CATLETTSBURG — Residents of a Boyd County road, which was sprayed with a chemical defoliant, spoke out against the practice on Tuesday.

Four residents in the Hurricane and Camelot Estates area complained to the Boyd County Fiscal Court on Tuesday. They asked the court to create a roadside vegetation management plan, which could help reduce unwanted weeds along roadsides with limited herbicide use, control erosion and foster the growth of native plant species that serve as habitat for insects and other wildlife.

According to officials, the herbicide Milestone was sprayed along 100 miles of county right-of-way about three weeks ago in an effort to control vegetation.

According to Corey Craig, the CEO of Roadside Inc., the Auburn, Ala., based company, hired by county officials to do the spraying, the chemical is a broadleaf herbicide and is produced by Dow AgroSciences, a subsidiary of the Dow Chemical Company. Roadside Inc. was paid $18,382.50 for its contract.

Nancy Adams, who lives along Hurricane Road, said the defoliage of the roads near her home has devastated the natural beauty of the neighborhood and destroyed some 130 species of native plants including several forageable species.

“My formerly gardenlike neighborhood looks like someone went up and down the road spraying napalm,” she said. “It is just ugly. It’s going to be there for awhile. People are going to remember this.”

Adams also raised concerns residents were not notified the chemical herbicide was going to be applied and had concerns over the safety of pets, children and homeowners who were exposed. “We were exposed and we weren’t told,” she said.

“From what I understand from the manufacturer's label and application directions, it is not safe to enter the treated area for 12 hours after application, but since we had not been informed that the application had occurred, we continued to access the right of way, our children continued to play there and pets ran through the treated brush carrying the chemical into homes throughout the county,” she wrote in an email.

The Environmental Protection Agency has registered the herbicide under its reduced risk pesticide initiative, listing it as having a low toxicity level. However, the chemical can cause eye and skin irritation, according to the EPA and the pesticide’s label. It is also recommended individuals not enter areas where the chemical has been used until it is dry, unless protective equipment including long sleeves and gloves are worn.  

The herbicide is recommended for weed management along roadways and is commonly used on pasture and other agricultural fields.

Craig said his company follows the federal regulations and guidelines “to a t.”

Boyd County Judge-Executive William “Bud” Stevens apologized to homeowners and told them he would accept responsibility for failing to notify them of the spraying. “You should have a notice,” he said, noting the next time he would ensure residents were notified.

Stevens and Craig tried to reassure residents they were never at risk.

“Milestone is safer than table salt,” said Craig. “The products we use are completely safe. We wouldn’t use them if they weren’t safe.”

“We would never do anything to hurt people. In the future we will publicize this,” said Stevens, saying he was told the herbicide “had no harmful chemicals in it.”

Stevens and Commissioner David Salisbury said they were acting to control the weeds, which can cause a safety concern by obstructing the view of roadways.

“It was a result of us not being able to keep up with grasscutting,” Salisbury said. He and Stevens said they had fielded no other complaints about the spraying, but have heard from plenty of residents upset over the overgrowth of vegetation.

Both added that both the Kentucky Department of Transportation and utility companies commonly use herbicides along right-of-ways, and the county based their decision, in part, on those practices.

The chemical application is expected to control vegetation for the next three years, said Craig, noting “Our goal is to spray every third year. The reason is a smaller amount of brush will come back in the second and third year.”

This concerns Adams. “This chemical is toxic to plants and is persistant,” she said, noting it’s been documented to persist when foliage is used in mulch.

Adams said she is also concerned the defoliage can worsen erosion problems, and the application of the chemical will undo efforts she has undertaken with the local Soil and Water Conservation district to replant the area with native plants, including redbuds.

According to the manufacturer’s label, redbuds are listed among the “weeds” it controls along with other native plants including: black locust, clover, ironweed, lady’s thumb, black-eyed susans, fleabane and vetch.

Adams said her naturalized roadside served as forage for her honeybees. She is now concerned her comb will have residual chemicals in it and will be lost as a result of the spraying.

Stevens wouldn’t give an answer about setting up a committee to develop a roadside management plan, noting the plan would require funding.

“But you spend money on spraying,” said Adams, adding the plan could help the county save money in the long run by helping to mitigate erosion.

Other states, she noted, including West Virginia, allow residents the option of controlling right-of-way along their property mechanically and are given monies the state otherwise would spend on the process to complete it themselves.

Craig said residents can easily put out signs alerting sprayers that they want to opt out. “My guys are trained to pass those,” he said.

CARRIE STAMBAUGH can be reached at cstambaugh@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2653.