East Aurora Advertiser

Wagner Road Residents Petition Holland Against Herbicide Use



The Holland Town Board listened to a petition from residents on Wagner Road asking lawmakers to cease an upcoming contract to have town right-of-ways along the road sprayed with a chemical herbicide containing the active ingredient glyphosate in an effort to kill invasive Japanese Knotweed growing along the roadside during the July 14 meeting. 

The town board reported in its June meeting that it was going to work with WNY PRISM (Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management) to eliminate the knotweed along the road. Holland Supervisor Michael Kasprzyk said the group was familiar with the knotweed and that “this is nothing new to them.”

He said PRISM felt that with proper treatment, there would be no negative impact. A resident in the area had talked about her bee colonies and was worried about the impact of spraying. 

He said the group would not spray during a time when flowers are blossoming as this could have a negative impact on bees in the region. 

A petition from residents along Wagner Road was given to the town to object to the use of the herbicide, which would be similar to the product Roundup. Objections included that this herbicide’s use is only on town right-of-ways and would not eliminate the invasive plant, which extends beyond the area to be sprayed. Also, many residents have children who play in their yards and sometimes along the road. They worried about exposure to the chemical. They also noted that there is a state ban on the product’s use in parks and other public lands, which they felt meant that the product was harmful to people. 

The residents asked the town to look at other options. 

Kasprzyk had previously stated that he talked with the Department of Environmental Conservation and with the Cornell Cooperative Extension about using the product, and he said those groups saw no issue with it. He was told that the herbicide’s runoff “is negligible.”

Kasrpzyk noted it could take about two to three years to eliminate the invasive plant, and that spraying could take place periodically over that time.0

The next meeting of the Holland Town Board will take place on Wednesday, Aug. 11.

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