The San Diego County Board of Supervisors has authorized the implementation of a vector habitat remediation program intended to reduce or eliminate mosquito breeding areas not conducive to larvicide application.
The supervisors’ 5-0 vote in M arch also certifies that the program environmental impact report is in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act and adopts an environmental mitigation and monitoring program.
The supervisors also authorized $500,000 of vector control benefit assessment revenues to fund the vector habitat remediation program while authorizing the director of the county’s Department of Environmental Health to initiate and conduct negotiations with land owners or managers for remediation programs. Contingent upon successful negotiations and a determination of fair and reasonable costs, the DEH director was also authorized to issue one-year grants of up to $50,000 per site on a non-competitive basis.
The county’s vector control program is under the Department of Environmental Health. Its functions include early detection of public health threats through comprehensive surveillance, protection of public health by controlling vectors and exposure to vectors, and timely responses to customer service requests.
The county’s vector control district includes cities as well as the county’s unincorporated area.
Its $8.7 million 2009-10 budget includes $4 million for salaries and benefits for permanent staff and seasonal workers, $2.4 million for services and supplies including larvicides, aerial applications and outreach materials, and $1.4 million for the vector habitat remediation program
