Over time, we've noticed that we're seeing some mosquito breeding site issues in our service area again and again. Whether in a neighbor's yard or in public infrastructure, it can be frustrating to be swarmed by mosquitos and have no ability to do anything about it. That's why we've taken our experiences over the last few years and proposed the Mosquito Reduction Act for Montgomery County. This proposal is a collection of small, inexpensive changes the County could make to have a tangible impact on mosquitos and give Montgomery County residents recourse against problematic mosquito breeding sites near their home. After we pass this in Montgomery County we will be aiming to replicate that success in other portions of our service area as well! Please consider writing to or calling your Councilmember to ask for their support of the Mosquito Reduction Act.
Here's our proposal for the Mosquito Reduction Act:
Residential Code Changes:
against the Code to store tires outside exposed to rain (tires are the #1 preferred breeding site for tiger mosquitos)
against the Code to have waste receptacles or storage bins outside exposed to rain without a tight fitting lid
against the Code to store items in trash bags outside, unless inside a waste receptacle with a tight fitting lid
against the Code to have untreated stagnant water present in your yard
Construction Code Changes:
require posts of sediment control fencing and construction fencing to be capped if posts are hollow internally
against the Code for construction sites to create or allow to persist untreated bodies of stagnant water for more than 5 days without dumping the water, draining the water, or treating the water
temporary barriers which are hollow required to be filled with sand rather than water (the orange barriers you often see)
County Policy/Operational Changes:
require County-provided recycling bins and any other waste receptacles without a tight fitting lid to have drain holes at the actual bottom of the bin in all 4 corners
allow tires to be picked up as a bulk trash pickup item, rather than the current process of requiring residents to drive to the Transfer Station to dispose of a tire (#1 preferred breeding site for tiger mosquitos)
explicitly allow pesticide applicators licensed in the Public Health category to apply organic mosquito larvicides containing only the active ingredients BTI and Bacillus sphaericus to County-owned public infrastructure in the roads and the right-of-way if determined to be suitable larval mosquito habitat by inspection
Stormwater Management:
require a mosquito breeding suppression plan be submitted for all new stormwater management projects, for example how it is currently required in Rockland County NY (https://www.rocklandcountyny.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/780/638206146905770000)
require property owners with existing stormwater infrastructure that by design holds standing water to submit a mosquito breeding suppression plan
require that any new underground drainage pipe installed be made of a material that is smooth internally, rigid, and without corrugated ridges on the interior surface, unless the pipe is perforated along the entire length and circumference
require that all openings into rain barrels and cisterns are screened with a 1mm mesh or smaller
Other:
require utility companies to ensure underground infrastructure does not retain standing water, or to have the standing water treated by a licensed pesticide applicator from April to October