Less-scenic byway

Narrowsburg Wellhead Area doused with herbicides

By SANDY LONG

TOWNS OF TUSTEN AND HIGHLAND, NY — If you’ve noticed that the Upper Delaware Scenic Byway is looking a little less scenic these days, it’s not your imagination. On July 30 and August 12, the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) applied three herbicides to vegetation near guide rails and sign posts in the towns of Tusten and Highland, according to DOT environmental specialist James Buck. Part of the spray area included a section of Route 97 within the Narrowsburg Wellhead Protection Area.

The herbicides applied were Glystar Plus, Oust XP and Escort XP. Buck said that the DOT uses the herbicides in targeted applications to remove invasive species that are causing safety, operational or environmental problems. The practice targets species such as sweet clover, wild parsnip and Japanese knotweed.

“Herbicide is applied in order to maintain effectiveness of guide railing and maintain the proper sight distance along roadways,” said Buck.

A concerned resident, Stephen Stuart, contacted Narrowsburg Water and Sewer Superintendent Scott Birney with complaints of the herbicide application within the water district and a mowing operation that felled brush and small trees along the roadside near the southern end of the township by the Roebling Aqueduct Bridge in Minisink Ford. Birney contacted the DOT and the NYS Department of Health (DOH). According to Buck, the herbicides were applied to this area following an over-the-rail mowing operation to minimize the amount of chemicals needed to control the targeted species. The maintenance was done using over-the-rail mowers and flail mowers.

Buck explained, “The area alongside the roadway is maintained for many reasons, including sight-distance and safety concerns. Over-the-rail mowing operations are regularly performed to remove vegetation that is growing behind the guide rail. The area behind this rail must be clear from fixed objects and vegetation to allow the rail to function properly in the event of a vehicle strike.” DOT applies the herbicide a maximum of four feet off the roadway.

In response to the herbicide application within the wellhead area, the DOT and the DOH investigated and concluded that since the well location across from the Feagle’s Lake Development is above the area of application, there is no cause for alarm.

Mark Knudsen, district director of the DOH Monticello District Office, noted, “The onsite visit indicated the public water supply well to be about 125 to 150 feet upgradient (up slope) of the highway and not subject to surface water flows from the highway. Although the zone of influence (and the watershed) include sections of the highway, we do not believe that the recent herbicide applications pose any risk of contamination.”

The DOH arrived at this conclusion partly based on the “environmental fate and toxicity” of the compounds used. “It’s our understanding that they wouldn’t travel far from the application sites under the dry conditions in which they were applied,” said Knudsen.

Chemical application is not new for the DOT, which has used this form of vegetation control for the past 20 years. David Hamburg, DOT Region 9 public information officer, noted, “The New York State Department of Transportation is keenly aware of its responsibility to the public and its environment. DOT environmental work is done under the guidance of qualified environmental specialists.”

Birney said that he will be meeting with the DOT to discuss ways to minimize or eliminate future use of the chemicals within the wellhead district. The town routinely tests its water for hundreds of chemicals as required by the DOH. The next tests will be conducted later this year.

What are they and why are they used?

The chemicals are selected based upon the organisms they target. Glystar Plus (Glyphosate, N-phosphonomethyl glycine) treats most of the organisms, however it is ineffective on sweet clover. Escort XP (Metsulfuron methyl) is recommended for the control of sweet clover, which grows throughout the Route 97 corridor and limits site distance. Oust XP (Sulfometuron methyl) can be used as a pre-emergence treatment on many organisms, whereas Glystar Plus is a post-emergence treatment. Applying these three chemicals at the same time can minimize the frequency of the applications.

According to the DOT, manual control of vegetation under the rail is not always the most cost effective or safest method of control, often requiring increased worker safety environments and involving multiple vehicles and work zones. The herbicide application is done using one operator and one truck. The cost of applying herbicides on 40 miles of Route 97, including the towns of Tusten and Highland, was $449.06 and $504.56, respectively. These costs include product, labor and equipment costs. Mechanical methods are four times more costly to the taxpayers of New York State than chemical methods of vegetation control. Mechanical methods require increased frequency of maintenance as well.

Another reason cited by the DOT for choosing chemical application over manual weed control is for the health and safety of employees. Plant species such as poison ivy or wild parsnip can cause severe reactions to persons who come in contact with them. Wild parsnip can cause painful burning blisters if a person comes into contact with the sap. When mechanical methods are used, workers are exposed to flying plant material and the sap of those plants.