By Marcy Stamper
People who choose to control weeds and vegetation on county roads that border their property got more-detailed agreements and some clarification at a meeting with Okanogan County officials last week, but many people said they still had questions about how to comply with their no-spray agreements.
They also were frustrated that the county was unwilling to notify them if the roadside isn’t up to snuff and then give them a deadline to correct it.
While most counties and the state offer similar no-spray agreements, nothing in state law requires local governments to do so, said Okanogan County Planning Director Perry Huston at the April 21 meeting.
“It’s a gift from the county to you guys,” said County Commissioner Jim DeTro, who explained that the county bears the ultimate responsibility to maintain its right-of-way.
Because few stretches of county right-of-way are the same, the width of the area for control differs. Many of the three dozen people at the meeting struggled to understand exactly what they need to do now that the county commissioners have provided one more chance for them to manage their own roadsides.
Basic requirements are for a 12-inch swath with no vegetation at all, according to Ken Stanley, roadway manager for Okanogan County Public Works. Plants beyond that cannot exceed 6 inches in height, but the width of that zone varies depending on the slope of the shoulder. No weeds on the list of mandatory-control noxious weeds are permitted anywhere.
The 12-inch “sterilant” strip protects the road by preventing roots or plants from growing through the asphalt, said Stanley. The 6-inch height limit preserves visibility for motorists and protects workers by enabling them to see obstacles or debris on the shoulder, according to County Engineer Josh Thomson. The requirements are based on national standards, he said.
Members of the public thanked the commissioners for continuing the no-spray program, but some said the agreements had been “designed to fail.” Others cited health concerns about herbicides.
Fulfilling the contracts is easy as long as people meet the terms of the agreements, said DeTro.
“If you are out of compliance for continuous nonperformance — not just a one-time shot — you get a letter and are off the list immediately,” said County Commissioner Ray Campbell.
Ton Rietveld, who operates Leaping Sheep Farm near Tonasket, said the farm’s organic certification requires a buffer from any chemical application. “I respectfully request you notify us and don’t just pull the agreement without an opportunity for us to correct it,” he said. The state Department of Agriculture also requires a no-spray agreement as part of the organic certification, said Rietveld.
Campbell said the county is not obligated by law to notify property owners of noncompliance. Noncompliance incurs additional costs, since the county would need to dispatch a special crew to spray if the right-of-way were not properly maintained, he said.
In a separate interview last week, Peter Morrison, who tends a one-half-mile stretch on both sides of West Chewuch Road, pointed to studies that show having vegetation next to the asphalt prevents erosion by controlling run-off. Morrison said the pavement is intact on the roadway the Chewuch-area property owners have maintained for two decades.
Native plants
The Okanogan Chapter of the Washington Native Plant Society has been maintaining a one-quarter-mile section of Highway 20 between Twisp and Winthrop since 2008, through an agreement with the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT).
The group weeds and plants native seeds twice a year, said project coordinator Joyce Bergen. “Considering how it looked when we began, it wasn’t that long till we had striking results,” she said, pointing to a healthy patch of lupine.
Most WSDOT Adopt-a-Highway agreements are just for litter pick-up, but WSDOT was amenable to their proposal and has been very supportive, said Bergen. They want to see less herbicide used, since it’s expensive, she said.
WSDOT’s local coordinators work with groups to create a vegetation plan that lists anything being planted or removed, according to Anna Zaharris, WSDOT’s Adopt-a-Highway program manager.
Ultimately, native plants won’t require care, so the only need would be litter pick-up, which is the goal, said Zaharris. “We don’t want a maintenance headache if the group leaves in the future,” she said.
Depending on the area, “spraying has an impact, and not spraying also has an impact,” said Zaharris. In some climates — generally wetter ones — thick vegetation next to the roadside can create drainage problems, she said.
Okanogan County may develop an ordinance addressing roadside management over the next year, said Thomson. The no-spray contracts, which are renewed annually, will also probably be revised, said DeTro, who invited citizens to form an advisory group.
The county is investing extra money this year to control weeds and has hired a commercial contractor. The first contact spray for weeds is scheduled for the first week of May, but it is not possible to give people precise notification because the schedule varies based on wind, said Stanley.
