7/27/2019 Florence Fields Herbicide Assessment

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To: MayorDavidJ.Narkewicz

From: WayneFeiden,DirectorofPlanningandDevelopment

AnnMarioMoggio,DirectorofRecreation

RE: FlorenceFields

Date: August19,2013ThismemoisinresponsetoyourinquiryaboutthepossibleapplicationoftheherbicideRoundupat

FlorenceFields.FlorenceFields,likemostofthecityslands,ismanagedforlongtermsustainability.

Thisincludespromotinghealthylifestyleswhileminimizingerosionandsedimentation,energy,water,

andresourceuse,andthereleaseoftoxicchemicals.

Northampton,of

course,

needs

to

balance

its

resources

and

make

sure

that

we

are

providing

our

tax

payerswiththebiggestreturnontheirtaxdollars.Thecity,formallyorinformally,generallyusesa

lifecycleapproach,toconsiderbothlongandshorttermcostsofanapproachsothatweareconsidering

allofthecostsofanygivendecision.Hopefully,investmentsinreducingtheuseoftoxicsaremadein

areaswheresuchreductionhasthegreatesteffectonhumanandenvironmentalhealth.

Herbicidesofanykindcanposetoxicrisksandneedtobeconsideredcarefullyandminimized.Asingle

applicationofRounduptoFlorenceFieldsoneyearbeforethefieldisbeingusedposesnosignificantrisk

tohumanorenvironmentalhealth.Anyinvestmentinreplacingthisapplicationwouldgofarfurtherin

otherareas.ItisourunderstandingthatthecontractorwillbeapplyingRoundup,butthedecisionisup

tothemabsentacontractchange,sincethecontractorisresponsiblefortheirconstructionmethods.

TotalEnvironmentalFootprintSustainabilityrequiresustoconsidertheentireenvironmentalfootprintandnotjustfocusonanyone

aspect.Thecity,usingstategrantsandCPAfunds,ismakingsignificantsustainabilityinvestmentsat

FlorenceFieldstominimizeourentireenvironmentalfootprint:

1. Therecreationareawillpromotethehealthofthecommunitybyencouragingexercise.2. SidewalkswillextendconnecttoexistingsidewalksonSpringStreetandMeadowStreetto

maximizethepedestrianandbicyclemodeshare.

3. Thesitewillusesolarphotovoltaicpanelstoensureitusesnetzeroenergy.4. Thesitehasadrilledwell,sothatallirrigationneedsaremetonsiteandnotusecitytreatedwater.5. Thecityadded5,000cubicyardsofcompost/organicmaterialtothesoiltoaugmentsoilfertility

andsupportarichturf,whichisthemosteffectivewaytominimizetheneedforfuturechemicals.

6. DPWsmanagementpracticeisthatherbicidetreatmentinirrigatedfields(likeFlorenceFields)islimitedtopreemergentcrabgrasscontrolandnoinsecticideisusedinplayingfields.

7. DPWwillmeetinSeptembertoexploreorganicturfmanagementatFlorenceFieldsandquantifythefinancialcostsandoperationaltradeoffs.

8. Wearemakingsiteimprovementsonsite(drainagesystem)andoffsite(rehabilitationoftheMillRiverbuffer)maximizethephysical,chemicalandbiologicalcaptureand

treatmentofrunoff,includingorganicandinorganicfertilizersandherbicides.

7/27/2019 Florence Fields Herbicide Assessment

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RiskAssessmentsandAlternativeInvestmentsRiskassessmentsarecriticaltoallowthebestuseofresources.Forexample,portionsoftheGrowFood

Northampton(GFN)farmlandadjacenttoFlorenceFieldscontainstraceamountsofDDTandhigher

concentrationsofDieldrinandArsenic,allofwhicharetoxicandhighlypersistent(lastingastheymove

throughthefoodchain).ConcentrationsofthelattertwowouldrequirereportingtotheDepartmentof

EnvironmentalProtectionifthesehadnotbeenappliedinaccordancewiththelabels.Allthreeof

thoseherbicidesaremoretoxicandpersistentthanRoundup(Glyphosate)oranyotherherbicidesthat

thecitycoulduse.GFNsownriskassessmentpresumablyfoundhasidentifiedthepropercrops

plantingplantoavoidcropsforhumanconsumptiontakinguptoxics.

TheCityisattemptingtoreduceallexposuretotoxics.Becauseofthiscommitmentwehaveleveraged

manymillionsofdollarsofstate,federal,andprivatefundstoassess,cleanup,andtoavoidcommunity

exposure.Partofthiswork,however,isdoingriskassessmentssothatweusethesefundswiselyand

arefocusedonwhatreallycausesenvironmentalorhumanhealthrisks.

Basedonavailableresearch,asingleRoundupapplicationonthissite,inaccordancewiththelabel,in

2013willbreakdownbythetimethefieldsareopentorecreation.Roundupappliedinnonwindy

conditionswill

not

migrate

towards

any

of

the

other

farmland

in

the

area.

Roundupandotherherbicidesarecurrentlyappliedtoroadedges,railroadtracks,parkinglots,theflood

controldikes,sidewalks,buildingedges,dams,agriculturalfields,andothersitesalloverthecityby

publicandprivateapplicators.Ifthecitywasinapositiontofundreductioninherbicideapplication,by

othercityforcesorotherpropertyowners,wewouldwanttoprioritizethemostsensitivereceptors,

e.g.,sitesclosertothewater,toprotecthumanandenvironmentalhealth.Thereareothersiteswhere

aninvestmentinreductionofherbicidesorotherenvironmentalimprovementswouldprovideabetter

returnforenvironmentalandhumanhealththanasingleapplicationofRoundupatFlorenceFields.

ConstructionandManagementofFlorenceFieldsThe

City

met

with

and

discussed

options

for

developing

and

managing

Florence

Fields

with

Grow

Food

Northamptonayearago,afterGFNpurchasedthepropertyabuttingFlorenceFields.Thecityworked

withourdesigners(BerkshireDesignGroup)and,withtheassistanceofGrowFoodNorthampton,the

UniversityofMassachusettsTurfManagementProgram.Inthatprocess,andfollowingtheadviceof

UMass,thecitydeterminedthatthebestwaytominimizetheneedforfuturechemicalsistoaddtothe

organiccontentofthesoilduringtheconstructionphasebyincorporatingapproximately5,000yardsof

compostedsoiltothenativesoil.Thisbothminimizestheneedforfuturefertilizingandcreatesaturf

thatisthickenoughtoprotectitselffromweeds.ThisapproachwassharedwithGFNatourjoint

September12,2012conferencecallwiththeUMassTurfProgramandasafollowuptothatcall.

Inthefuture,thecitywillfertilizeasnecessarywithasingleannualgranularorliquidpreemergent

herbicidetoavoidwinddrift.DPWiscurrentlyexploringcostsandoperationalissuestodetermineif

theseapplications

will

be

organic

or

inorganic.

Ourcontractorisresponsibleforcreatinghealthyturffields,butmethods(e.g.,mechanically,

organically,orinorganicallyremovingweeds)areuptothecontractor.

ConclusionWerecommendthatthecitynotintervenewiththecontractorsabilitytoselectthemethodofgetting

toahealthyturffield.Wewill,ofcourse,instructthecontractorandBerkshireDesigntofollowalllabel

requirementsandnotapplyduringwindyconditions.