Farmer fights to halt spraying of herbicides
An organic farmer and agrologist who owns land just south of Saskatoon is once again urging the Rural Municipality of Corman Park to look into what he describes as several chemical spills, as well as the potential effects of herbicides on the aquifer residents of the hamlet of Merrill Hills rely upon for drinking water.
In an email to RM administrator Adam Tittemore on Tuesday, Wallace Hamm outlined his concerns about attempts to control leafy spurge, requested a moratorium on the use of herbicides in the area and repeated what he called a “legitimate request to have these areas investigated and remediated” by removing and replacing contaminated topsoil.
“All we’ve asked them to do is remove a foot of topsoil, remove the sterilized soil, and sample the soil beneath the level of removal — and if it’s free of herbicides we’re done — but they won’t do it,” Hamm said, noting that he doesn’t in any case expect the presence of herbicides to affect his nearby organic farm.
Like all RMs in Saskatchewan, Corman Park is required by the provincial Weed Control Act to manage invasive species. In late 2016, it signed a letter of understanding with the hamlet that will result in road allowances being mowed rather than sprayed, and “spot spraying” will be done on a nearby road using two different herbicides.
Hamm said the agreement represents progress in a five-year “battle” with the RM to eliminate the use of any herbicide in the area where he has lived and owned land since 1983. The best solution is a ban on spraying within at least a quarter of a mile of the hamlet, he said.
Tittemore said in an interview that the “spills” Hamm referred to in his email were the result of residual glyphosate left in spraying machines. He said the chemicals used to control leafy spurge in the area — sold under the names Overdrive and Banvel VM — are suited for the hamlet’s sandy, relatively porous soil.
The Saskatchewan Invasive Species council describes leafy spurge as “extremely resilient” to control measures. The RM has been spraying the weed for a decade, and it tests soil and water in the hamlet’s “most susceptible” areas annually, Tittemore said. None of the tests have suggested the water supply is endangered, much less contaminated, he added.
“I appreciate where (Hamm is) coming from, that he’s watching carefully and wants to protect that water supply, because it is very valuable, but I believe that we’re taking every possible measure to ensure that we don’t have an adverse effect on it,” Tittemore said, adding that the RM is open to further meetings with Hamm.
Corman Park Reeve Judy Harwood, who lives not far from Merrill Hills and sources her water from the same aquifer, said that while she’s not heard anything about the possibility of contaminated drinking water, she understand’s Hamm’s concern.
“Let’s be honest. He’s got a concern, and rightfully so,” she said.
This isn’t the first time Hamm has spoken out about environmental issues. Two years ago he spoke out against the use of herbicide near Merrill Hills, according to a CBC News report. In March, he launched a petition urging SaskEnergy to reroute a proposed natural gas pipeline near the Beaver Creek Conservation Area.