CITY OF SEATTLE
ORDINANCE __________________
COUNCIL BILL __________________
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AN ORDINANCE relating to the Cedar River Municipal Watershed and amending the Secondary Use Policies, adopted by Ordinance 114632, to provide for the limited application of the herbicide Imazapyr to treat invasive knotweed species.
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WHEREAS, the Secondary Use Policies, adopted by Ordinance 114632, include a moratorium on herbicide use to prohibit the routine broadcast application of herbicides for control of roadside vegetation in lieu of brushing; and
WHEREAS, invasive plant species were not a consideration in watershed land management practices and policies when the Secondary Use Policies were adopted in 1989; and
WHEREAS, uncontrolled knotweed in 2010 covered 18.01 acres of land in the Cedar River Municipal Watershed and was spreading at an exponential rate, displacing native species, eroding stream banks, threatening water quality, and destroying biodiversity; and
WHEREAS, even small patches of knotweed are exceedingly difficult to control by physical means; and
WHEREAS, Imazapyr inhibits an enzyme found only in plants, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rates Imazapyr as being relatively non-toxic to birds, mammals, fish, and invertebrates; and
WHEREAS, a United States Forest Service toxicology study determined Imazapyr causes no measurable adverse effects on fish and wildlife; and
WHEREAS, on August 6, 2010 a limited exception to the Secondary Use Policies was authorized by Ordinance 123365 to allow the application of the herbicide Imazapyr between August 6, 2010, and December 31, 2012, to control or eradicate knotweed species in the Cedar River Municipal Watershed; and
WHEREAS, on June 7, 2013 a follow-up limited exception to the Secondary Use Policies was authorized by Ordinance 124191 to continue to allow application of the herbicide Imazapyr through December 31, 2015, to control or eradicate knotweed species in the Cedar River Municipal Waters...
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