9.7.2000 00:15
DEM reschedules spraying in 3 communities for tonight
Pesticide spraying in South Kingstown, Narragansett and a part of Coventry was postponed yesterday due to cool temperatures.
By ELIZABETH ABBOTT
Journal Staff Writer
SOUTH KINGSTOWN
-- Mosquito spraying was postponed again yesterday in South Kingstown and Narragansett -- and tentatively rescheduled for tonight -- because weather conditions would have minimized its effectiveness.
The decision not to spray was made at about noon by the state Department of Environmental Management.
As it did on Tuesday, the DEM determined that it was too cool to spray, because once the temperature dips below 55 degrees, mosquito activity is at a minimum.
"We'd be spraying for no purpose," South Kingstown Town Manager Stephen A. Alfred said yesterday.
The forecast for tonight calls for warmer temperatures and, if it proves to be true, spraying will begin in both towns -- and in a section of Coventry -- at 7 p.m.
At a news conference on Tuesday, state and town officials outlined their plans for spraying the pesticide Sumithrin in a two-mile radius around 135 Saugatucket Rd., in Wakefield, where a horse that was infected with the West Nile virus was stabled. The horse was euthanized on Aug. 28.
In Coventry, spraying is planned around Westwood Estates mobile-home park, where a dead crow infected with the West Nile virus was found on Aug. 27.
Alfred said a two-mile radius was chosen because that's how far experts believe mosquitoes can fly. As for the two-day delay in spraying, he said it shouldn't pose a health risk to residents, since the same weather that makes spraying ineffective reduces the risk of getting a mosquito bite.
Also, the risk of contracting the West Nile virus is considered minimal if people take basic preventive measures, such as using mosquito repellent, avoiding the outdoors at dawn and dusk and wearing long-sleeved shirts and slacks when going outside.
During spraying, residents are advised to stay indoors with their pets. Windows and doors should be closed and air conditioners turned off. Toys, clothes and equipment should be brought inside and outdoor furniture and big equipment should be covered.
Residents are advised to stay inside for 10 minutes after spraying and to wash any garden vegetables that may have been sprayed prior to cooking or eating them.
For more information about the spraying program, South Kingstown residents can all 789-9331 and Narragansett residents can call 782-0637.
Westerly is also planning another round of mosquito spraying, though not because any insects or animals have been found recently that were infected with the West Nile virus.
Wilcox Park will be closed today from 2 to 5 p.m. and tomorrow from 8 p.m. until dawn on Saturday for spraying in anticipation of a fundraising event scheduled for Saturday night, Park Manager Susan McDermott said yesterday.
"The spraying is only an extra precaution for the 'Dancing in the Park' event Saturday evening," McDermott said.
In recent weeks, Westerly's Sherwood Hills neighborhood has been sprayed twice in an effort to reduce the mosquito population. The spraying was prompted by the discovery of a dead crow infected with the West Nile virus.
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Pesticide spraying in South Kingstown, Narragansett and a part of Coventry was postponed yesterday due to cool temperatures.