From January 5, 2001
NYC Promises Future
Impact Analyses of Pesticides in New Mosquito Plan
The New York City
Department of Health (NYCDOH) published its Adult Mosquito Control Programs
- Draft Environment Impact Statement: Final Scope of Analysis on December
22, 2000. The document outlines plans to determine the potential impacts
from the use of pesticides to control mosquitoes carrying West Nile Virus
(WNV) or other mosquito-borne diseases. The final scope of analysis is
available in PDF (requires adobe reader) on the NYCDOH website at:
http://www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/doh/pdf/wnv/finals.pdf
Since the issuance of the Draft Scope of Analysis and the public hearings in June 2000 on that Draft Scope document, NYCDOH has undertaken education, surveillance, monitoring, larviciding, and adulticiding in an attempt to control mosquitoes that may carry WNV. Although some environmentalists have applauded NYC's more measured approach since the virus hit the fan in 1999, many in the environmental community feel that the city needs to do much more to protect residents from exposure to pesticides.
It is expected that
a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be completed by March
2001. A public response period and hearings in each borough will then
take place. A Final EIS is expected to be published in June 2001. The
EIS is an integral piece of the NYCDOH's plans to implement a comprehensive
surveillance and control plan for WNV in 2001. Residents of NYC should
consider reading the Final Scope of Analysis and participate in the public
response period.