Lake Tomahawk moves closer to stricter pesticide regulation

The Lake Tomahawk town board is moving ahead with its plans to establish an ordinance that will regulate chemicals used in mosquito control.

Town chairman George DeMet brought up the topic during the town board’s Aug. 14 meeting.

“I don’t know how you all feel about it but it’s pretty much an unregulated industry and I don’t necessarily like what they’re doing with some of the chemicals that they’re using,” he said to town supervisors Lenore Lopez and Stephanie Sowatzka at the meeting. 

The matter was also on the agenda for the board’s Sept. 11 meeting, this time packets of information for six different types of chemicals in pesticides that are used to combat mosquitoes were provided to the town board and others. 

“There’s a lot to look at there,” DeMet said. “One of them that jumps out at me ... it’s right here. ‘Causes cancer.’” 

One of the safety data sheets for the pesticide Zoecon Altosid Pro-G Growth Regulator has listed as hazard statements “may cause cancer” and “causes damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure.”

“None of them look to safe to me,” DeMet said of the six brands of pesticide and chemicals. “I guess at this point what we need to do is develop some sort of an ordinance. I don’t know how we’re going to write it other than take the existing ordinance about not spraying herbicides, for like they do under the power lines, and somehow, add this into it. It’s going to take a little research on that.”

That research will include the parameters by which the town may regulate pesticides in accordance with state and federal law, which was outlined in an October 2019 brief regarding pesticide regulation that was prepared by a staff attorney with the Wisconsin Legislative Council and provided by Lopez. 

She also said she’d found information about the city of Evanston, Illinois, banning Roundup.

“We’re not in any hurry,” DeMet said. “Now that summer’s over, these guys aren’t going to be coming back until next spring but I would hope before next spring, we could have something in place.”

Other matters

In other business on Sept. 11 the town board also :

• Approved tourist rooming house applications from Gary Sowatzka on Kelly Drive and Alexander Mackie on Robin Road. Sowatzka is the father of town supervisor Stephanie Sowatzka, who abstained from voting on her father’s application. 

• Approved a rezone petition for property on Lark Road that changes the zoning designation for land a former resort was on from recreational to single family residential. 

• Approved a bid of $6,500 from Pitlik and Wick for culvert replacement on Wolf Road.

• Approved a picnic license for Mark Palbicki that will allow him to serve beer at his business during Autumn on Main Street on Saturday, Sept. 21. 

Brian Jopek may be reached via email at [email protected].