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The Saint Lucie County Mosquito Control District Wetland Impoundment Management program uses an Ecosystems Management approach to salt marsh management, developing adaptive management strategies based on research performed with our coastal wetlands. Types of Mosquitoes A chart of all mosquito genera and species which the District has collected and identified in Saint Lucie County since the late 1970's is provided. Click here to view the St. Lucie County Mosquito Collection Chart. Achievements Some of the many Mosquito Control Districts achievements include: The District was awarded the Secretary's Environmental Award from DEP in 1990, for Wetland Enhancement and Restoration. The District won the National Association of Counties, Achievement Award, for Mosquito Control, in 1991. Jim David, Mosquito Control Director, was named the Saint Lucie County Environmentalist of the Year in 1999 (by the Conservation Alliance of Saint Lucie County), for administering the District Land Acquisition Preservation Program (over 55 % of the coastal barrier island in Saint Lucie County is now under public ownership). St. Lucie County Impoundment 14B will also be featured on the upcoming "Blue Planet Series" which will air on the Discovery Channel, January 27, 28, 29, 2002. Legal Authority The following laws define the functions and responsibilities of the Mosquito Control District: Chapter 2-9 of the St. Lucie County Code of Ordinances and Compiled Laws (as extracted from Chapter 29502, Acts of 1953, Laws of Florida, amending Chapters 22460, Acts of 1943 and 13369, Acts of 1927), Chapter 388, Florida Statutes, and Rule 5E-13, Florida Administrative Code. As set forth in Section 2-9-29 of the St. Lucie County Code of Ordinances and Compiled Laws, "...all depressions, marshes, ponds, lakes, lagoons, ditches and other places wherein mosquitoes and sandflies incubate or hatch are hereby declared to be public nuisances, as harmful or inimical to the comfort, health and welfare of the inhabitants and are to be abated as hereinafter provided." Pursuant to Section 2-9-20, the Mosquito Control District is directed to do any and all things necessary to control and eliminate mosquitoes and sandflies and is further authorized to erect and install pumps, dikes and other structures and equipment and apply such chemicals and other substances necessary to fulfill this duty. The abatement of nuisance arthropods (including mosquitoes and sandflies) has been declared to constitute a public purpose necessary for the maintenance of the health of the inhabitants of the District. Personnel The District employs 20 full-time and 10-14 part-time/temporary positions in the following four divisions; administration, biology/inspection, adulticiding operations and impoundment operations. The administrative division is staffed by the Director, Executive Secretary and one Senior Accounting Clerk. The biology/inspection division is staffed by the Biologist III, one Entomological Inspector III, three Entomological Inspector II’s, two Entomological Inspector I’s, and one Department Revenue Coordinator. The biology/inspection division oversees the adulticiding operations division, which is staffed by; one part-time Fog Truck Supervisor, three part-time Motor Equipment Operator I’s, and up to 10 temporary Motor Equipment Operator I’s. The impoundment operations division is staffed by two Impoundment Foremen II’s, four Heavy Equipment Operator II’s, two Heavy Equipment Operator I’s and one Maintenance Technician II. Facilities The District headquarters is located at 3150 Will Fee Road, sharing the county compound with the Road and Bridge Division, the Parks and Recreation Division and the Central Services Department. Facilities on-site include; an administration building, a biology/inspection division facility, equipment repair bays (currently jointly-used by Central Services), a chemical storage bay, a chemical mixing/storage building, a parts storage/maintenance building, exterior equipment storage areas and a covered vehicle storage bay (all covering about 3 acres). Facilities off-site include: approximately 4000 acres of coastal mosquito impoundments, 37 miles of dikes and perimeter canals, 1040 feet of weirs, over 200 lagoon-fringing culverts, 21 pump stations, 21 aerator stations, birdwatch(s), fishing pier(s), fishing platform(s) and parking facilities for impoundment parks. Equipment The District operates eight fog trucks, six fog/inspection dual use vehicles, two administrative vehicles, four field pickups/service vehicles, a pump truck, an lift-truck, a front-end loader, a backhoe, a 1-ton dump truck, two 12-yard dump trucks, 37 electric pumps, 2 portable pumps, a portable larviciding tank, two mules (not the animal) and a variety of other small pieces of equipment. Monitoring Programs District employees monitor many environmental parameters (including water quality, wind speed and direction, tide water levels, rainfall, humidity, etc.), in order to effectively manage its impoundments, and as part of the overall mosquito control District-wide effort. Mosquito and sandfly population samples are collected nightly using 18 New Jersey Light Traps, and in combination with landing rate counts and requests for service from the public , provide the justification for the implementation of control measures. Sentinel chicken flocks are also employed by the District, as a means of monitoring Saint Louis Encephalitis (and potentially West Nile Virus in the future - along with a dead bird monitoring network) transmission in the county. Control Measures The three primary control methods used in mosquito and sandfly control are; adulticiding, larviciding and source reduction. Adulticiding is defined as the temporary control of adult mosquitoes resulting from the application of Ultra Low Volume insecticide aerosols. Larviciding is defined as the temporary control of juvenile stages of mosquitoes, resulting from the application of liquid, powder or granular insecticides. Source reduction is defined as the prevention of complete development of mosquitoes through physical manipulation or chemical control of the developmental sites or larval stages of the pests. [Note: Source reduction methods are the only effective means of controlling salt marsh sandflies.] These control techniques complement each other, and are part of an Integrated Pest Management (or IPM) strategy. Control Agents Adulticiding and larviciding processes employ chemical and biological agents to achieve effective mosquito control. Adulticiding compounds are limited in numbers and types available for mosquito control purposes. They belong to several general groups which include; artificial pyrethroids, organo-phosphates and carbamates. Artificial pyrethroids are used by the District for ground adulticiding, and include permethrin and resmethrin which are synergized (for greater effectiveness) with piperonyl butoxide, and mixed with carrier mineral oils. Aerial adulticiding is used in cases of health emergency, and involves the application of organo-phosphate compounds (Naled primarily), which are particularly effective against the mosquito species which vector Saint Louis Encephalitis. Carbamates and other organo-phosphates are not currently used by the District. Other Activities The District’s land acquisition/mitigation/donation program is a critical component of the District's coastal wetland impoundment management program. The land acquisition program has been successful in helping to acquire: Bear Point Sanctuary, Vitolo Family Park, Blind Creek Park - Ocean to River, Ocean Bay, Queens Island and Kings Island. Acquisitions at Pepper Park Addition, Avalon Addition III and Bear Point Addition (all Indian River Lagoon Blueway projects) are in-process. A wetland mitigation bank is also in the permitting process stage at Bear Point. Public ownership of the impoundments and adjacent natural coastal communities is necessary to achieve the maximum public benefits and to achieve ecological improvements at the sites. The results provide improved mosquito control through non-chemical methods, and enhance public access and recreational opportunities along the Atlantic beachfront and Indian River Lagoon. The acquisition and restoration program has been accomplished through various Preservation 2000 and federal grant programs, including; Florida Communities Trust, Conservation and Recreation Lands, Save Our Rivers, Save Our Coast, State of Florida Recreation and Parks - Additions & In-Holdings, and special thanks goes to the National Coastal Wetlands Restoration Act Grant Programs for their unswerving support of coastal wetlands preservation and restoration n Saint Lucie County. Partnership studies have been performed with several public and private research institutions such as; Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, South Florida Water Management District - Surface Water Improvement and Management program, Smithsonian Institution, Swedish EPA, State of Florida Marine Research Institute, Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program, IFAS - Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory and Florida Institute of Technology. Studies have focused on improving water quality in the impoundments, and increasing the breadth of faunal use of impoundments (wading birds, fisheries, etc.), as part of general efforts to increase the productivity and biodiversity of the Indian River Lagoon Ecosystem. Public awareness of these issues is also addressed through our "Mangroves, Mosquitoes and Man" elementary education outreach program, 4-H site visits, Fairlawn Elementary - "Ocean Day" and the Job Training Center - "Restore the Environment and Lagoon" programs. Major Challenge As the population of Saint Lucie County continues to grow, the District must continue to develop more efficient techniques for the application of control agents, and encourage improved water management practices (such as surface water conservation areas), in order to continue to be effective in its control efforts. With the westward spread of urban development, the growing human population will encounter increased mosquito populations, which are a direct result of limited surface water management activities in the rural areas of the county. Providing increased services in these fringing areas, as well as, effective response to arbovirus transmission in these areas, creates future budgetary and management challenges. For More information Please Contact us at:
772-462-1692 |
