I have to wonder if the author or anyone involved in this is licensed to work with herbicide, or if they have any professional experience with the topic. The fact that they call out "five fire trucks worth of herbicide" without mentioning that what's applied within the channel is a relatively small amount of chemical diluted with large amounts of water makes me think there's some sort of misunderstanding involved. It's also worth noting that the herbicides the County applies are safer than the residential pesticides most of us use in our yards.
It's worth considering that the author doesn't have the same level of familiarity with what's going on as the various regulatory agencies that oversee herbicide application, habitat management, and water quality within Orange County's waterways. The folks that make a career out of protecting our environment don't have an issue with what that County is doing. From what I've seen the numerous coastal NGOs aren't complaining either. I think it's worth taking a step back and getting a better understanding of what's going on before demanding that things change.
If it is killing all the plants, it kills the habitat completely. It doesn't matter if you poisoning the birds (which you are) if they lose habitat. It washed into the ocean and kills the habitat you don't see, including that for fish and sea turtles, not just humans. A "step back" means creating a place where water can be reused, refresh groundwater, and provide habitat like San Joaquin Marsh.
I have to wonder if the author or anyone involved in this is licensed to work with herbicide, or if they have any professional experience with the topic. The fact that they call out "five fire trucks worth of herbicide" without mentioning that what's applied within the channel is a relatively small amount of chemical diluted with large amounts of water makes me think there's some sort of misunderstanding involved. It's also worth noting that the herbicides the County applies are safer than the residential pesticides most of us use in our yards.
It's worth considering that the author doesn't have the same level of familiarity with what's going on as the various regulatory agencies that oversee herbicide application, habitat management, and water quality within Orange County's waterways. The folks that make a career out of protecting our environment don't have an issue with what that County is doing. From what I've seen the numerous coastal NGOs aren't complaining either. I think it's worth taking a step back and getting a better understanding of what's going on before demanding that things change.
If it is killing all the plants, it kills the habitat completely. It doesn't matter if you poisoning the birds (which you are) if they lose habitat. It washed into the ocean and kills the habitat you don't see, including that for fish and sea turtles, not just humans. A "step back" means creating a place where water can be reused, refresh groundwater, and provide habitat like San Joaquin Marsh.