The Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) Board approved making reserve funds available to try to tame a perfect storm of mosquito populations in the three mosquito control areas of the regional district.
High water and multiple rain events in the mosquito control program areas of Electoral Area A (Rural Golden) and B (Rural Revelstoke) and Scotch Creek in Electoral Area F have created large areas of ideal mosquito breeding habitat.
The CSRD’s mosquito control contractors are seeing significant numbers of mosquito larvae developing across wide areas and predict that the pesky problem is going to get much worse before hotter, drier temperatures help to naturally combat the nuisance.
As a result, the CSRD Board approved using existing operating reserves to cover the costs of additional treatments in all three mosquito control areas this season. The use of these operating reserves means the residents won’t see any additional costs on their tax bill for the service this year.
• In Golden/Electoral Area A, the CSRD will transfer up to $50,000 of its total $273,452 in mosquito control reserve.
• In Revelstoke and Electoral Area B, the CSRD will transfer up to $45,000 of its total $47,796 mosquito control operating reserve.
• In Scotch Creek, the CSRD will transfer up to $10,000 of its $99,160 Electoral Area F mosquito control reserve.
If all these funds are not spent, any remainder will be put back into the reserve fund.
“Mother Nature hasn’t been kind to us, with weather conditions creating much greater impacts on our mosquito control program than we’ve seen in past years,” says Ben Van Nostrand, General Manager, Environmental and Utility Services.
“Over the past several years, funding the basic level of service has not been adequate to provide relief from mosquito annoyance, and reserve funds have been relied upon to avoid tax increases. However, potential tax increases will be discussed during the budgeting process for 2027 to sustain the mosquito program,” he added.
All CSRD mosquito control programs use a product called Vectobac (BTI), which is a soil-borne bacterial product that specifically targets mosquitoes in their larval growth stage before they hatch.
These products are an extensively tested, natural bacterium that helps reduce mosquito populations without harming beneficial insects, frogs, fish, birds or mammals. Treatments can be delivered by hand or by helicopter.
The CSRD is providing frequent updates to its mosquito control program progress in all three areas on the Mosquito Control webpage on the CSRD website.
