Months after herbicide spraying in San Juan and Trabuco creeks sparked outcry and organizing among residents, county leaders said they will officially phase out the practice in the two waterways in the next year.
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The OC Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 this week to approve a year-long pilot project that would limit the use of herbicides in the two south county creeks and evaluate the effectiveness of mechanical methods of clearing vegetation in flood control channels. Last month, OC Public Works announced a countywide pause on herbicide application.
A public pressure campaign came from concerned residents who created the Creek Team OC. They mounted a social media blitz against the practice of spraying herbicides, which they say has wrecked local ecosystems and turned the county’s once-lush creek beds barren.
“Your constituents feel betrayed on this issue,” Creek Team founder Brent Linas said at Tuesday’s supervisor meeting. “Year after year, these ecosystems were treated as problems to be erased. This is a policy of ecocide.”
Supervisor Katrina Foley initially introduced a proposal to phase out herbicide spraying in waterways across the county and identify safer alternatives to manage vegetation. The measure would have directed staff to update the county’s Integrated Pest Management practices to “prioritize prevention, monitoring, manual removal, mechanical removal, native planting, erosion control, habitat restoration, and lower toxicity alternatives before any chemical application.”
But Supervisors Don Wagner, Janet Nguyen and Doug Chaffee weren’t in support of a broad ban just yet.
Wagner said he wanted to wait for the completion of the pilot study and several investigations into the county’s herbicide use before considering a countywide plan to halt the practice. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife in April launched a probe into herbicide use along San Juan Creek.
Wagner proposed the alternative of the pilot involving the two south county creeks gathering more information and conducting additional studies before considering a countywide phase out plan in a year’s time.
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“Oh, and by the way, our budget may be in a better position for us to absorb the $14 million this may cost us,” he said.
Nguyen said she supports reviewing the county’s herbicide application and exploring safer alternatives, but wants to review the results of the pilot project before moving forward with a countywide phase out. Before making a countywide decision, Nguyen said the county should consult the US Army Corps of Engineers and other agencies that operate flood channels.
Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento said waiting for the pilot project to wrap up first would only cause unnecessary delays — a remark that drew applause from Creek Team members.
“I’ve seen too many things up here get killed by a thousand cuts,” Sarmiento said. “There’s one excuse after another, and nobody is taking a thoughtful, thorough, comprehensive look at this.”
Foley said she was grateful for Sarmiento’s backing but accused the other supervisors of co-opting her proposal.
“I’m going to vote yes because this is my initiative and they just approved everything except for the first item, which is develop a plan within a year,” she said.
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