Less toxic methods to keep weeds and other vegetation from choking canals is the goal of a testing study that’s beginning in the Nevada Irrigation District. District Maintenance Manager Brian Powell says the most common herbicide they currently use, Roundup, may be added to the state’s list of chemicals that can cause cancer…

click to listen to Brian Powell

NID officials say when vegetation restricts water flows, there can be many impacts. That includes reduced water quality, compromised deliveries to customers, and added costs. In addition, they say impeded water flow can become a public health issue, with increased algae blooms and a breeding ground for mosquitos. Powell says the testing will include organic herbicides, which would cost a lot more than Roundup…

click to listen to Brian Powell

During the testing, NID personnel will set up 48 10-by-15 foot plots along a canal and use different methods. Those methods also include grazing goats along a berm section. Meanwhile, there’s no word on a 330-thousand dollar state grant that NID would like to use to expand the testing program over three years. Powell says NID will spend about 50-thousand dollars this year and then study the data before looking at what kind of future testing to do.