Wisconsin Public Service Sprays A Toxic Herbicide in Door County Contaminating Ground and Surface Water

If you have driven around some areas in Door County lately you may have seen evidence of what appears to be a blight on various bushes, plants, and small trees. Those of you who live in Gibraltar Township and the Village of Ephraim can't miss the dead and dying plant life if you drive along Maple Grove and Gibraltar Road. This strange sight is also visible elsewhere in Door County. The dead and dying plants are not the result of some natural blight, but rather the deliberate use of toxic pesticides applied by a Wisconsin Public Service (WPS) contractor. The work is being done by Asplundh, an international company under contract with WPS. Asplundh also regularly trims tree limbs in Door County that might damage electric power lines. I am sure that we all agree with this practice. However, the use of a toxic herbicide that kills virtually all vegetation that it contacts is another matter. We must prevent the use of toxic herbicides to kill plants under power lines. I understand that this practice is common throughout the USA and represents a threat to water supplies everywhere the practice is employed, and particularly in Door County because of our very permeable rocky and fractured substrate.

My wife , dog and I were on Vancouver Island when the spraying in our area in Gibraltar Township began, so we were not aware of the cause of dying plants. It soon became evident, after returning, that the apparent "blight" was selective, occurring where power lines were overhead. After checking with neighbors and witnessing actual spraying by Asplundh workers , I learned that the plants were dead and dying because of a planned program by WPS to avoid the possibility that small plants would grow larger and interfere with power lines. Interestingly many of the dead plants were ferns, choke cherry trees, juniper bushes, small ash and birch trees, and others. Puzzling isn't it? How long would it take for a fern, juniper or three foot ash tree to grow to 15 or 20 feet high and interfere with power lines? I also learned from Asplundh workers with whom I discussed the spraying, that they were hand spraying a pesticide named Garlon 4 (chemically known as Triclopyr), and was given an EPA Material Safety Data sheet dated 1994. More will be said about this later. They also verified that they were doing the work under contract to WPS, and they tried to assure me that the spraying of Garlon 4 was perfectly safe to all animal life, including humans.

After being assured of the safety of Garlon 4, I decided to contact a WPS public affairs representative by phone. I phoned the media hot line at 1-800 977 2250 and spoke to Todd Steffen. I explained that Iwas concerned about contamination of ground water and wanted more information. After a brief discussion Mr. Steffen said that he would contact a field representative who would contact me.

On August 22, Mr. Gregg Kirtchmeyer (920-617 5238 or 920-655 7810) visited me at our home to discuss my concerns. I explained why the practice of spraying a toxic substance to kill small bushes and trees was contrary to WPS stated environmental policy, and was unacceptable and should stop. Mr Kritchmeyer explained that this practice is used by WPS throughout their service areas to save money. I asked him what the cost of a child's illness might be who was sickened by contaminated drinking water? Worse yet, what is the value of an infant who is diagnosed with cancer caused by contaminated blood from the mother's cord blood? Neither question was answered. I also gave Mr. Kritchmeyer a summary sheet describing my new book, "A Drinkers Guide to Pure Water-Is Your Water Safe?", and related the WPS herbicide contamination of ground water to the high permeability of the Door County fractured rock "soil". We concluded our discussion with Mr. Kritchmeyer trying to assure me that the spraying of Garlon 4 to kill plant life was a safe practice. However he assured me that he would pass on my concerns on to his management.

Now, how about some factual information? Wisconsin Public Service states on their web page (www.wisconsinpublicservice.com) that they are committed to environmentally friendly ways to serve the growing demands for energy. On the web page entitled Environmental Principles, the #1 statement is "Protect the Environment : Wisconsin Public Service will continue our goal of being a leader in environmental stewardship. To the greatest extent practicable, we will limit our impact on the environment. We will continue to operate our facilities to meet or surpass environmental standards." Another relevant statement is # 8: " Disclose Environmental Information: We will inform Wisconsin Public Service employees and the public of incidents relating to our operations that may cause environmental harm or pose health or safety hazards. To my knowledge both #1 and #8 were both overlooked with regards to the Garlon 4 spraying in Door County. Garlon 4 is a toxic herbicide/pesticide, and the manufacturer, Dow/Elanco, stated as much when they registered the product with the EPA on February 20, 1998 ( Federal Register, Vol.63, No. 34, pages 8635-8644). However, they minimized the toxicity in the registration application, and the EPA allowed registration.

The latest material safety data sheet issued by Dow Agro Sciences, dated 5/10/2005 for Garlon 4 Herbicide presents a different story than that described in the original registration application. For example the carcinogenicity of Garlon 4 is hedged with the following sentence: "The effects are not believed to be relevant to humans ( tests on mice caused tumors), if the material is handled in accordance with proper industrial handling, exposures should not pose a carcinogenic risk to man." My, how assuring with the words ,"believed", "if", "should". Are you convinced? The EPA now requires supplemental labelling of Garlon 4 (EPA Reg. No. 62719-40). including the following: "The pesticide (Garlon 4) is toxic to fish. Do not apply directly to water o, or areas where surface water is present, or to intertidal areas below the mean high water mark. Do not contaminate water when disposing of equipment wash waters. Additional bold lettered warnings are required that state under the heading " Hazards to Humans and Domestic Animals": Harmful if Swallowed,Inhaled, or Absorbed by the Skin and Avoid contact with eyes, skin, or clothing. Avoid breathing mists or vapors. Avoid contamination of food. What has happened since 1998 when the EPA promptly allowed the registration and use of Garlon 4 as an herbicide? Why is it so hazardous now when Dow downplayed the toxicity in 1998, and the EPA bought their line? Was information being hidden? A report on Garlon 3 and 4 issued by the Department of Agricultural Resources in Massachusetts (55335-06-3) states on page 9, "Using EPA's carcinogen classification scheme, Triclorpyr may be considered a Group C carcinogen ( possible human carcinogen: limited animal evidence." An article in the Eugene, Oregon news paper, The Register-Guard, cited the Oregon Toxics Alliance on Galron 4 as follows: "Triclopyr: Rated 1 for toxicity. It ranks " not classifiable" for cancer causing potential but is acutely toxic and corrosive in the human eye. Rats fed the chemical over two generations had smaller litters and smaller offspring. Some formulations are highly toxic to trout and salmon. It is highly mobile and can travel through soil into the ground and surface water. Its half-life in soil ranges from 79 to 361 days. ( One half of the originally applied potency can be retained soil for the range of days indicated, allowing for a prolonged period of ground and surface water contamination).The long half-life allows rains , melting snow, and incidental watering to cause runoff and eventual contamination of aquifers and surface water, including Green Bay, Lake Michigan, and sall creeks and lakes in Door County.

The hazard posed to the residents, pets, animals, fish, aquatic life, and birds of Door County, and other areas where Garlon 4 is used, is evident. Plant death is inevitable wherever it is sprayed, evaporates or is blown by the wind. Contamination of Door County ground and surface water is inevitable. WPS is responsible for this in our area. Contact WPS and insist that they immediately stop the practice of spraying Garlon 4 in Door County, and wherever they use this dangerous practice. Your health and your pets health requires your proactive action, as do the rare plants and helpless animals that are also exposed. Defoliation with herbicides was deadly in Vietnam, and it is deadly in Door County. Please act now to stop this toxic and irresponsible practice by Wisconsin Public Service.














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