The Kosciusko County Highway Department has a contract with a firm to spray all of the county-maintained roadsides in the county. It is standard practice to spray the east half of the county in odd-numbered years and the west half of the county in even-numbered years.According to Lex Dalton, his company applied a combination of the herbicides called Picloram, Triclopyr and Metsulfuron to the road rights-of-way this year. It costs taxpayers about $40,000 per year for this service, or should I say, to be poisoned.
Under the concept of "prior informed consent," you should be aware of the toxic effects of these chemicals. I gathered the following information from product labels, government and university Web sites:
All three of these chemicals have the potential to contaminate groundwater. The water must be exposed to sunlight in order for the chemical to breakdown under natural conditions. It could take 100 days to drop to its original concentration.
Picloram has been found in the groundwater in seven states.
Do not apply this product to residential or commercial lawns.
Do not grow food crops on ground until no detectable Picloram remains in the soil.
This product can be absorbed through the roots of trees and shrubs in soil where it was applied.
No dairy grazing until the next growing season.
You must wait 30 days before slaughtering animals after they consume forage or graze where this product was applied during the current growing season.
According to the lab tech that I spoke to Aug. 27, Picloram readily binds with water and quickly contaminates groundwater sources.
Picloram's life in the soil varies widely depending on soil type, rainfall amounts and temperature. (Based on the information I found, it could take four or more years for it to clear the soil on my property.)
Did the rabbit, deer or game bird that you ate last year, graze or eat seeds from the roadside within 30 days of being killed? Did you eat raspberries, mulberries, blackberries or any nuts from trees or bushes growing along the road? According to one of the labels, it was not safe to eat them.
Do any of these chemicals show up in your well water?
My battle with Kosciusko County to prevent them from spraying along my property has entered its 10th year. Every two years, I have to physically stop the spray truck or stand watching the spray crews to stop the spraying despite posting "Do Not Spray" signs.
I am not an extreme environmentalist, but I feel that I should have the right to live on my property without being exposed to toxic chemicals. I have chosen an organic lifestyle and I expect the government of this county to respect my wishes. I have the feeling that I am not the only person in this county that is having this problem or feels this way. Now is the time for you to let the Kosciusko County commissioners know that you do not want to be exposed to these chemicals.
