Evanston officials Wednesday announced plans to use a foliar active pesticide to manage overgrown vegetation along the lakefront.
A news release says the use of the Garlon 4 pesticide from Dow AgroSciences will comply with the city’s sustainable pest control and pest reduction policy adopted in 2010. It calls for using “the safest pest control methods” and use of “conventional chemical pesticides only when no other feasible alternative exists.”
City spokesperson Jessie Mayo says the vegetation weakens the revetment wall making it less stable and that residents have complained that the vegetation blocks views of the lake.
The project will involve cutting the woody vegetation down so that only short stumps are left and then using a sponge to apply the herbicide to the remaining stump so that the vegetation removal is permanent.
Trees in the grassy portion of the lakefront parks will not be included in the vegetation removal process.
Signs will be posted at least three days before pesticide application and remain posted for at least four days afterward.
The project is expected to start Monday and continue through the end of August.