The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Food and Agriculture State Reclamation and Mosquito Control Board 100 Cambridge Street, Boston 02202 J.Kenney DFA Chairman Margaret Havey, Secretary G.Gonyea DEP 617-727-3000 X 137 C.Burnham DEM October 14, 1998 Enclosed is the "final" Generic Environmental Impact Report (GEIR) for the Massachusetts Mosquito Control Projects. The use of quotation marks around "final” denotes the Board's intention that there never will be an actual final version of this report. It is our goal to update this document on a yearly basis as new ideas and approaches to mosquito control become known, new pesticides or equipment come on the market or improved techniques are made available. This GEIR will become a living document, which will change and improve over the years, rather than be a static report becoming outdated in a few short years. As these improvements come to the Board's attention, and are reviewed and found to be valid and useful, addendum will be issued in order to continually update the report. Yours truly, John Kenney Chairman TABLE OF CONTENTS I. CERTIFICATE OF THE SECRETARY OF ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS 1-5 II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 6-34 III. INTRODUCTION, HISTORY, CURRENT ORGANIZATION, AND PRACTICE OF MOSQUITO CONTROL IN MASSACHUSETTS 35-97 A. Legislation and Regulation 1. Overview 2. State Laws a. M.G.L. Chapter 252 as currently amended - Improvement of Lowlands. b. M.G.L. Ch. 132B -- Pesticide Control Act (From the Code of Massachusetts Regulations 333 CMR 2.00 -10.00) c. 333 CMR 10.03 (21-23) - Amendments of 1983. d. M.G.L., Chapter 91. Sections 1-63 -- Waterways e. M.G.L., Chapter 40. Section 5 - Boards of Health and Supervision. f. M.G.L., Chapter 131. Section 40 - Wetlands Protection Act. g. Section 40A of Chapter 131. Inland Wetlands Restriction Act. Section 105 of Chapter 130. Coastal Wetlands Restriction Act. h. M.G.L., Chapter 131A. Massachusetts Endangered Species Act. i. M.G.L., Chapter 132A. Sections 13-16, 18 of Ocean and Coastal Sanctuaries Act j. Acts of Enabling Legislation Establishing Mosquito Control Projects 3. Federal Laws a. Section 401. Clean Water Act: Water Quality Certification. b. Section 404. Clean Water Act (1972). c. Endangered Species Act. B. Current Mosquito Control Programs in Massachusetts 1. Formal Mosquito Control Projects 2. Non-Member Communities. 3. Other Programs a. Department of Environmental Management b. Department of Public Health c. Federal Lands d. Private Reserves. C. Historical Overview of Mosquito Control Practices in Massachusetts 1. Practices prior to 1980 2. Transitioning: from 1980 to 1995. D. Current Mosquito Control Strategies in Massachusetts 1. Overview 2. Current Practice a. Saltmarsh Mosquitoes b. Inland Freshwater Wetlands c. Irrigated and Other Man-Made Reflood Habitats d. Urban Habitats 3. Current Policies a. Requests for Control b. Documentation for Control Implementation c. Selection of Control Strategies d. Evaluation of Efficacy e. Public Participation E. Eastern Equine Encephalitis 1. Responsibility for Surveillance and Control. 2.. Effect of EEE on Projects IV. DESCRIPTION OF MOSQUITO SPECIES AND ABATEMENT HABITATS 98-116 A. Mosquito Species 1. General biology of Massachusetstts mosquitoes 2. Salt marsh mosquitoes 3. Freshwater mosquitoes a. Aedes canadensis b. Aedes vexans c. Additional Aedes species d. Culex species e. Culiseta species f. Coquillettidea perturbans g. Other freshwater species B. Habitats in which mosquito control takes place 1. Coastal Wetlands a. Marine b. Brackish 2. Inland Wetlands 3. Surface Water Bodies a. Lakes and Ponds b. Rivers and Streams 4. Recharge Areas a. Wetland b. Upland 5. Upland Areas 6. Agricultural Areas, with emphasis or sensitive areas such as apiaries and organic farms. 7. Sensitive environments a. Urban b. Recreation c. Sensitive individuals d. Public and Private Wildlfie Refuges and Conservation Areas e. ACEC and areas with rare or endangered species f. Water supplies C. Mosquitoes as disease vectors. 1. Easten Equine Encephalitis 2. California Encephalitis vectors 3. Dog heartworm V. CURRENT ABATEMENT STRATEGIES AND THEIR IMPACTS 117-219 A. Chemical Control 1. Overview of Chemical Control a. General Toxicity of Pesticides b. Pesticides used for Mosquito Control in Massachusetts c. General Properties of Registered Mosquito Control Insecticides in Massachusetts, 1996 d. Pesticide Handling and Application 2. Larvicides a. Biologicals: Bti and B. sphaericus b. Methoprene c. Oils d. Others 3. Adulticides a. Pyrethrum and Synthetic Pyrethroids b. Malathion B. Biological Control. 1. Introduction 2. Predators a. Introduction b. Vertebrate predators c. Invertebrate predators 3. Parasites and Pathogens a. mermithid nematode parasites b. Microsporidia c. Fungal Pathogens c. Bacterial pathogens d. Viral Pathogens 4. Pest Species Manipulation a. Sterile Insect Technique b. Incompatibility c. Chromosomal Aberrations d. Competitive Displacement 5. Other Control Approaches a. Trap out techniques. b. Repellents. C. Physical Control 1. Types of Habitat Modification a. Open marsh water management (OMWM) b. Other Modification Strategies c. origination of Requests for Physical Control 2. Ecosystem changes of non-target biota as a result of physical controls. a. Salt Marsh . b. Freshwater Wetlands (exclusive of Vernal Pools) c. Vernal Pools. d. Rare and Endangered Species. D. Food Web Effects of Mosquito Control E. No Program VI. MOSQUITO CONTROL INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT 220-236 A. Definition of IPM as it relates to mosquito control B. Aspects of IPM currently in place in Massachusetts mosquito control programs VII. STANDARDS FOR MOSQUITO CONTROL 237-244 A. General policy regarding standard mosquito-control procedures B. Standards for Monitoring and Control 1. Larval Mosquito Populations a. Larval indentification b. Pre-control larval monitoring c. Post-control monitoring d. Additional water management requirements e. Pre-hatch work 2. Adult Mosquito Populations a. Monitoring for adulticiding b. Further notes on complaint calls c. Adult identification d. Post-adulticide monitoring C. Standards for Physical Control 1. Source Elimination a. Tires b. Blocked drainage c. Residential problems d. Drainage basin design 2. Source Maintenance a. Stormwater runoff and ditch maintenance b. Saltmarsh ditching c. Waste disposal 3. Source Reduction a. Open marsh water management b. Freshwater wetlands c. Cattail control D. Standards for Biological Control 1. Larvivorous fish 2. Other biological control agents E. Standards for Public Noltification, Public Awareness and Education 1. Public Notification 2. Public Awareness and Education 3. Staff Development F. Standards for EEE Monitoring and DPH Liason 1. Role of programs in EEE Surveillance 2. Standard Operating Procedures during EEE Problem. VIII. SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS 245-250 IX. WRITTEN COMMENTS ON GEIR 251 A. Comments on Notice of Project Change (1996). B. Comments on Spring 1997, Rough Draft. C. Comments on Final Rough Draft (1997-98). X. LITERATURE CITED 252-260 APPENDICES: A. Questionnaires, 1986 and 1996 261 B. DPH EEE Program 262-269 C. Sample Labels and Material Safety Data Sheets for pesticides currently in use 270 D. North East Massachusetts MCP Standards for Open Marsh Water Management 271 E. Stormwater Management 272-274 F. North East Massachusetts MCP Standards for Ditch Maintenance 275 G. Educational Flyers about Mosquito Control 276 H. Preparer qualifications 277-278 CERTIFICATE OF THE SECRETARY OF ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS ON THE GENERIC ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT PROJECT NAME Mosquito Control Program PROJECT MUNICIPALITY Statewide PROJECT WATERSHED Statewide EOEA NUMBER 5027 PROJECT PROPONENT State Reclamation & Mosquito Control Board DATE NOTICED IN MONITOR: October 25, 1998 As the Secretary of Environmental Affairs, I hereby determine that the Generic Environmental Impact Report (EIR) submitted on this project adequately and properly complies with the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (M.G.L. c. 30, ss. 61- 62H) and with its implementing regulations (301 CMR 11.00). On September 23, 1996 the Secretary of Environmental Affairs issued a Certificate on a Notice of Project Change filed by the State Reclamation and Mosquito Control Board (SRMCB) requiring that a Generic Environmental Impact Report (GEIR) be completed, for mosquito control in the Commonwealth. The Certificate contained an extremely detailed scope for the GEIR, developed in coordination with SRMCB. This GEIR, by responding to all of the items in that scope, provides an extremely useful summary of' current data, practices, and standards for mosquito control statewide. In particular, the GEIR establishes that Open Marsh Water Management (OMWM) shall serve as the preferred practice for physical controls in salt marshes. The GEIR also highlights certain areas in which further research will be necessary, and it. 1 - The State Reclamation and Mosquito. Control Board (SRMCB) is comprised of one representative each from the Departments of Environmental Management, Environmental Protection and Food and Agriculture proposes a system of annual updates, offering continued opportunities for review and comment on new information and proposals. Introduction The SRMCB oversees nine organized mosquito control projects (Berkshire County, Bristol County, Cape Cod, Central Massachusetts, East Middlesex County' Norfolk County, Plymouth County, Suffolk County and the North East Massachusetts Mosquito Control and Wetlands Management District) and appoints the Board of Commissioners for each