Virtually every stream, lake, and river in the Northwest that has been tested is contaminated with pesticides. Pesticide pollution of surface water in Oregon, Washington, California, and Idaho exposes salmon and their habitat to harmful levels of contamination. The US Geological Survey (USGS) detected at least 25 and as many as 50 pesticides in each of the six major watersheds studied in the Pacific states.

Pesticides can kill salmon directly or cause damage that significantly reduces their chances of survival. Pesticides can harm salmon by effecting their behavior, depressing their immune and hormone systems, or impacting their food supply and habitat.

The pesticides found in our surface water are a result of run-off from applications to homes, parks, roadsides, businesses, schools, and agriculture. Most cities and counties in the Northwest use pesticides in their parks, roadside vegetation management, municipal building and grounds, and other properties. Municipalities use pesticides that harm not only salmon, but can cause health problems for people including cancer, neurological damage, endocrine (hormone) disruption, and reproductive impacts. Cities and counties are in a unique position to reduce their own use of harmful pesticides and to serve as a model for their citizens or other municipalities.

Report Shows Pesticides Can Be Eliminated Successfully

In the Northwest we have quite a few examples of municipalities that have implemented salmon-friendly pest control methods. Thurston County's pesticide phase-out policy, adopted ten years ago, broke new ground in Washington. The county was the first government in the state to adopt a formal policy ending the use of pesticides linked to health and environmental problems. Since then, many other jurisdictions have joined them in reducing or eliminating use of pesticides and adopting strong policies that follow Integrated Pest Management (IPM) principles. Strong IPM practices focus on preventing pest problems though good maintenance, monitoring, building plant and soil health, and using mechanical, biological, or cultural controls for dealing with pest problems if they arise.

Thurston County has a citizen advisory board that helped to develop their pest management policy in the 1980's and has since guided county departments in reducing their pesticide use by over 97%.
Both Seattle and San Francisco have eliminated the use of the most toxic herbicides and insecticides on all city properties.
San Juan County hasn't used herbicides in its roadside maintenance program for over 20 years, nor has Jefferson County.
Smaller cities, including Lynnwood and Oak Harbor, have recently adopted policies and practices that use only least-toxic controls.

Washington Toxics Coalition's new report, Growing Trends: Successful Strategies for Reducing Pesticide Use in Public Places, outlines ten case studies of programs and agencies in the state that have reduced or eliminated pesticide use. Successful programs inlcude Thurston and Jefferson Counties, the City of Seattle, Bainbridge Island School District, the Woodland Park Zoo, the Port of Seattle, and Seattle University.

One of the longest-running programs is in Jefferson County, which has maintained its roadsides without pesticides for 23 years. Instead, Jefferson uses a variety of techniques that encourage low-growing native plants, which need little maintenance, are attractive, and provide habitat for wildlife.

Seattle University has also maintained its grounds without pesticides for a number of years. Instead, gardeners choose hardy, pest-resistant plants, plant densely to crowd out weeds, and mulch extensively. The result is an extremely attractive landscape that is clearly thriving. Each story is different, as each solution must be specific to the sites and problems faced. Information on transition away from pesticides, citizen involvement in the process, costs and practices can be found in each story.

Many of the cities and counties in Washington that have switched away from use of high hazard pesticides made the change because of pressure from citizens who were concerned about the negative health and environmental impacts of pesticides. Continued community support and involvement are crucial to make these programs successful in reducing pesticide use and putting safer alternatives in place.

New Kit Available Help Stop Pesticide Use

To better assist community groups and individuals interested in developing local IPM policies, a great new action kit is available. The kit contains information, resources, and organizing assistance, and should be the first step in protecting salmon and our communities from the harmful effects of pesticides. This kit is produced by the by the Washington Toxics Coalition and the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides under the Clean Water for Salmon Campaign. Over 100 organizations are members of the regional Clean Water for Salmon Network, supporting pesticide-free streams to aid in salmon recovery.

Despite the rampant problems associated with pesticide use, there are rays of hope. As more cities and counties change their pest control practices to least-toxic methods, our rivers and lakes will become healthier places for salmon to return to. Our ability to change our individual and collective dependence on chemical means of pest control will determine the fate of not only the salmon, but of ourselves.

For copies of the action kit or "Growing Trends" report, contact Angela Storey, Washington Toxics Coalition, 206-632-1545 ext. 11, [email protected], or www.watoxics.org

The Washington Free Press
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