Spring has sprung and so have the weeds and grasses! Property owners who live near the SFPUC Right
of Way (ROW) have begun asking when the ROW will be mowed. Given this year’s late rains and warmer days, the vegetation along the pipeline corridors will grow very
quickly now.
The SFPUC routinely begins the task of weed abatement in the
spring – when the ground has dried out sufficiently to support the large
tractor mower. Along with the mower,
crews use string trimmers along all fence lines and around appurtenances. It is a very labor intensive process, given some 75 miles of ROW land in three counties
that must be addressed. The first pass
is usually completed by mid June, and a second is done in late summer
to deal with different late season weeds.
The process begins in the southern and eastern reaches of
the Regional Water System (Alameda and
Santa Clara counties) where temperatures are higher and vegetation dries out
more quickly. The crews also have to
pick up any illegal dumping that may have occurred in the last year before the
mowing can be done.
"It’s a big job but we always finish by July 1 every
year, and often much sooner," says SFPUC forester Jane Herman. "This year
looks different, given the late rains, but the goal is the same."
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