Public Service Announcement: Glyphosate Update
We want to provide the public today with an update on the glyphosate issue.
See this previous announcement: Ban on Spraying Glyphosate (Roundup™) on Municipal Properties in the Village — Village of Rhinebeck
On September 28, the Village Board passed a policy banning the spraying of glyphosate (often referred to by the brand name Roundup™) on municipal properties. If chemicals are to be used to manage invasive plants, which also pose a threat to humans and our ecosystem, careful application (not spraying) must be done by an approved method, and proper notification if the work is done in a public park. Weed whacking will be the preferred method for hard to mow areas.
We have reviewed vouchers recording purchases made by Village staff in the past five years. We discovered that the Highway and Water Departments purchased an unrestricted product called Makaze 890spec M SAL 051215_LPI specimen.qxd from Nutrien AG solutions, one of the recommended suppliers for our region, on 5/17/21, 4/19/21, 7/15/19, 10/15/18, 9/18/17, 6/19/17 and 6/20/16. Makaze is registered in NYS as a general-use pesticide. In researching this product, we found that the active ingredient is glyphosate—in other words, Roundup™ by another name. Wastewater, who did not purchase this product, did however use Roundup™ yearly, purchased from the local hardware store.
Even though anyone is allowed to purchase a registered general-use pesticide, any person who engages in commercial application of pesticides needs to be certified by the NYS DEC Pesticides - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation. The Village has been working closely with the DEC who have been informative and educational.
A commercial application is anything other than a residential application (think own property) or private application (think farmers) of pesticides. All Village Departments have been directed to discontinue use of these products, per the policy passed in September.
Taking a step back, your local government's work here is to raise the standard of care and stewardship of our public spaces and parks. All of our Public Works Departments are changing their practices.
We acknowledge there's been confusion and distrust. The Mayor and the Village Board are investigating the conflicting information that has been provided to us by our staff. The fact is that we're at a point where we need to do better and have learned a lot. Thank you for your patience as we make this transition.
Perhaps a silver lining here is the raised public awareness of the hazards of glyphosate. These chemicals can be readily purchased at local hardware stores, belying the harm they present to humans and to the larger ecosystem. We encourage the public to use the tips for alternative weed and invasive plants management that we've posted on our Tree Commission page. Tree Commission — Village of Rhinebeck
Mayor Gary Bassett