Independence Day means mosquito control in GF/EGF, Some work so others can enjoy the holiday

Along with city residents celebrating Independence Day, a team of officials from the Grand Forks Public Health Department also have been out this weekend, but on a different mission altogether: hunting mosquitoes.

The team, led by mosquito control coordinator Todd Hanson, is mainly concentrating on high-traffic areas like parks, golf courses and bike trails, with the purpose of what he described as ensuring an enjoyable weekend for everyone.

“This weekend is going to be very busy for us,” Hanson said Friday.

His team includes mosquito control employees who have volunteered to work over the weekend for this public cause. It’s OK for a few people to work to ensure an enjoyable weekend for the rest, Hanson said.

“We want to ensure an enjoyable weekend for everyone and keep the threat of mosquito biting at a reduced level,” he said, adding that the team would be out there at every possible high traffic area trying to cut down on mosquitoes. However, there was no ground spraying scheduled in residential areas during the weekend.

Hanson urged people to use repellants to avoid mosquito bites. With the amount of rain the city has had this year so far, there is a greater potential of mosquito-borne disease, he said.

Airplanes added

Hanson said aerial spraying was reintroduced to the mosquito control mix this year after a gap of nearly a decade.

The addition became necessary this summer to reach areas that are difficult for the mosquito control ground crew to reach. The aerial spraying also helps stop mosquitoes from migrating in from neighboring areas.

The decision, he said, was made after an annual review of mosquito-fighting efforts. It was felt that crews were not able to reach certain parts of the city with its ground equipment.

For $36,000, the city has hired Dean Solum, owner of Airborne Custom Spraying at Halstad, Minn., to carry out aerial spraying nine times this summer.

Solum, who performed a similar service for the city more than a decade ago with his same twin engine Cessna aircraft, has already sprayed four times this summer: June 10, 16, 20 and 23. The planned aerial spray on June 27 was canceled because of inclement weather.

The joint effort of ground and aerial spraying has helped control the mosquito menace, Hanson said.

Budget works

The mosquito control budget, which comes from a monthly $2.50-per-household fee on Grand Forks utility bills, has been gradually growing over the past few as the number of households grows. An additional fraction of the budget comes as a grant from various sources.

Hanson said the 2002 mosquito control budget was about $300,000. After the detection of West Nile virus in North Dakota, the city ended up spending about $368,000, using some of its capital replacement fund for operational expenses.

The next year, the Public Health Department approached the City Council with a request for more money, and the council doubled the $1.25-per-month mosquito-control fee.

The 2003 budget jumped to $560,000, and in 2004 it increased to $601,000. The department was able to reserve $40,000 of last year’s budget, which is what is paying for the aerial spraying this year, Hanson said.

About half of the mosquito control budget is spent on chemicals. This year, it likely is to be about $300,000, compared to $240,000 for the past few years. The increase is caused by an increase in the price of chemicals and an expected increase in the quantity of chemicals used because of more rain this year, Hanson said.