on Thursday, September 3 at the Ground Round in
Augusta, where it will decide whether to consider the appeals. If the
appeals are accepted, the herbicide application plan will be delayed,
likely until next Spring. Letters of appeal can be sent to: Chair, Board
of Environmental Protection, c/o Department of Environmental Protection,
17 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0017.
Letters to the editor and other actions to get the word out about this
plan could help, and don't need the paperwork that a formal appeal
requires.
Letters of appeal can help though, and info on how to file an appeal is at
the bottom of this email.
The DEP claims that herbicide is necessary for the following reasons:
(From the DEP Notice of Intent)
- The target population of aquatic plants cannot be controlled by
non-chemical means
- High potential for the plant(s) populations to spread rapidly
- Probability of significant disruption of aquatic habitat caused by the
target species
- The treatment is required to enable a broader scale plant control
project under an aquatic plant management plan
- The treatment is needed to restore habitat and/or that failure to
rapidly control the species
threatens to result in significant environmental harm to this or other
natural resources.
- Other Eurasian water milfoil is widely believed to be one of the most
problematic invasive aquatic plants in the United States. Eurasian water
milfoil out-competes native vegetation, displaces both game and non-game
fish populations, and wreaks havoc with surface and water-contact
recreational uses. IASP staff determined that herbicide treatment is
necessary to achieve maximum suppression of the target plant to prevent
spread to other waters and to allow the best chance of controlling the
infestation in Salmon Lake with manual means.
The herbicide will be dumped at the following location:
Directions to Treatment Site(s) Take Rte 27 north from downtown Augusta for
approximately 11 miles. Turn right on Rte 8 north and follow approximately
4.5 miles (note that Rtes 8 and 11 are together for the first +/-3 miles
of the 4.5 until Rte 8 takes off to the left.
Be sure to follow Rte 8). Turn right on Spaulding Point Road and follow
0.2 mile until a left turn on the road for the DIFW boat access (sign is
posted). The cove being treated is just west of and visible from the boat
ramp. Using Google Maps, get directions to Boat Access Lane,
Belgrade, Maine. See DeLorme Gazetteer Map 20.
About 2,4-D
Studies have shown 2,4-D to be toxic to many fish,
even in extremely small amounts.
2,4-D is able to bioaccumulate in fish, meaning that the poison can stay
in the bodies of fish long after the herbicide is added to the lake.
It can then be passed into the bodies of people who eat the fish.
2,4-D has been shown to reduce survival rates of frogs, earthworms,
ducks and waterfowl.
Health risks to people exposed to 2,4-D include weakened immune system,
brain damage, increased cancer risk, and contamination of breast milk.
2,4-D has high mobility in soil, meaning it is able to travel through soil
pathways and into groundwater, contaminating wells.
In Pleasant Hill Pond in Scarborough, where the DEP applied the herbicide
to control milfoil, the invasive plant returned.
In most places where Navigate has been used to control milfoil, repeat
applications have been required, and even then the plant has returned.
2,4-D is a relatively fast-acting herbicide that kills the entire plant
and root structure of Eurasian milfoil.
It also targets kills Water stargrass, Bladderwort, White water Lily,
Yellow water lily, Water shield, Water chestnut, and Coontail.
Although widely used in America and across the world, 2,4-D is considered
highly toxic since it is a severe eye irritant know to cause irreversible
damage.
2,4-D is the seventh largest source of dioxin in the U.S.
Studies show Dioxin exposure to increase risk of many types of cancer.
Herbicide application is dangerous and not expected to eliminate milfoil.
If herbicide application starts, it will be required again in the coming
years.
There is evidence that milfoil plants may become resistant to 2,4-D or
more herbicide-tolerant forms of milfoil may occur.
There are many ways to control the spread of milfoil that do not involve
putting poisons in the lake and local water supply,
including the use of native weevils to eat the milfoil.
Learn more
DEP Plans:
www.maine.gov/dep/blwq/topic/invasives/topics/salmon_lake/index.htm
Info on 2,4-D:
www.pesticide.org/factsheets.html#pesticides
www.sierraclub.ca/national/programs/health-environment/pesticides/2...
www.beyondpesticides.org
www.watoxics.org/issues/pesticides-in-lakes/aquatics-problems
Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides, PO Box 1393, Eugene OR
97440-1393 * 541-344-5044
Info on Milfoil Weevil and other non-herbicide milfoil control:
fwcb.cfans.umn.edu/research/milfoil/milfoilbc.html
www.middlebury.edu/about/pubaff/news_releases/2007/pubaff_633246789...
www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/plants/management/weevil.html
riverjournal.com/vivvo/News/471.html
www.scienceblog.com/community/older/1996/A/199600324.html
Milfoil Weevil Researcher: Ray Newman, Department of FWCB, University of
Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108 * 612-625-5704 * rmn@fw.umn.edu or
RNewman@umn.edu
HOW TO SUBMIT AN APPEAL TO THE BOARD
Signed original appeal documents must be sent to: Chair, Board of
Environmental Protection, c/o Department of Environmental Protection, 17
State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0017; faxes are acceptable for
purposes of meeting the deadline when followed by receipt of mailed
original documents within five (5) working days. Receipt on a particular
day must be by 5:00 PM at DEP’s offices in Augusta; materials received
after 5:00 PM are not considered received until the following day. The
person appealing a licensing decision must also send the DEP’s
Commissioner and the applicant a copy of the documents. All the
information listed in the next section must be submitted at the time the
appeal is filed. Only the extraordinary circumstances described at the end
of that section will justify evidence not in the DEP’s record at the time
of decision being added to the record for consideration by the Board as
part of an appeal.
The materials constituting an appeal must contain the following
information at the time submitted:
1.Aggrieved Status. Standing to maintain an appeal requires the appellant
to show they are particularly injured by the Commissioner’s decision.
2.The findings, conclusions or conditions objected to or believed to be in
error. Specific references and facts regarding the appellant’s issues with
the decision must be provided in the notice of appeal.
3.The basis of the objections or challenge. If possible, specific
regulations, statutes or other facts should be referenced. This may
include citing omissions of relevant requirements, and errors believed to
have been made in interpretations, conclusions, and relevant requirements.
4.The remedy sought. This can range from reversal of the Commissioner's
decision on the license or permit to changes in specific permit
conditions.
5.All the matters to be contested. The Board will limit its consideration
to those arguments specifically raised in the written notice of appeal.
6.Request for hearing. The Board will hear presentations on appeals at its
regularly scheduled meetings, unless a public hearing is requested and
granted. A request for public hearing on an appeal must be filed as part
of the notice of appeal.
7.New or additional evidence to be offered. The Board may allow new or
additional evidence as part of an appeal only when the person seeking to
add information to the record can show due diligence in bringing the
evidence to the DEP’s attention at the earliest possible time in the
licensing process or show that the evidence itself is newly discovered and
could not have been presented earlier in the process. Specific
requirements for additional evidence are found in Chapter 2, Section
24(B)(5).
_______________________________________________
DontWasteME mailing list
DontWasteME@lists.maineindymedia.org
http://lists.maineindymedia.org/mailman/listinfo/dontwasteme
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Bo Atkinson on
-
This does seem to contradict a little, (like 1984?), but i suppose nothing should surprise an honest person anymore--
From manufacturer--
NAVIGATE®
A SELECTIVE HERBICIDE FOR CONTROLLING CERTAIN UNWANTED AQUATIC PLANTS
ACTIVE INGREDIENTS:
Butoxyethyl Ester of 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid*.............................................................................27.6%
INERT INGREDIENTS:...........................................................................................................................................72.4%
TOTAL............................................100.0%
*Isomer Specific AOAC Method, Equivalent to 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid 19.0%
EPA Reg. No. 228-273 –8959 EPA Est. No. 228-IL-1
KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN
CAUTION
For Chemical Emergency, Spill, Leak, Fire, Exposure or Accident Call Chemtrec Day or Night 1-800-424-9300
PRECAUTIONARY STATEMENTS
HAZARDS TO HUMANS AND DOMESTIC ANIMALS
CAUTION
Harmful if swallowed, absorbed through skin, or inhaled. Causes eye irritation. Avoid contact with skin, eyes or clothing. Avoid breathing dust. When handling this product, wear chemical resistant gloves. Wash
thoroughly with soap and water after handling.
When mixing, loading, or applying this product or repairing or cleaning equipment used with this product, wear eye protection (face shield or safety glasses), chemical resistant gloves, long-sleeved shirt, long
pants, socks and shoes. It is recommended that safety glasses include front, brow and temple protection.
Wash hands, face and arms with soap and water as soon as possible after mixing, loading, or applying this product. Wash hands, face and arms with soap and water before eating, smoking or drinking. Wash
hands and arms before using toilet. After work, remove all clothing and shower using soap and water. Do not reuse clothing worn during the previous day’s mixing and loading or application of this product without
cleaning first. Clothing must be kept and washed separately from other household laundry. Remove saturated clothing as soon as possible and shower.
FIRST AID:
Have the product container or label with you when calling a poison control center or doctor, or going for treatment.
IF SWALLOWED: Call a poison control center or doctor immediately for treatment advice. Have person sip a glass of water if able to swallow. Do not induce vomiting unless told to do so by a poison control
center or doctor. Do not give anything by mouth to an unconscious person.
IF ON SKIN OR CLOTHING: Take off contaminated clothing. Rinse skin immediately with plenty of water for 15 to 20 minutes. Call a poison control center or doctor for treatment advice.
IF INHALED: Move person to fresh air. If person is not breathing, call 911 or an ambulance, then give artificial respiration, preferably mouth-to-mouth if possible. Call a poison control center or doctor for
further treatment advice.
IF IN EYES: Hold eye open and rinse slowly and gently with water for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove contact lenses, if present, after the first 5 minutes, then continue rinsing eye. Call a poison control center or
doctor for treatment advice.
ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS
This product is toxic to fish. Drift or runoff may adversely affect fish and non-target plants. Do not apply to water except as specified on this label. Do not contaminate water when disposing of equipment
washwaters. Unless an approved assay indicates the 2,4-D concentration is 100 ppb (0.1 ppm) or less, or, only growing crops and noncrop areas labeled for direct treatment with 2,4-D will be affected, do not use
water from treated areas for irrigating plants or mixing sprays for agricultural or ornamental plants.Unless an approved assay indicates the 2,4-D concentration is 70 ppb (0.07 ppm) or less, do not use water from
treated areas for potable water (drinking water).
Clean spreader equipment thoroughly before using it for any other purposes. Vapors from this product may injure susceptible plants.
Most cases of ground water contamination involving phenoxy herbicides such as 2,4-D have been associated with mixing/loading and disposal sites. Caution should be exercised when handling 2,4-D
pesticides at such sites to prevent contamination of ground water supplies. Use of closed systems for mixing or transferring this pesticide will reduce the probability of spills. Placement of the mixing/loading
equipment on an impervious pad to contain spills will help prevent ground water contamination.
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This has been out for a few weeks, but worth a read....http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2010/jun/10/food-movement-rising/
MFA Annual Baked Fish Dinner at St. George Town Office
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Come join the MFA for their Annual Baked Fish Dinner!
When: August 22, 2010
Where: St. George Town Office
Time: 5:00 - 8:00
Its a place to find good treats, eats and lots of laughs!
Hi David
Just checked in to see how things were going with you. I'm really sorry to hear about the loss of your little ducklings. I'm glad you didn't lose everybody and that some of your eggs are hatching.
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MFA Annual Baked Fish Dinner at St. George Town Office
August 22, 2010 from 5pm to 8pm
Come join the MFA for their Annual Baked Fish Dinner!
When: August 22, 2010
Where: St. George Town Office
Time: 5:00 - 8:00
Its a place to find good treats, eats and lots of laughs!
MFA Annual Baked Fish Dinner at St. George Town Office
August 22, 2010 from 5pm to 8pm
Come join the MFA for their Annual Baked Fish Dinner!
When: August 22, 2010
Where: St. George Town Office
Time: 5:00 - 8:00
Its a place to find good treats, eats and lots of laughs!
Best to get in touch with the Dept of Ag about different requirements for different products. You have to collect sales tax on seedlings, so need a retailers licence; certain home canned goods need just a home kitchen license, other products need mo…
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