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Martin County moving toward less use of popular weed killer

Posted at 6:52 PM, Sep 25, 2018
and last updated 2018-09-25 18:52:29-04

Martin County will soon be using less of a popular weed killer, with the ultimate goal of getting rid of it all together.

Commissioners late Tuesday afternoon agreed to set up an integrated pest management program, designed to use less Glyphosate.

Glyphosate is commonly found in the weed killer Roundup.

Residents expressed concerns it feeds algae growth and could lead to long-term health problems.

“We have so many water issues and although the science isn’t exactly there on what these causes are, it doesn’t hurt us to look into what some of the possibilities are.  If we have the ability to eliminate or curtail them, we should be doing that," said County Commission Chairman Ed Ciampi.   

An immediate ban of the chemical would have set the county back almost $1-million dollars on a costlier alternative.  

Right now, the county is not asking residents to stop using the weed killer but hopes that by setting an example, others will follow.

The City of Stuart also taking action this week toward a Glysophate ban.