Nov 20 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Duncan Adams The Roanoke Times, Va.

One man suggested that Roanoke County residents worried about an electric utility's use of herbicides in their neighborhood consider also the likely presence in their homes of what he described as more dangerous chemicals.

"Everything under your sink has acute toxicity," said Lyle Anderson, who lives near Back Creek well upstream from the neighborhood and operates Weed Control, a vegetation control company in Cloverdale.

In response, county resident Bob Peckman said that he decides which chemicals he keeps inside his home and that similar choices do not exist when subcontractors for Appalachian Power Co. spray herbicides near houses and waterways to limit vegetation growth beneath power lines.

Anderson and Peckman were two of about 20 people who spoke Wednesday during a two-hour meeting held to allow residents on Crystal Creek Drive and along Back Creek to express concerns and ask questions about the spraying of herbicides this summer beneath nearby lines by a subcontractor of Appalachian.

Appalachian maintains about 46,000 miles of distribution lines and about 5,600 miles of transmission lines in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee.

The utility has said herbicides offer the most efficient, effective, safest and cost-effective option for managing vegetation that, if left unchecked, could cause power outages.

Resident David Barudin, who helped organize Wednesday's meeting, has asked the county to ban the use of herbicides. No such promises were made during the meeting, which was moderated by Roanoke County Supervisor Charlotte Moore, and it was not clear even whether local officials would have the authority to institute such a ban.

Five people from Appalachian attended the meeting at the Roanoke County Administration building.

The utility said it believes its "selectively applied" use of registered and diluted herbicides is safe, controlled and compliant with label guidelines. The spraying is preferable to trimming and cutting along a power line right of way, costly work that can leave behind gasoline and oil from chain saws and other equipment, it says.

Terry Hall, Appalachian's external affairs manager, said no one has accused the company of "using these products irresponsibly" in the Crystal Creek neighborhood.

"We have a lot to lose if we do not make sure we are prudent and wise in how we do that," Hall said.

He and others said that the herbicides in question, DuPont Lineage Clearstand and DuPont Krenite S, are deemed safe when applied correctly.

Barudin, Lucy Tkachenko and other Crystal Creek residents said they have noticed a drop in aquatic life in Back Creek.

"I haven't seen a fish in my part of the creek for two years," Tkachenko said.

Barudin has said his concerns started after he saw a deer in distress soon after the summer spraying. The animal later died.

Experts have said they doubt that the deer's death and the spraying are related.

On Wednesday, Myles Bartos of the Environmental Protection Agency said a reduction in aquatic or wildlife populations could have other causes.

He asked whether any neighbors had seen Appalachian's contractor spraying the herbicides directly into Back Creek. No one responded, although several people emphasized that windy conditions in the neighborhood could direct the spray into the creek.

The herbicides were distributed manually, with hose and nozzle. Dye mixed in with the herbicide helped workers track spray boundaries, according to Todd Burns, a spokesman for Appalachian.

Rupert Cutler, chairman of the board for the Western Virginia Water Authority and a Roanoke resident with years of experience with environmental issues, said officials might consider authorizing a biological survey to help determine whether changes are occurring in aquatic life.

Cutler also suggested that neighbors and Appalachian ponder alternatives to herbicides.

Bartos promised to conduct research to try to respond to residents' questions.

Appalachian forester Phil Ross said the utility is willing to visit residents on their property to discuss concerns.

But neither Peckman nor Lucky Garvin, who lives near Crystal Creek Drive, said they felt comforted by reports that the herbicides are safe if appropriately applied.

"No matter how you slice it, when poison is being sprayed, it's not a question of whether people are being poisoned, but how much," Peckman said.

Garvin cited examples of chemicals and medicines, such as thalidomide, considered safe by federal agencies until severe side effects began to emerge.

The meeting ended Wednesday without a specific plan of action or scheduled follow-up.

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