November 25,2002 AGENDA: December 10,2002. Integrated Pest Management Efforts by Caltrans in Santa Cruz County

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1 COUNTY ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE 701 OCEAN STREET, SUITE 520, SANTA CRUZ, CA (831) FAX: (831) TDD: (831) SUSAN A. MAURIELLO, J.D., COUNTY ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER November 25,2002 AGENDA: December 10,2002 Board of Supervisors County of Santa Cruz 701 Ocean Street Santa Cruz, California Integrated Pest Management Efforts by Caltrans in Santa Cruz County Dear Members of the Board: On October 1, 2002, your Board heard a presentation by R. Gregg Albright, District Director, Caltrans District 5, regarding the use of pesticides by Caltrans on County highways. Following the presentation, your Board requested that Caltrans return today with specifics on implementing a countywide information hotline including a more complete strategy on the timing of the project. A letter from Mr. Albright is attached which informs your Board that the County Department of Public Works (DPW) has offered Caltrans access to their already established pesticide information line. The two departments have been working together to develop procedures which will allow Caltrans to maintain and update the information from their offices. The hotline ( ) became operational on December 2,2002 and can be reached at Because of scheduling conflicts, Mr. Albright will not be able to attend your Board s meeting this morning. Mr. Albright and his staff are available to return to your Board at a later date if desired. Further information on the status of the hotline will be included in the annual Integrated Pest Management report which will be presented to your Board during budget hearings. Weed Control Pilot Project In a related matter, we would like to provide your Board with an informational update on the Caltrans Integrated Vegetation Management pilot project which Mr. Albright mentioned in his presentation. The project is the result of a request from the City of Santa Cruz, and is being conducted within the Caltrans right of way within the city. As part of this project, Caltrans has identified areas with weed problems that would normally be controlled by herbicides. The project has installed different commercial weed control products to test their efficacy in eliminating weeds without the use of herbicides and to assess their acceptability to the community. SERVING THE COMMUNITY - WORKING FOR THE FUTURE 4

2 Caltrans IPM Efforts in Santa Cruz County Page 2 (1 - I Agenda: December 10,2002 The weed control products consist of solid mats, liquid soil sealers and inert organic materials The products used in the pilot project can be viewed in the center median of Highway 1 between the La Fonda Avenue overcrossing and the Market Street undercrossing and/or the Fish Hook area of the Highway 1/17 interchange. Caltrans will be mailing a survey to 5,000 randomly selected residents of the City of Santa Cruz to solicit opinions about the project and to assess residents concerns about how highway roadsides are managed. Caltrans has provided the attached preliminary copy of the questionnaire for your Board s information. Caltrans will keep the IPM DAG informed of the progress of the project and the results of the survey, and additional information will be included in the annual IPM report. IT IS THEREFORE RECOMMENDED THAT YOUR BOARD accept and file this report on the availability of public information on Caltrans pesticide use on County roads and on the Caltrans weed control pilot project. Susan A. Mauriello c. County Administrative Officer cc: R. Gregg Albright, Caltrans Integrated Pest Management Departmental Advisory Group Department of Public Works

3 STATE OF CAtIFoRNJA-BUSINESS, TRANmRTATiON AND HOUSING AGENCY GRAY DAW, Governor. F DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 50 HIGUERA STREET SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA TELEPHONE (805) TIT (805) il December 3, 2002 Board of Supervisors County of Santa Cruz 701 Ocean Street Santa Cruz, CA Dear Members of the Board: I met with you on October 1, 2002 to discuss your concerns regarding the California Department of Transportation (Department s) use of pesticides on State Highways in the county of Santa Cruz. At that time you requested that the Department provide the public advance information on when, where and what pesticides we intend to spray. I asked that you consider setting up a central line that all agencies could access, providing a one-stop public access. The Santa Cruz County Department of Public Works (DPW) has offered the Department access to their already established pesticide information line. I am pleased to report to your Board that the hotline became operational on December 2, The phone number is (831) Callers to this number will be able to obtain information on roadside vegetation control for both the DPW and our Department. Unfortunately, we are unable to attend your Board s meeting on December 10, 2002 due to scheduling conflicts, but we hope that this information will address your Board s concerns. We are available to return to your Board at a future date upon your request. Caltrans impmves mobiiiw acmes C ~oma

4 Caltrans, District 5 - Maintenance and Operations - Integrated Vegetation Management Page 1 of 2 i- ~ California Home Caltrans Home District 5 Home District 5 Maintenance& Operations Home lntearated Vegetation Manaqement City of Santa Cruz Pilot Program Road Information Related Links California DeDartment of Pesticide Reaulation United States Environmental Protection SBCCOM Online - US Army Soldier and Bioloaical Chemm Command Aa Chem Infom.&&n Services Caltras > District 5 > Maintenance and Operations > Integrated Vegetation Management Integrated Vegetation Management City of Santa Cruz Pilot Program The proposed Pilot Project identifies areas within Caltrans right of way in the City of Santa Cruz with weed problems that would normally be controlled by herbicides. The project will install different commercial weed control products to test their efficacy in eliminating weeds and to assess their acceptability to the community. The areas chosen for treatment on this project will be high traffic areas to maximize public visibility and to test product maintainability under harsh conditions. Project work locations were selected for their impact on highway traffic during construction and maintenance activities, successful weed control should minimize the need for lane closures. r My CA The weed control products consist of solid mats, liquid soil sealers and inert organic materials. No herbicides will be used for vegetation control on the project. Median work on Route 1 will occur from approximately the La Fonda Ave. overcrossing to the M undercossing. Seeding and mulching will occur on the west shoulder of Route 17 at the Route I interchange (tl as the 'fish hook'). Traffic control will require shoulder closures on most of the project. The Traffic Management Pla nightwork whenever a lane closure is required. Median Areas (inside shoulders) You will need Adobe's Acrobat Reader ver 4.0 or better to view or print Portable Document Format (PDF) files. Contact the District 5 Public Affairs Office Adjust manhole to grade: remove existing manhole, install new frame at finish grade Remove existing weeds in median by scraping Cultivate soil in areas to receive drillseeding, remove rocks Level and compact median soil, including cultivated areas Apply weed barrier materials Drillseed cultivated areas within the median Landscape Areas (interchange) Remove weeds and iceplant and replace with mulch and various weed barriers Prune existing vegetation as necessary Apply soil sealers, corn gluten and weed barriers in designated areas Apply mulch, mulch with cardboard and drillseeding in designated areas Photos of weed control produds - Click on a photo to view a larger image /27/2002

5 Caltrans, District 5 - Maintenance and Operations - Integrated Vegetation Management Page 2 of SANTA CRUZ WEED CONTROL PILOT PROJECT - Public Questionaire The following survey will be sent to random addresses in the City to solicit opinions about tha assess residents; concerns about how highway roadsides are managed. auestionairelpdf format -202 kb). _ Back to Top of Paqe State of California. Gray Davis, Governor. Conditions of Use Privacy Policy 11/27/2002

6 SANTA CRUZ WEED CONTROL PILOT PROJECT Public Questionnaire The Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has undertaken a pilot project to explore alternatives to control weeds without the use of chemical herbicides. The weed control products used in the pilot project can be viewed in the center median of Route 1 between the La Fonda Avenue overcrossing and the Market Street undercrossing and/or in the "Fish Hook" area of the Route 1/17 interchange. We want to know your opinion about the different products tested (refer to photos on the reverse side). 1) Select the response that best describes your level of concern about the appearance of roadside weeds in Santa Cruz: 0 A. Weeds on the freeway median and shoulders detract from visual quality and should be removed 0 B. Weeds on the freeway median and shoulders do not detract from visual quality and should remain 2) Select the response that best describes your level of concern about Caltrans using chemical herbicides to kill roadside weeds: 0 A. As long as safety procedures are carefully observed, I am not concerned about the use of herbicides 0 B. Herbicide usage should be restricted to areas where other methods of weed control would be unsafe 0 C. Herbicide usage is completely unacceptable anywhere in Santa Cruz, regardless of circumstances 3) The weed control product that 1 like best in the center median of Route 1 is: 0 A. Durotrim - black colored rubber mat from La Fonda Avenue to south of Morrissey Boulevard 0 B. Weedender - light gray/green colored mat from south of Morrissey Boulevard to Morrssey Boulevard 0 C. Polypavement - transparent sealer from Morrissey Boulevard to Market Street 4) The weed control product that 1 like best in the "Fish Hook" area of the Route 1/17 interchange is: 0 A. Weedender - light gray/green colored mat along the right shoulder of southbound Route 17 0 B. Polypavement - transparent sealer at the triangular (gore) point of southbound Route 17 to Route 1 0 C. Bio-Weed - transparent corn glutten along the left shoulder of the northbound Route 1 -to-southbound Route 1 ramp!j D. Wood Chip Mulch - in the areas near the trees in the "Fish Hook" area 0 E. Seed mixes - in the open areas throughout the "Fish Hook" area 5) After viewing the finished project, I feel: 0 A. The weed control products are acceptable for Caltrans to use on other state highways in Santa Cruz B. The weed control products are acceptable for Caltrans to use only in certain areas: 0 C. The weed control products are unacceptable for Caltrans to use on other state highways in Santa Cruz 0 D. The weed control products are completely unacceptable and should be removed from the roadside 6) Select the response that best describes your level of concern about the traffic impacts of roadside maintenance activities in Santa Cruz: 0 A. Freeway lane closures to allow maintenance work are unacceptable during daylight hours 0 B. Freeway lane closures to allow maintenance work are unacceptable at any time of day 0 C. Freeway lane closures to allow maintenance work are acceptable, except during peak traffic hours 0 D. Freeway lane closures to allow maintenance work are acceptable at any time of day 7) What matters to you the most in regard to roadside maintenance activities: 0 A. Minimizing traffic impacts CI B. Enhancing maintenance worker safety 0 C. Maintaining tidy (weed-free) highways 0 D. Establishing new ornamental plantings 0 E. Eliminating non-native, invasive plant species from the roadsides 0 F. I do not care about highway roadsides or how they look 0 G. Other comments: 8) In general, do you feel that Caltrans adequately maintains the highway roadsides in Santa Cruz? 0 A. Caltrans does a great job maintaining roadsides in Santa Cruz 0 B. Caltrans does a fair job maintaining roadsides in Santa Cruz 0 C. Caltrans does a poor job maintaining roadsides in Santa Cruz 0 D. I have never noticed the condition of the highway roadsides in Santa Cruz Thank you very much for providing Caltrans with this valuable feedback. It is our goal to meet the needs of every community we serve and to be responsive to local concerns. If there are any other issues you feel Caltrans needs to address regarding roadside management and highway landscaping, please list: Upon completion, please refold this form with the Galtrans Return Address facing out and seal with tape (do not staple) For further information, you may visit the project website at:

7 0743 preaortcd standard U. S. Pwrtyct Pttd Permlt # 7 Sen Luis Obispo (=A I BUSINESS REPLY MAIL I FIRST-CLASS MAIL PERMIT NO. 880 SAN LUIS OBISPO CA POSTAGE WILL BE PAID BY ADDRESSEE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORATION DISTRICT 5 50 HIGUERA ST SAN LUIS OBISPO CA ino POSTAGE NECESSARY IF MAILED IN THE UNITED STATES - 11,1,,,, ,llllllllllllllllllllilllillllll 4

8 ~. ~~~.~ ~~. _ Page 1 of 1 CBD BOSMAIL - ~. ~~~ From: CBD BOSMAIL Sent: Sunday, December 08,2002 2:ll PM To: CBD BOSMAIL Subject: Agenda Comments Meeting Date : 12/10/2002 Name : Charles Levine Address : 124 Buena Vista Ave Santa Cruz ~~~ _. ~.. ~ ~ ~.- ~ - Item Number : 94 Phone : Comments : 1.Was the Hazardous Materials Advisory Commission ever been asked to evaluate the effect of the relatively small amt of weed killer used on the roadside compared to the total used in the County? 2. Could the 2000 petition signers agree to give $50 ea./yr to the Count Roads dept to defray the $100,000 cost of not using weed killers $ extra cost of not using weed killers? 12/9/02

9 Name : Susan Wallace 124 Rosea Drive Aptos, CA Comment: I have a 6 year,old son and I am concerned about winds carrying the pesticide to our home as we live fairly near the freeway. I want Caltrans to stop spraying in our County. Name : Sheila Carrillo 134 Miles Street Santa Cruz, CA Comment: No more spraying toxic pesticides, please. Name : Jeff Alford 1725 Escalona Drive Santa Cruz, CA Comment: Eliminate roadside spraying of pesticides by Caltrans. It has been successfully accomplished in other counties and should be able to be accomplished here. 1181C6