The Mississippi Department of Transportation says spraying chemicals along state highways is intended to keep drivers safe by eliminating vegetation that hampers visibility.
But some Marion County residents objected recently after an unsightly brown strip appeared for miles along multiple highways.
Kathryn Lowery of Foxworth posted a photo on Facebook that prompted many comments. Lowery said she first noticed the issue in 2011 and has been an advocate against the practice since then. She says it creates an unnecessary eyesore and that she believes the chemicals are dangerous.
“I’ve been posting about ‘ugly toxic brown ditches’ since 2011 with some comments of concern from others, but not to this scale,” Lowery said in a written response to questions. “This year’s spray went high into the trees and created an undeniable ugly mess. The magnitude of ridiculousness caught everyone’s attention.”
She said she hopes the public outcry will bring about positive change.”
Matt Dugas, District 7 maintenance engineer for MDOT, said Monday that they sprayed about two months ago. He said they normally wait until later in the fall when plants are turning brown anyway so that it’s less noticeable but have so much vegetation encroaching on roads that they had to get out of that ideal window.
“It does look bad for a minute, but they won’t even notice it in the spring,” Dugas said.
MDOT crews use spray trucks equipped with 2,000-gallon tanks of herbicide. A nozzle is set to shoot out the chemical a certain distance and height. The active ingredient is triclopyr, a common herbicide. A fact sheet by the National Pesticide Information Center said triclopyr is low in toxicity to people and wildlife.
Dugas said they try to do some every year but have not done it for the past couple of years in Marion County, which may be why people are noticing it now. He said the practice is done all over the state, with some MDOT districts contracting the work out and some doing it in-house.
Manually cutting the vegetation with an arm on a tractor is slow, tedious and costly, Dugas said.
He said the chemical won’t kill the entire tree, depending on the species and size.
The growth can block road signs, restrict line of sight and keeps pavement in the shade, which is not good for the condition of the highways, Dugas said.
“This is all about safety for the traveling public,” he said.
Lowery said it’s hard to convince her of any economic or environmental benefit to spraying chemicals over maintaining the rights-of-way with equipment.
“If MDOT cannot afford the equipment and manpower necessary to keep vegetation from creeping toward the roads, then they should clear cut all trees and vegetation on the right-of-way and plant grass and wildflowers,” she said.
She said with Marion County facing population decline, property value decline and tax increases, all public officials and public agencies working in Marion County should be putting their effort into improving the appearance of the county.
“Litter is rampant, roads are disintegrating and now we have state-issued eyesores along all of our major thoroughfares,” Lowery said. “With these conditions, how can we expect to attract new homeowners and business owners?”
