In June 2024, the City began using herbicides in select median strips as a safety measure to reduce the amount of time, and thus the safety risk, for staff working in the medians. In the six months leading up to that decision, staff had reported eight incidents with either safety risks or property damage associated with maintaining the medians.
The use of pesticides and herbicides are governed by the City’s Integrated Pest Management Plan (AMC 9.28). That plan allows herbicide use where terrain, safety, or other conditions prompt its use. Park lands are 99.25% synthetic-pesticide-free with exceptions for addressing safety issues with hornets and wasps, controlling poison oak along trails, at Oak Knoll Golf Course and at North Mountain Park baseball and softball infields for safety issues. Outside of Parks lands, pesticides are only used on select medians by certified operators to reduce the amount of time workers spend working in high-risk areas.
When pesticides or herbicides are applied, the City is required to post 48-hour notice, can only apply pesticides under certain weather conditions (to prevent their spread) and under a certified operator to ensure safety and best practices for pesticide use.
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