To: The Oregon State House, The Oregon State Senate, and Governor Kate Brown
Stop herbicide spraying on drinking water source watersheds.
Please amend the Oregon Forest Practices Act in special session to immediately discontinue permits for herbicide spraying over the small percentage of private forests that constitute source watersheds for water districts' drinking water.
Until this law can be amended, there should be an executive order by the governor prohibiting further spraying of these watersheds in favor of other effective manual brush cutting methods.
Until this law can be amended, there should be an executive order by the governor prohibiting further spraying of these watersheds in favor of other effective manual brush cutting methods.
Why is this important?
The Oregon Department of Forestry, acting under the Oregon Forest Practices Act, continues to issue permits to spray herbicides over replanted clear cuts even when the land to be sprayed are clearly defined watersheds used by public water districts for drinking water. Other forest practices such as manual brush cutting are effective, but private forest managers are not required by law to use these alternative methods so some continue to spray. This is a flaw in the Oregon law and places citizens unnecessarily at risk. The Oregon Forest Practices Act should be amended immediately in special session.
There is no effective way for water districts or the public water consumers in these small Oregon communities to assure non-degredation of their drinking water, in the face of direct herbicide applications to our watersheds.
There is no effective way for water districts or the public water consumers in these small Oregon communities to assure non-degredation of their drinking water, in the face of direct herbicide applications to our watersheds.