Pesticide use in the Gualala River watershed

The Critical Habitat Project of the Center for Ethics and Toxics (CETOS) has completed the first-ever inventory of pesticide usage in the Gualala River watershed.

Using the most current data available from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, researchers at CETOS discovered 1,250 pounds of pesticide active ingredients were used in forestry and vineyard operations within the Gualala River watershed during 2001.

Pesticide application on Annapolis vineyard
photo credit: C. Poehlmann, 2003

The Critical Habitat Project's report, which is available on their website: www.cetos.org/criticalhabitat/, includes maps showing the location of pesticide applications by industry, active ingredient, quantity applied, and product name. The Project also provides factsheets describing risks to the environment, toxicity to humans, and physicochemical properties of the most commonly used pesticides.