Monitor this Web page frequently
for additional information and recommendations as they are developed.
Known
Facts
Some WSU compost has been contaminated
with picloram, a long-lasting herbicide used to kill thistle
and other broadleaf weeds.
Based on trace levels of picloram
thus far reported in samples, WSU has determined that vegetables
harvested from soil on which the contaminated compost was used
are safe to eat.
WSU compost is sold through
nurseries and landscaping businesses in Whitman County in Washington,
and in Latah, Kootenai and Bonner counties in Idaho.
Additional information, including
recommendations to gardeners will be posted on this Web site
as soon as it is available.
What
WSU is Doing
Gardeners who experienced damage
from compost produced by WSU will be reimbursed for their losses.
WSU will reimburse gardeners
for the cost of compost and for the purchase cost of damaged
plants, or it will provide replacement compost and plants next
spring.
A form is being prepared for
damage claims and will be available within a few days.
The form may be downloaded online within a few days, or picked
up at the place of purchase, and submitted to the same business.
Remediation for affected gardens
is available.
WSU crews will provide application
assistance of neutralizing materials to affected garden plots
on request. It is recommended that gardeners wait until next
spring before taking this step. Natural processes will break
down the herbicide during the winter months and in many cases
the soil will become usable after the winter season.
WSU has taken steps to ensure
that no further contamination of compost takes place.
All grass hay and straw purchased
by WSU will be certified by the seller to be free of pesticide
and herbicide residue.
All future compost ingredients
will be tested (bio-assay) for herbicide residues before sale
or application.
Finished compost will be used
in test plots to be sure there is no danger to plants.
The WSU compost crew started
applying activated charcoal to some plots at Koppel Farms
community garden in Pullman Thursday (8/17/2000). They
are testing use of the charcoal to neutralize soils treated with
compost that was contaminated by an herbicide.
WSU began investigating its
compost after some gardeners complained of problems, which gave
the physical appearance of herbicide damage.
The Washington State Department
of Agriculture, which has regulatory authority in these matters,
is investigating.
WSU is cooperating fully in
the WSDA investigation.
WSU is continuing its own investigation.
WSU is investigating possible
measures to neutralize the herbicide.
Attend a community meeting at
7:30 p.m., Tuesday, (Aug. 22) at the Moscow Community Center. Dan
Caldwell, WSU compost manager will discuss compost issues. Tom
Lamar, Palouse-Clearwater Environmental Institute executive director,
will moderate.
Stay tuned to this page for
instructions on how to neutralize contaminated soil. They will
be posted soon.
If the compost was used as a
mulch, remove to an area with non-sensitive plants such as grass.
Don't exceed the recommended
maximum application of compost, which is 15% (about half an inch
on top of the soil). The recommendation is for all compost, regardless
of source. Heavier treatments can injure plants and would compound
problems from herbicide-contaminated compost.
Gardeners who make their own
compost should follow herbicide label restrictions, which may
warn against composting residues of plants to which they were
applied. (Grass clippings used as a garden mulch also may injure
plants if the lawn has been treated with some herbicides.)
If you have questions or comments,
please contact Dan Caldwell at 509-336-1354 or e-mail dcaldwell@wsu.edu.
News media inquiries may be directed to Terence Day at 509-335-2806
or e-mail terence@wsu.edu.
Fill
out a compost claim form.