SOUTH DEERFIELD – The University of Massachusetts Amherst assures neighbors of its Joseph Troll Turf Research Center in South Deerfield that the chemicals sprayed around its fields are safe and applied in a considerate way.
Deerfield Selectboard member Carolyn Shores Ness said she was approached weeks ago by residents complaining about the spraying at the 23 River Road facility, and she made a motion during the Sept. 24 meeting to direct the town to request from UMass the health and safety information about the substances or chemicals the facility is using and a description of future plans. Ness explained the Selectboard will give UMass the winter to respond.
“If we don’t hear from them by March, then, as the Board of Health (one of the Selectboard’s other capacities), we’re going to order a cease-and-desist so that they can’t do it,” she said, adding that the town will send a registered letter to UMass so the town will know when it is received.
Mary Dettloff, deputy director for the Office of News and Media Relations, said the turf research facility conducts about 70 sprayings a year. She said the chemicals are typically pesticides or herbicides used mainly to curb the spread of weeds, so they will not interfere with research on different types of grass. According to information on the research center’s webpage, research is conducted on pest management, turf use, environmental impacts, best management practices and non-biotic stresses, such as heat, cold and traffic.
Detloff said researchers make sure to never spray while children are waiting at a nearby school bus stop.
“They also pay attention to wind directions on days they spray, and they are mindful of that,” she said, adding that Occupational Safety and Health Administration requirements are always met.
Detloff said James Poro, superintendent of the research center, mentioned the facility was once visited by a neighbor concerned about the spraying of an herbicide. According to Detloff, Poro suspects this happened on a day researchers were using Trimec, a particularly foul-smelling herbicide. As of Nov. 2, Poro was unaware of his facility receiving any letter from Deerfield.
Ness said residents told her they saw researchers using “hazmat suits,” but Detloff said this is untrue, as the facility’s staffers need only yellow chemical-resistant suits equipped with ventilators.
The next spraying — the final one of the year — is expected to happen in late November or early December, depending on weather conditions.
The facility is named after the late Dr. Joseph Troll, a longtime leader in the Turf Program at UMass.
The center consists of 18 acres, and includes a 3,000-square-foot structure that houses offices, lab space, meeting rooms, small classrooms and storage and space for equipment maintenance. Detloff said anyone with concerns about the sprayings is welcome to talk with the facility’s staff.
Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 262.