Environment |

Laguna Beach ending use of herbicide spray in fire prep, looks at organic options for restoration

In the next few weeks, residents in Laguna Beach may see more mowing, weed whacking and hoes being used in parts of the community where crews will remove invasive weeds that fuel wildfires.

Their work will be a welcome sight to dozens in town who attended a recent City Council meeting discussing options for this vegetation to reduce fire risk, including ending the use of the herbicide glyphosate, often sold as the product Roundup.

The plant removal is done in 27 areas identified as fuel modification zones, making up about 400 acres in the community, as part of a wide-ranging fire management plan started in the city in 2019.

The council’s decision to forgo spraying the weed killer  – last year, 113 acres were treated, and 3,719 ounces of glyphosate were used – comes after a group of South Laguna residents raised concerns after becoming aware of the spraying of the herbicide in the hillsides above their homes and along community streets and trails. They started a petition and lobbied the city to stop its use.

There was also support from the city’s Environmental Sustainability Committee, which urged city leaders to follow in the footsteps of other communities, such as the cities of Irvine and Malibu and Los Angeles County, where the herbicide is no longer used.

“Everyone here has a love for the environment and human health,” Councilmember Alex Rounaghi said, referring to nearly 40 residents who packed council chambers last week to rally the council against the spraying.

Residents spoke of their love for the outdoors, of choosing Laguna Beach as their home because of the city’s focus on its environment and gave examples of eating edible plants and recreating in the city’s vast canyons and along its hillsides and trails. One mother said her children were covered with blue-tinged soil after playing in a canyon, only for her to hear later that glyphosate had been sprayed nearby.

“It was a screw-up on the city’s part to have glyphosate sprayed where kids play,” Rounaghi said. “Prolonged exposure is not a good thing, and there is an ambiguity about what level of exposure will have an impact on human health. The consequences of getting this wrong are very high.”

Glyphosate is classified as a probable human carcinogen by the World Health Organization, but the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says its findings are the herbicide is not likely carcinogenic to humans when used as directed. Debate and legal challenges have gone on for years.

“Bayer stands fully behind our glyphosate-based products, which have been used safely and successfully around the world for 50 years,” Kyel Richard, a spokesperson for the company that sells Roundup, said in a previous statement to the newspaper in response to the residents’ concerns. “Leading health regulators around the world have repeatedly concluded that our glyphosate-based products can be used safely as directed.”

Following the council’s decision to end spraying and instead use more crews and equipment to remove the vegetation, the Fire Department and the Laguna Canyon Foundation, which monitor the weed abatement to ensure environmentally sensitive animals and plants are protected, will evaluate the fuel modification zones that are next up for treatment for how best to proceed. Once determined, information on locations and the method to be used will be posted on the city’s website, officials said.

Crews will do the work with weed whackers, sheers, hand tools and hoes. The city also uses goats to clear some areas.

The switch to using tools rather than herbicides will increase the program’s cost by $550,000, to just under $1.4 million. Staff said there were savings and capital improvement funds that could be tapped to cover the increase.

City leaders want crews to report back on how the mechanized removal goes and if there are any needed changes. Crews will also study if the new treatment scatters seeds from the plants more easily.

The city could still use glyphosate to remove invasive plants in areas where it is required to restore the natural habitat as part of its permit from the California Coastal Commission that allows for the removal of vegetation elsewhere to lower fire risks. The city has up to five years to finish that work.

Presently, there are 5 acres planned for restoration near the Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park and the city’s plan called for the use of glyphosate, said Jeremy Frimond, assistant to the city manager. “It’s a heavily impacted area. We are concerned that it will be difficult for us to meet that timeframe.”

The City Council directed Frimond to ask the Coastal Commission for more time, and if the city gets it, staffers will look at using organic herbicides, among other possible options.

“I commend the fire chief and City Council for listening to the widespread community concerns about using Roundup for fuel modification,” said Ramin Pejan, among the residents lobbying the city to stop the spraying. “I hope we can continue to work together to find alternative solutions for habitat restoration without using dangerous toxic chemicals.”