Water Management

          Currently 25 towns belong to the Norfolk County Mosquito Control Project. Along with adulticiding and larviciding practices, the NCMCP also offers a Water Management Program. This program consists of clearing existing waterways (drainage ditches, streams, swales, ponds and brooks) of sediment/debris in order to eliminate stagnant water conditions conducive to larval mosquito development.  Accumulated sediments are usually the result of road sanding efforts, winter storms resulting in blown down trees and other natural or unnatural processes that inhibit proper drainage in urban environments.  Prior to intervention, mosquito larvae may develop within the channel itself or within adjacent flooded areas.  In many cases such work can reduce the amount of insecticides the Project has to use in order to reduce the nuisance population of mosquitoes in the surrounding area. We refer to this type of work as source reduction work and consider such work to be an important part of an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategy (go to IPM link for more info). Data collection and surveillance measures are important elements of any mosquito IPM strategy. Data collected during insecticide applications is used to aid in the determination of future Water Management Project sites.
 
          MassGIS is employed by Project Personnel to quickly identify environmental concerns at any given work site early on in the investigation process.  Endangered Species and Vernal Pools, Outstanding Resource Waters (ORWs), Public Water Supply, and Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) layers can be turned on with a click of the mouse.  When available, Municipal Data such as sewer/utility easements, catch basin and culvert locations, as well as property lot layers assist in project planning.

          Ditches are cleaned either by hand or through the use of wide tracked, low ground pressure excavators (Link Belt 1600 or Kobelco SK60). Hand cleaning is accomplished through using shovels, clam rakes, chainsaws, brush cutters and a variety of other hand-held instruments.

          Most Water Management Projects are completed between September and June.  Our small field crew treats catch basins and wetlands by hand and adulticides in the early morning throughout the busy adult mosquito season (June-September).   During the month of April the entire NCMCP prepares for and performs the county wide aerial application of Bti to reduce spring mosquito species within large wetlands. 

Water Management Page 2 
What is Open Marsh Water Management (OMWM)?