Skip to content

Rural residents vote down mosquito control plan

Bull River and Mayook residents shoot down proposed RDEK mosquito control plan.
70965cranbrookdailyMosquitopicweb
Bull River and Mayook residents have voted down a plan for mosquito control in the area.

Bull River and Mayook residents have voted down a proposed mosquito control measure, as preliminary results have the tally at 100-52 against the plan.

The process began in June when a community group requested the RDEK investigate what a mosquito control plan would look like and cost.

The group utilized grant funding from the Columbia Basin Trust, which went towards two reports looking at mosquito control assessments for Fort Steele, Mayook, Colony Road, Bull River, Wardner and Norbury Lake areas.

A proposed treatment method would have utilized a granular mosquito larvicide that contains a naturally-occuring bacterium known as Bti, which targets mosquito and black fly larvae, but does not harm people, birds, mammals, other insects or amphibians.

The annual anticipated cost of the program would have been $45,000, with a one-time $10,000 up-front expense to set up the service.

The tax hit would have been $0.69 per $1,000 of assessed property value for the first year, before dropping to $0.56 to pay off the one-time $10,000 cost.

Voters had to be property owners within the proposed treatment area in order to cast a ballot.

 



Trevor Crawley

About the Author: Trevor Crawley

Trevor Crawley has been a reporter with the Cranbrook Townsman and Black Press in various roles since 2011.
Read more