Post-Meeting Update, The Path Forward

"The application should not have been sprayed near water." -Scott Nye, VDOT District Roadside Manager That's a direct quote from today's meeting. I want to thank everyone for showing up, the room was packed! It was immediately clear to me that the Board of Supervisors was not happy about this situation. Chairman, David Weiss even said he had his own property oversprayed by 5-10 feet beyond VDOT's right-of-way. VDOT said this was a "dormant stem application", applied from 15 feet up to the frontline of vegetation. They also said they are cooperating with the VDACS investigation. Another quote from Scott Nye during the meeting was "Getting close to the water with this application is a no-no." Which, seems to me like an admission that this was wrong. We were informed that the chemicals used were Garlan 4 Ultra (triclopyr) at 4 quarts and Patron 170 (dichlorprop-p) at 2 quarts. Exact mix ratios were not given at the meeting. VDOT took questions from the board and briefly from citizens. VDOT said that spotters are not used during application and that drivers are responsible for monitoring the spraying while they drive. Boardmember Doug Lawrence highlighted this being an issue. Chair David Weiss mentioned that there have to be better ways to do this than a "wall of chemical"- which he witnessed first-hand when driving behind the spray truck. He reinforced that these are legitimate concerns and that "This is a big thing." VDOT was unable to answer many of the questions today, and the Board, Citizens, and VDOT agreed to form a panel consisting of a few citizens and board members that will later meet with VDOT and raise questions and get answers. If you have questions, please email them to Doug Lawrence at dlawrence@clarkecounty.gov He will compile them all for the panel. If your property was impacted, please file a formal complaint by emailing VDACS at ops.enf@vdacs.virginia.gov A lot of work ahead, so please stay involved! This is just the beginning of the road to lasting change, and I'm optimistic. *Photo of spraying taken by a community member, not me*