The Board of Health received approval from the Select Board to submit an application to the Department of Public Health to opt out of mosquito spraying should it be mandated by the state this summer. Following a sizable outbreak of Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) in 2019, Gov. Charlie Baker introduced a bill that would allow the mosquito control board to “engage in preventive, management, and eradication methods” anywhere in the state if the risk of mosquito-borne diseases becomes elevated. That bill passed in the legislature and was signed by Baker in July 2020.
But the bill allows towns to opt out of the state’s activities, which could include aerial and roadside spraying, if they submit an alternative mosquito management plan to the Department of Public Health and win its approval. The Harvard Board of Health worked with Department of Public Works Director Tim Kilhart and Director of Community and Economic Development Chris Ryan to craft an alternative plan, and BOH Chair Sharon McCarthy presented it to the Select Board at its May 4 meeting.
McCarthy told the board both aerial and roadside spraying in a town like Harvard are not very effective. She said the town is densely forested and many houses are set far back from the road, and the application includes supporting geographic information system (GIS) data. She added that spraying at the Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge is prohibited without the permission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Bare Hill Pond Watershed Management Committee has endorsed the opt-out application.
Typically, summertime spraying occurs only in towns that join one of the mosquito control board’s programs. In Harvard, that would be the Central Massachusetts Mosquito Control Program (CMMCP), and all of Harvard’s neighboring towns are in it. But Harvard town Meetings have repeatedly voted against joining CMMCP, most recently in 2014. Towns that join the program receive roadside spraying as well as mosquito prevention and surveillance for about $60,000 a year.
The DPW cleans clogged catch basins and does drainage work that aids in mosquito prevention. Surveillance is another story, though. McCarthy told the board the Department of Public Health typically tests mosquitos at only one site in Harvard, reasoning that towns can ask CMMCP for their testing services. The catch is, she said, CMMCP offers its complete program to towns, not a la carte services like testing. She added that the BOH is looking into other possibilities for testing, including partnering with a local community college to do some mosquito sampling this summer.
Risk is low
McCarthy said the risk of mosquito-borne disease is low in Harvard, and that only one mosquito in Harvard tested positive for EEE during the 2019 outbreak. She said the alternative plan includes a risk/activity table, and should the risk in Harvard become elevated, the board would advocate curtailing or stopping outdoor activities and increasing personal protection. McCarthy said personal responsibility and education are the most important tools in combating mosquito-borne disease. She added that spraying gives people a false sense of security, causing them to let their guard down in using repellents and avoiding outdoor activities.
The board voted unanimously to approve the opt-out application. The Conservation Commission was scheduled to consider its support for the plan at its May 6 meeting, and the application will be submitted for state approval next week.
