"US Town Uses Hot Water -- Not Herbicides -- To Control Weeds"
Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA)
Carrboro, North Carolina, is killing weeds with water instead of chemicals.
The town is using a machine that superheats water and dispenses it in a
carefully controlled stream to kill weeds without using toxic chemical
herbicides. The equipment, which is made in New Zealand, is in use in several
other countries but is almost unknown in the United States. Carrboro is
testing the equipment to implement the town's least toxic Integrated Pest
Management policy, adopted in March 1999. The policy calls for phasing out use
of conventional pesticides, including herbicides, on town property, but does
not apply to the local residents, their property or businesses. City leaders
hope to show how beautiful grounds can be achieved without poisoning the
environment. To date, efforts to reduce pesticide use have emphasized
alternatives to conventional herbicides. An earlier analysis of Carrboro's pest
management practices showed that more pesticides were used on weeds than for any
other purpose. Weeds are a problem around buildings and parking lots, along
curbs and gutters and in parks. The town is using a comprehensive approach,
rather seeking a single solution, including a biodegradable herbicide made from
corn gluten, propane flamers which kill plants by singing them, thick mulch on
plant beds to smother weeds, and now hot water. The machine in use in
Carrboro produces a steady stream of near- boiling water that kills weeds by
melting the waxy outer coating of their leaves. The self-contained machine is
mounted on a small truck with hoses connected to long-handled applicator wands.
A quick spray on unwanted weeds kills them; the plants darken almost
immediately and turn brown within a few hours. The flow of water is low and
cools quickly. While the results look very much like that of a contact
herbicide, there is no toxic residue and the area is immediately safe for play.
"That's what it is all about," said Allen Spalt, Director of the
Agricultural Resources Center and a member of the Carrboro Board of Aldermen.
"We want to find ways to reduce pesticide use so that we can eliminate the risk
of any child being poisoned. Carrboro already uses only small amounts of
pesticides; we believe that this hot water system may be part of the solution
to reducing use completely." The hot water system, on loan to Carrboro until
the end of June, will be used by town staff, who will also demonstrate it for
other interested parties. At the conclusion of the trials, a final decision
will be made whether or not the town will purchase the equipment.
http://www.ghorganics.com/HotWeedKiller.htm
http://metalab.unc.edu/arc Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA) ~
http://www.panna.org/
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