More than 100 members of West End communities have signed a petition asking the state Department of Transportation to stop roadside spraying in Clallam County.
They say they want the county’s no-spray policy adopted in the late 1980s respected along state highways, particularly Highway 112 along the top of the Peninsula.
The petition was circulated by the group Clallam County No-Spray Coalition, which alleges that spray crews are poorly trained, spraying too much herbicide, spraying pesticides into streams and watercourses, using pesticides and herbicides illegally and needlessly endangering humans and wildlife.
State Department of Transportation officials say they are in compliance with federal and state laws and add that the spraying is needed to protect drivers, preserve the surface of roads and eliminate noxious weeds.
Cathy Lucero, Clallam County Noxious Weed Control coordinator, said members of the coalition came to her office to gain information about roadside spraying earlier this year.
“Their concerns are very valid and can be addressed,” she said.
“The problem I have with the coalition is they have taken the information given to them out of context to such a degree and there is some distortion of information.”
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