City Departments
Portuguese Swamp Nuisance Mosquito Control Feasibility Study
December 2008 Cambridge Council approved a recommendation to undertake a
feasibility Study for a program to control nuisance mosquitoes in the
Portuguese Swamp area.
The purpose of the Portuguese Swamp Nuisance Mosquito Control Feasibility Study is to understand the nuisance mosquito populations, issues, and challenges associated with control options, costs, potential environmental impacts, and legislative and approval processes involved with initiating a nuisance mosquito control program in this area of Cambridge for the benefit of local residents.
The City of Cambridge has contracted Entomogen Inc. to conduct the Portuguese Swamp Nuisance Mosquito Control Feasibility Study. Entomogen field staff will be in the Storm Water Management facilities, the Portuguese Swamp Environmentally Sensitive Policy Area, and other public areas conducting mosquito species inventories, installing light traps, and performing other tests associated with this study.
Entomogen field staff will be conducting inventories throughout the summer and will produce a report in Autumn this year. Council will consider this report, and its recommendations, at an Autumn 2009 meeting. If you wish to be notified about this meeting and the final report please contact Judy Boudreau at 519.740.4650, ext. 4648.
The City of Cambridge and the Region of Waterloo (West Nile virus (WNv) hotline) have received a number of complaints regarding mosquitoes from residents located in the neighbourhoods adjacent to Portuguese Swamp over the past three years. The Region responded with increased monitoring of WNv vector species (larval samples and adult traps) in the Portuguese Swamp area but has not found positive pools of WNv mosquitoes therefore no trigger existed for increased larviciding over the 2-3 applications a year (in catch basins, storm water management facilities, or other approved larviciding location). The Region has been larviciding every catchbasin since the WNv program began in 2003. Larviciding consists of placing granules or pellets into standing water or catch basins where mosquitoes known to breed. The larvicide methoprene is being applied to catch basins. It does not pose an unreasonable risk to the public and provides control of mosquito larvae for 30 days. Vectobac, another type of larvicide, is being applied to sites with temporary standing water. It does not pose any risk to the public or non-target organisms. The WNv program concentrates on those mosquito species (ten to twelve of approximately 40 species) that are considered potential carriers, or "vectors" of WNv.
Area residents presented concerns regarding rising water levels and tree die back in the Portuguese Swamp to Council in May 2006. The Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA), Waterloo Region and the City investigated these concerns and concluded that the swamp was a diverse and healthy wetland, providing important hydrological and ecological functions (City of Cambridge report TPW-12/07). The staff report further recommended that more detailed analysis of the hydrological behaviour of the swamp and storm water management facilities be incorporated in the city-wide Storm Water Management Study. During the summer of 2008, residents petitioned Council for action on nuisance mosquitoes. Council directed staff (December 8, 2008, report P/08-80) to initiate a Request for Proposal (RFP) to contract a consultant to conduct a feasibility study on controlling nuisance mosquitoes within the proposed Portuguese Swamp study area, and as stated above, Entomogen Inc. is now carrying out that study.
The goal of the study is to evaluate the costs, treatment options, parcels to be treated, expected effectiveness and outcomes of potential nuisance mosquito control program components in the Portuguese Swamp and surrounding residential areas in order to recommend a preferred program.
The specific objectives of the Portuguese Swamp Nuisance Mosquito Control Feasibility Study are the following:
feasibility Study for a program to control nuisance mosquitoes in the
Portuguese Swamp area.
The purpose of the Portuguese Swamp Nuisance Mosquito Control Feasibility Study is to understand the nuisance mosquito populations, issues, and challenges associated with control options, costs, potential environmental impacts, and legislative and approval processes involved with initiating a nuisance mosquito control program in this area of Cambridge for the benefit of local residents.
The City of Cambridge has contracted Entomogen Inc. to conduct the Portuguese Swamp Nuisance Mosquito Control Feasibility Study. Entomogen field staff will be in the Storm Water Management facilities, the Portuguese Swamp Environmentally Sensitive Policy Area, and other public areas conducting mosquito species inventories, installing light traps, and performing other tests associated with this study.
Entomogen field staff will be conducting inventories throughout the summer and will produce a report in Autumn this year. Council will consider this report, and its recommendations, at an Autumn 2009 meeting. If you wish to be notified about this meeting and the final report please contact Judy Boudreau at 519.740.4650, ext. 4648.
The City of Cambridge and the Region of Waterloo (West Nile virus (WNv) hotline) have received a number of complaints regarding mosquitoes from residents located in the neighbourhoods adjacent to Portuguese Swamp over the past three years. The Region responded with increased monitoring of WNv vector species (larval samples and adult traps) in the Portuguese Swamp area but has not found positive pools of WNv mosquitoes therefore no trigger existed for increased larviciding over the 2-3 applications a year (in catch basins, storm water management facilities, or other approved larviciding location). The Region has been larviciding every catchbasin since the WNv program began in 2003. Larviciding consists of placing granules or pellets into standing water or catch basins where mosquitoes known to breed. The larvicide methoprene is being applied to catch basins. It does not pose an unreasonable risk to the public and provides control of mosquito larvae for 30 days. Vectobac, another type of larvicide, is being applied to sites with temporary standing water. It does not pose any risk to the public or non-target organisms. The WNv program concentrates on those mosquito species (ten to twelve of approximately 40 species) that are considered potential carriers, or "vectors" of WNv.
Area residents presented concerns regarding rising water levels and tree die back in the Portuguese Swamp to Council in May 2006. The Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA), Waterloo Region and the City investigated these concerns and concluded that the swamp was a diverse and healthy wetland, providing important hydrological and ecological functions (City of Cambridge report TPW-12/07). The staff report further recommended that more detailed analysis of the hydrological behaviour of the swamp and storm water management facilities be incorporated in the city-wide Storm Water Management Study. During the summer of 2008, residents petitioned Council for action on nuisance mosquitoes. Council directed staff (December 8, 2008, report P/08-80) to initiate a Request for Proposal (RFP) to contract a consultant to conduct a feasibility study on controlling nuisance mosquitoes within the proposed Portuguese Swamp study area, and as stated above, Entomogen Inc. is now carrying out that study.
The goal of the study is to evaluate the costs, treatment options, parcels to be treated, expected effectiveness and outcomes of potential nuisance mosquito control program components in the Portuguese Swamp and surrounding residential areas in order to recommend a preferred program.
The specific objectives of the Portuguese Swamp Nuisance Mosquito Control Feasibility Study are the following:
- To define an activity (biting) threshold as a baseline upon which to judge the effectiveness of treatment and alternative solution options.
- To characterize the populations and species of mosquitoes and their habitat.
- To describe and evaluate all potential treatment options and alternatives.
- To determine the appropriate control area to meet the target.
- To detail the costs associated with treatment and alternative solutions and monitoring program.
- To outline post-treatment monitoring procedures and methods to ensure expected outcomes and effectiveness of treatments.
- To determine to what degree does non-participation (by public and/or private landowners) compromise the control of nuisance mosquitoes. The recommended nuisance control program should address and compensate for this in order to meet the target outcome.
- To identify parcels (private and public) that would need to be treated for nuisance mosquitoes to achieve the target outcome.
- To review applicable legislation, regulations, guidelines, permits, and approval processes and comment on relative timelines, constraints, consultation requirements, application requirements, and potential for success in obtaining approvals from the identified municipal, Provincial and Federal agencies.
- The inventory should include non-WNv species and WNv species. The treatment protocol should also explore coordination with the Region of Waterloo larviciding program (in terms of no duplication, potential for shared resources, etc.).
The Portuguese Swamp Nuisance Mosquito Control Feasibility Study is a necessary step in obtaining a permit from the Ministry of the Environment, and for the consultation process associated with that permit, to control nuisance mosquitoes within the defined area.
For a copy of the Portuguese Swamp Nuisance Mosquito Control Feasibility Study Terms of Reference, or for other information, please contact Paul Willms at 519.740.4650, ext. 4559, willmsp@cambridge.ca or visit www.cambridge.ca.
For more information on West Nile Virus, and the Region of Waterloo Public Health's larviciding program please visit the Fight the Bite page on the Region's website.
Paul Willms, Environmental Planner
The Corporation of the City of Cambridge
50 Dickson Street, 3rd Floor,
P.O. Box 669,
Cambridge, ON, N1R 5W8
T: 519.740.4650, Ext. 4559
TTY: 519.623.6691
F: 519.740.9545
willmsp@cambridge.ca
www.cambridge.ca
Related Documents
| DOCUMENT | DESCRIPTION | DATE POSTED | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Environmental Information | |||
| Portuguese Swamp Nuisance Mosquito Control Media Release June 2009 | Portuguese Swamp Nuisance Mosquito Control Media Release June 2009 | 2009-06-09 | PDF 70Kb |