Texas West Nile Virus Cases Increase from 552 to 1,406 in Just 6 Weeks!
What’s Happening in Copper Canyon – October 2012
By Sue Tejml
Mayor of Copper Canyon
Texas West Nile Virus cases increase from 552 to 1,406 in just 6 weeks!
Denton County West Nile Virus cases increase from 72 to 146 in 6 weeks!
Response of Copper Canyon Residents is 5 to 1 in Favor of Aerial Spraying
How the Town can swiftly notify Town Residents of an Emergency
Construction Resumes on Copper Canyon Road; but only north bound traffic allowed in Construction Zone
Santa Party for Copper Canyon Kids is Saturday Dec. 8th 4-6 pm Town Hall
Town Clean Up Day is Saturday October 6th, 8 a.m. to noon at Town Hall.
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West Nile Virus - this year’s Challenge is Not over
Sobering comparison: Texas West Nile Virus human cases May 25 to Sept. 24:
2011 - 6 cases (1 fatality)
2012 - 552 cases (21 fatalities); through mid-August
1,406 cases (59 fatalities); through September 24
In Summary: Last year by August 13th, a total number of 6 human cases had been reported in all of Texas, four WNND (1 fatal) and two WN fevers. From 6 cases in all of Texas in August of 2011 to 1,406 cases as of September 24, 2012 is a HUGE one year increase. Our state now has reported 664 human cases of WNND (neuroinvasive) in 85 counties; 742 human cases of WNF (fever); 1317 Positive West Nile Virus mosquito pools in 20 counties; 56 Horse WNV cases in 36 counties. And the sobering fact is that we don’t know exactly what has caused the dramatic increase in West Nile Virus infections in Texas this year!
Denton County has 146 West Nile cases and 2 Resulting Deaths (as of 9/24/12)
The Texas Department of Public Safety; Division of Emergency Management emails a weekly State Situation Report on West Nile Virusto elected officials. North Texas is in Region 1. Statistical numbers in parentheses are from the DEM report as of August 12th; the comparisons with the recent numbers give you an idea of how serious the increase in cases is in only six weeks. As of September 24th, Denton County had 2 (1) deaths from 146 (72) confirmed cases; 45 (25) cases were WNND and 101 (47) cases were WNF. Dallas County had 15 (10) deaths from 325 (174) confirmed cases; 154 (110) were WNND cases and 171 (64) were WNF cases. Tarrant County had 7 (2) deaths from 239 (148) confirmed cases; 97 (69) were WNND and 142 (79) were WNF. Collin County had 1 death from 55 confirmed cases; 19 were WNND and 36 were WNF. Ellis County (the Waxahachie area 30 miles south of Dallas) had 2 (1) deaths from 23 (12) confirmed cases; 8 (2) cases were WNND and 15 (10) cases were WNF.
Response of Copper Canyon Residents is 5 to 1 in Favor of Aerial Spraying
A sincere Thank you to our Residents who took the time to both inform themselves and register their opinion “for” or “against” joining in Denton County’s aerial spraying aimed at killing the Culex female mosquito that carries the West Nile Virus. Many residents could not attend the Emergency Meeting Monday night August 27th at Town Hall due to prior plans. But they took the time to email the Town, or come by Town Hall and sign sheets that indicated their opinion “for” or “against” the aerial spraying, or tell their Block Captain how they felt on the issue.
The Monday night Emergency Meeting was packed with Town Residents and they contributed to a spirited two hour debate on the pros and cons of the aerial spraying. I was tremendously impressed with how much research our neighbors had done. They had gone online, they had talked to their personal doctors, they had talked to their large animal and/ or small animal vets about impact on their horses and livestock and pet dogs and cats, they had researched results in other areas of the United States that had aerial sprayed for the West Nile Virus. Most of the negative comments were in favor of a more organic approach to preventing breeding grounds for the mosquitoes and more self-protection by not going outside at dawn and dusk without long sleeves and long pants and some king of effective mosquito repellent. However, resident signatures that night were again overwhelmingly in favor of participating in the aerial spraying sponsored by Denton County.
In summary, 304 Residents responded. 237 were for aerial spraying, 59 were against, and 8 were undecided. That was an overwhelming 5 to 1 Resident vote for aerial spraying. And many Town Residents thanked the Council for having a chance to register their input on such a critical subject.
Please Thank our Denton County Commissioners for the Aerial Spraying
My sincere “Thank You” to County Judge Mary Horn and our Denton County Commissioners for having the foresight to arrange and fund the aerial spraying – a task no small town could undertake alone. And for having the respect for each municipality to allow their individual Town Councils to opt in, or opt out, of the aerial spraying program. And a sincere Thank You to the Denton County Medical Society, for having the courage to recommend aerial spraying. The Society’s members are the physicians actively practicing in our county and personally handling patients with West Nile Virus. Denton County had 7 new cases of the Virus confirmed on the day before aerial spraying began.
Our local weather, with increased wind speeds that would have affected the drift of the aerial spray, required a day’s postponement of the initial two day spraying event. Unfortunately, this timed the spraying over the Labor Day holiday weekend. But our Town’s people were very understanding, with only one person objecting. Aerial spraying was conducted from approximately 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. August 31st, September 1st and September 2nd. (Some planes flew in advance of those hours to confirm wind speeds in the target areas; but they were not spraying.) Four aircraft sprayed a total of 565,629 acres in Denton County with Duet, an application of 0.8 ounces per acre. All exclusion zones were successfully avoided.
Dr. Bing Burton, the Director of the Denton County Health Department, said it may take two weeks from date of the aerial spraying (August 31st, September 1st and 2nd) before there is a noticeable drop in new cases of the Virus. This is because the Virus can take up to two weeks, to incubate after a person is bitten by an infected mosquito, before symptoms appear.
Preliminary Results of the Aerial Spraying for Denton County
Fifteen traps were set up in strategic common areas (such as parks, sports complexes, residential and commercial locations) within the zones to be sprayed. Traps were set up on August 29th prior to spraying and on September 2nd and 3rd after spraying. Preliminary surveillance results indicated a 60% reduction of the Culex tarsalis and Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes (carriers of the West Nile Virus) from pre-spraying to post-spraying. Overall mosquito reduction, which included all types of mosquitoes found in the traps, was 56 %. The results were consistent with two Denton County municipalities, which found reductions of 67% and 53% from mosquito surveillance conducted on September 4th. Both these municipalities were consistently ground spraying prior to aerial spraying. In contrast, one Denton County community with no ground spraying program experienced a reduction of 94%. Clearly, aerial spraying significantly reduced the mosquito population in Denton County. (Information in this paragraph is from the Denton County Health Department’s September 19, 2012 release to the public. As soon as we have final results from the aerial spraying, we will post it on the town web site.)
How the Town can swiftly notify Town Residents of an Emergency
Previously 169 Town homes had registered a personal email address to be notified of any Town emergency. We only use the Email Alert for serious emergencies: a wildfire, a road closed due to flooding, a child or senior citizen missing, or the Emergency Meeting on aerial spraying for the West Nile Virus. Thankfully, another 34 homes have recently signed up for the Email Alert. But that still leaves 251 homes in Town that we have to hope see an alert on the Town web site or are reached by their Block Captain. And prior to the Emergency Meeting, several Block Captains were out of town or even out of state on their own vacations. So our remaining Block Captains were hustling to cover for those who were out of town. However, despite very short notice, the Captains did a great job of getting the word out to their neighbors on the Emergency Council Meeting on aerial spraying.
If at all possible, please go to the Town web site, and at the top of the right hand column of the home page, please sign up for the Emergency Email Alerts. The Town does not sell these email addresses or give them out. But this is absolutely the fastest way we can communicate with our residents in an emergency.
New Billboard Signs stress the individual 4 D’s of West Nile Virus Prevention
At our September Council Meeting, Council moved for our Town to actively promote individual responsibility for the prevention of the West Nile Virus. In response to that direction, ten large red billboard type signs have been erected. Each year these signs will be located at the entrances to Town and opposite the main entrances/exits to our most populated subdivisions. (Similar to the locations for the “No Fireworks” signs.) These signs will be erected prior to the beginning of the West Nile Virus season in late spring, and remain standing as long as the Culex mosquito remains a threat to our residents. With a wet, mild winter forecast, the West Nile Virus could remain a problem until December of this year. (Council and Staff appreciated Janet Aune and other Town residents who called to thank us for the sign reminders.)
We need to count on the eyes and ears of all our Town’s people to notify Town Hall if they notice any standing water that appears to be a target area for mosquitoes to lay their larvae. Look for old tires, unmaintained water troughs or birdbaths. And check your own roof gutters and downspout areas to be sure they are not holding pockets of stagnant water. After rains, be sure the drainage ditches bordering your homes do not have isolated puddles of water remaining and double check that all culverts under your driveways are unblocked and draining properly.
Council Decides not to Ground Fog Pesticides for Mosquitoes.
Ground and/or aerial mosquito fogging is estimated to kill 30-60% of the mosquitoes in the area sprayed.The spray kills adult mosquitoes, but not their larvae. As the mosquito’s life cycle is only seven days, the next generation can become more immune to the toxic effects of the current spray. Not a good prognosis for ongoing eradication.
Both Flower Mound and Highland Village use the same company for ground fogging via trucks. Our Town Administrator contacted the company in June for cost estimates for spraying in Copper Canyon. The cost was very reasonable, but the company did not recommend ground fogging in our Town. Due to our large minimum one acre lot sizes and how far back from the roads our homes are located, the company believed ground fogging from our streets would not be very effective. The Council and I appreciated the company’s candid evaluation based on years of experience in the business.
Biological Control of Mosquito Larvae, mainly with “dunks”:
Biological measures mainly are the use of bacteria that kill mosquito larvae and the use of natural mosquito predators such as fish. One bacterial agent is Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti). Bti is available at feed stores and garden centers. Home owners should follow all label instructions. Typical application is in either the form of dunks or granules. The mosquito dunks are mainly effective only against larvae and only on shallow ponds and water sources (i.e. animal watering troughs.) Coverage for one dunk is 100 sq. ft. of water or a 10 ft. by 10 ft. area. The dunks last for 30 days or more. Granules can be placed in very small areas like flower pot saucers or small drainage ditches. Minnows can also be put in small areas of water or fountains and they will eat the mosquito wigglers.
Our Town Administrator Donna Welsh is making on site inspections to ensure that any unoccupied homes in town with swimming pools and/or ponds are having them safely maintained. She is also using an aerial map to locate ponds in Copper Canyon and calling the landowners to see if the pond is aerated or stocked with fish. If not, she is recommending that the landowners put larvicide dunks on the pond, if needed, to kill mosquito larvae. She is also making them aware that Denton County has provided dunks to Copper Canyon that are available gratis at Town Hall.
NOTE: The Town posted on its website in June the Denton County Health Officer’s guidance on personal defenses to the West Nile Virus. With the latest diagnosis of more cases in Denton County, that information has been moved back up to the top of our town’s web site’s information. Detailed West Nile Virus prevention information also appears in the June and September “What’s Happening in Copper Canyon” articles, which are also archived on the Town website. (The link to the most recent “What’s Happening” articles is on the top left side of the home page.)
Construction Resumes on Copper Canyon Road, but only north bound traffic allowed in Construction Zone
Several residents have been alarmed at the possibility of a head-on collision by vehicles that insist on traveling south on Copper Canyon Road – and these same vehicles usually go “very fast” in hopes of getting to their destination without getting a traffic citation. The situation was encouraged by the lack of active road construction due to utilities not timely moving their lines out of the rebuilding area.
So, I asked our Precinct Four County Commissioner if Copper Canyon Road could temporarily be reopened to both north and south traffic until road construction actively resumed. Commissioner AndyEads responded to the request and conferred with the engineering firm in charge of rebuilding Copper Canyon Road, Teague, Nall & Perkins, Inc. Their engineer-in-charge said that road construction has actively resumed. Therefore the road will remain closed to southbound traffic. But we will ask our two dedicated Deputy Sheriffs to resume actively patrolling the road to discourage the drivers illegally going south on the single open lane restricted to northbound traffic only.
Santa Party for Copper Canyon Kids is Saturday Dec. 8th 4-6 pm Town Hall
Please mark the date on your calendar for your kids. The Santa Party is limited to children and grandchildren of Copper Canyon residents. Our Argyle Volunteer Fire District Fire Chief Mac Hohenberger has assured us that the AVFD fire engine will be present to carry kids and parents “on top” around the Woodlands Subdivision. It usually takes 4 to 6 trips to accommodate all the children who want to ride on the fire engine – and sometimes enthusiastically “re-ride” for a second time. So, a very heartfelt advance “thanks” to residents in the Woodlands who gracefully accommodate this intrusion on their quiet neighborhood and privacy.
Town Clean Up Day is Saturday October 6th, 8 a.m. to noon at Town Hall.
Clean Up Day is strictly provided for Copper Canyon Town residents only, since the cost is funded by homeowners’ property taxes. So please be prepared to present proof of residency in Town, such as a driver’s license or utility receipt. Volunteer checkers will verify your Copper Canyon address while your vehicle is in line and give you a verification slip to show to each vendor at the various disposal stations.
Vehicle line up is on Woodland Drive in the east-bound lane on the west side of Town Hall. All parties are required to stay INSIDE their vehicle! Town volunteers will remove the items to be discarded.
Thanks to Republic Services and the cooperation of our long time representative Jeri Harwell, Clean up Day will begin at 8:00 a.m. Saturday morning, an hour earlier than usual. Hopefully, this will result in a shorter waiting period in line for residents who have items for disposal. However, all items must be loaded on disposal vehicles and trailers by noon, as the vendors have commitments at other community locations after lunch.
And many thanks again to Town resident Marshall Warren and Town Administrator Donna Welsh, who have spent many hours planning this event for the third year in a row. And thanks to Town resident Raymond Fenley, who is providing two trailers for the disposal of scrap metal and tires.
NOTE: We realize that homeowners living in the surrounding unincorporated areas of Denton County would like to dispose of these items, too. And several had to be turned away last year, even though they offered to pay for the disposal service. But the Town can only accommodate Copper Canyon residents. We appreciate our neighbors in the unincorporated areas complying with this necessary limitation.