A ban on still waters
New rule fights West Nile virus
In Halifax, that kiddie pool left for days on the front lawn isn't just unwelcome; it's a crime, of sorts.
The town has become one of the first communities in the state, if not the first, to enact an ordinance making it illegal to allow untreated water to sit for extended periods in outdoor containers such as kiddie pools, flower pots, and wheelbarrows. Even birdbaths must be emptied and cleaned at least once every four days.
The ordinance is aimed at eliminating breeding grounds for mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus.
While the new regulation affords the town the authority to issue fines for up to $300 to those who do not comply, Health Agent Cathleen Drinan anticipates such measures will only rarely become necessary.
"First, it's an educational thing," Drinan said. "If we see standing water, we would talk to the person and confirm it with photos. If things don't change, we can warn there are fines. We can issue a ticket with fines. . . . But people will first be given lots of chances and lots of warnings."
Rockland Health Agent Janice McCarthy said her town's Board of Health considered enacting a standing water abatement bylaw last summer, "but it has been back-burnered," McCarthy said. "They thought it was a great bylaw but it doesn't have much of a bite to it."
The Halifax ordinance is not without precedent. In California, Los Angeles County instituted such a bylaw in 2004, following a summer when there were three deaths from West Nile virus. Knoxville County in Tennessee also enacted a standing water ordinance, as did Charlotte, N.C.
And according to Joseph Conlon, technical adviser for the American Mosquito Control Association, similar ordinances are in place in Illinois, Oregon, and Virginia.
"A number of them levy some pretty stiff fines," Conlon said.
No Massachusetts community before Halifax is known to have imposed such a rule.
The Halifax ordinance, made official July 16, comes as rising numbers of home foreclosures have compounded the problem; in unoccupied homes, water is more likely to collect in the yard.
"Banks don't make very good owners," Drinan said. "They don't maintain the properties and they are difficult to get in touch with. . . . Sometimes if the house is empty, I go out and just pour bleach into the pool."
When asked their opinion of the regulation a few days after its enactment, some Halifax residents were unaware of it, but not necessarily opposed to it.
"I think it's a good idea," said Anna Wynott, a resident of Arrowhead Path. "We want to be able to go outside and not worry about catching something." Wynott said she already does her part. "I have a birdbath and I put fresh water in it twice a day."
Madison Road resident Maryellen O'Donnell uses other measures that are equally acceptable to health officials. "I have pumps on my birdbaths to keep the water circulating," she said.
So far this summer, mosquitoes in three sample pools in Massachusetts have been found to be infected with West Nile virus. One pool was in Worcester and the other two in Brookline.
West Nile virus is relatively new to the United States. The first human case was reported in 1999, in New York City. About 20 percent of those infected will experience symptoms, which can include fever, headache, body aches, nausea, vomiting, swollen glands, and a rash.
In less than 1 percent of the cases, people will develop severe illness, including encephalitis or meningitis. The symptoms of severe illness can include high fever, headache, stiff neck, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness, and paralysis, according to the state Department of Public Health.
West Nile wasn't detected in Massachusetts until 2001. Between 2001 and 2007, there have been 59 human cases reported and six fatalities. All those who died were 80 years old or older, according to the state Department of Public Health.
Bosworth Farms resident Mary Gravinese questions the value of the town's new standing water abatement ordinance. "It couldn't hurt, but I don't know how much emptying water out of a wheelbarrow is going to help," Gravinese said. She and her husband, John, have battled a vigorous mosquito population for years. They live across the street from a large pond that takes storm water run-off from the entire development.
Under the new Halifax ordinance, property owners must eliminate standing water by draining or removing the item where water is collecting. Small man-made ponds should be stocked with mosquito eating fish. Screens can be used to prevent the ingress or egress of mosquitoes over small collections of water, or water can be treated with approved chemicals, under the ordinance.
And water in birdbaths must be changed regularly.
Birdbaths are common in the Halifax Mobile Home Estates, a park with nearly 500 units owned by the town's older residents. Drinan noted residents over 50 years old tend to get more serious symptoms when they contract West Nile virus, so education in that part of town will be particularly important.
Christine Legere can be reached at christinelegere@yahoo.com.
