[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6225435,"mediaKeyId","3537020-81516ae295b2b9d82c42c92019ae15bc","parentId",3537020,"title","Laramie outlines data‑driven mosquito control: larval surveillance, two adult spray events and outreach emphasized","audioSeconds",3438,"startMs",4061000,"endMs",7499000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3537020-81516ae295b2b9d82c42c92019ae15bc&start=4061&end=7499","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3537020-81516ae295b2b9d82c42c92019ae15bc/thumbnail_4061000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6225435/Wyoming/Laramie-outlines-datadriven-mosquito-control-larval-surveillance-two-adult-spray-events-and-outreach-emphasized","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6225435-b301fae6366da4023f269c93ca3c2fb8/orig.mp4?Expires=1770445680&Signature=OSHjIcnvyPdZPMx8DvUg0-NFfBnmKvEjtgHqV0xxTXfq6dywsUtfStO-icrpGQTyVr4CKPy-CDupYL6iyBImYYT-6l93PHMTnxDav5BYwdjxuCCXZG61GaBKFrIZpttnE-1wSlGLuihd0X1DoqurhPxH1CrjsqlCdYNDySF9YQ5b98IAhdBdgsUq4-DM2woEt9R3L1waNjS2kMuZEiqwL4ifQerC-XvperHuqVJmZ6y19u2JlC2VlL3oXe9LGWItm6N2NGe7wfX96f8MXRWgEEJsjJqDr7qiF8Z6khmJQGpLNanNG~bzPeSCCKGftua6b7Z~ZaOnlA0nRvo11jrutQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Laramie MY","date","2025-05-28T08:37:00.967Z","article","Laramie — The City of Laramie presented its integrated mosquito pest‑management program to the City Council, describing a surveillance‑led approach that prioritizes larval control, routine adult trapping and targeted aerial operations to reduce nuisance mosquitoes and lower West Nile virus risk.

Hunter Dearman, the city’s mosquito/IPM supervisor, said the program’s twin goals are West Nile virus prevention and nuisance reduction and emphasized that larval habitat identification and treatment are the most effective long‑term controls. “It’s called pest management, not pest eradication,” Dearman told the council, adding that the program combines mapped larval sites, daily adult traps and both hand‑applied and aerial larvicide operations.

Why it matters: Laramie’s program aims to reduce biting pressure during summer peak weeks and to track Culex (West Nile virus vector) numbers later in the season. Dearman and staff said local surveillance and rapid lab testing let the city detect infected mosquito pools quickly and tailor responses, including public notices when positive pools occur.

Program details and operations

- Surveillance: The program maintains more than 170 mapped larval sites and about 18 adult trap locations inside the city and on city ranch properties. Staff said they run traps Sunday through Friday during the season and use CDC light traps baited with CO2 to target species that feed on mammals.

- Larval treatment: The city deploys granular and longer‑lasting biological larvicides (bacterial products) by hand, ATV and backpack on mapped sites; Dearman said some larvicides provide protection of 7–10 days while specialty products last 30–140 days for hard‑to‑reach spots.

- Aerial operations: The city plans a large aerial larvicide application in early June covering roughly 4,500 acres of regularly flooded land, plus two adult aerial operations timed to reduce population peaks (Dearman said the program shifted to one larvicide aerial and two adult aerials to optimize effectiveness). Dearman stressed that fogging and adulticide applications produce short‑term knockdown of adults but leave little or no residual protection, so larval control is the main long‑term tool.

- Chemical choices and safety: In response to a public question, staff said the city uses dibrom for adulticide operations (not malathion) and that malathion has not been used locally in recent years; a staff member said records indicate the last malathion use was around 2014–2015. Dearman described calibration and label compliance steps intended to limit non‑target effects and to reduce risk to bees and other beneficial species.

- Program limits and community options: The city offers a “no‑spray” opt‑out program that currently covers 99 properties; fogging crews switch off when crossing an enrolled property line. Dearman noted applications cannot proceed when temperature is below 50°F or wind is above 10 mph, per label restrictions.

Public health and outreach

Dearman described on‑site lab testing the city runs to detect West Nile virus in mosquito pools, which provides same‑day or near‑real‑time results compared with sending samples to a state lab. He said most infections are asymptomatic and that severe disease is rare but concentrated in older or immunocompromised people. The city runs public education (PSAs), school outreach and an annual Mosquito Awareness Week proclamation, and staff said they post daily updates online showing planned spray areas.

Council and public reaction

Council members asked practical questions about the limits of fogging and how quickly mosquito populations can rebound with wind‑borne influxes; Dearman acknowledged that Laramie’s landscape and prevailing winds bring mosquitoes from irrigated lands and ranches outside the city, meaning adulticide provides temporary relief while larval interventions and aerial larviciding reduce reproduction sources. Public commenters asked about insecticide choices; staff reiterated the product in use and its safety measures.

Ending

Councilors thanked staff for the detailed briefing and raised interest in public outreach materials and possible behind‑the‑scenes tours of the lab during peak season. Dearman offered to make himself available for public talks and educational events and encouraged council members to contact his office with questions about the season’s schedule.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","May 27th, 2025, Laramie, Wyoming - City Government Live Stream","oneSentenceSummary","Laramie — Parks and community services staff described a surveillance‑driven, integrated pest management program that emphasizes larval habitat control, routine adult trapping and targeted aerial operations to reduce nuisance mosquitoes and to prevent West Nile virus spread.","taxTitle","Laramie City Council, Laramie City, Albany County, Wyoming","taxId",68475,"location","Wyoming","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6225439,"City hears plan to expand Casper Aquifer monitoring network; initial baseline testing estimated at about $150,000/year",3369,634000,4003000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3537020-81516ae295b2b9d82c42c92019ae15bc&start=634&end=4003","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3537020-81516ae295b2b9d82c42c92019ae15bc/thumbnail_634000.jpg","/articles/6225439/Wyoming/City-hears-plan-to-expand-Casper-Aquifer-monitoring-network-initial-baseline-testing-estimated-at-about-150000year","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6225439-aa3aa58e2441d57494456214477f4a9d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770445680&Signature=QqIRw0uyM~6Tq6kpjmPdHq-tBmAKJ3vP6uCLGVQsjaHc7s-QSevkViH-QuVru9Od7XR~siRunHpK1GN5q37AXd8Q5Al3zbBJXROZSE1nFeYO3J3kGgR6wUHflywRAv8k58Zxf7DqlQRFwkZAE8xUP0l7N4U9daJEkHTPOHCG4Ag~eZVGcDE-TPnD~MRDxopelin9omnTcsm9M51zqLko4pT8psGWGOKSVDt9d~-ggyQGuT~e2hAa~XluPJDBJ7llAlTinZLD1ARQMaLSOclO2-geWwfZ1jz9ANpwmT1XqicGW53SmDvqXmAVdJxtZWd9hIhYcVNtHcAFcGyBGURbxw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Laramie — Consultants from Trihydro Corporation presented the City Council with a plan to formalize and expand monitoring of the Casper Aquifer, proposing a five‑year baseline sampling program, continued monitoring of about 10 existing wells and a set of additional sentinel and gap‑filling wells around production fields and potential contaminant sources.

The work would establish a water‑quality baseline for the Casper Aquifer within the city’s protection area, develop a sampling and analysis plan and identify wells that could serve as early warning or sentinel sites upstream of production wells, consultants said. Ryan Athey, a consultant with Trihydro Corporation, told the council the effort builds on the Casper Aquifer protection plan adopted earlier and “would develop that frequency and time frame” for regular monitoring of existing wells and any newly installed points.

Why it matters: The monitoring network is intended to give city water managers earlier data about groundwater quality and hydrologic connections so they can identify changes and, where possible, take operational steps — for example changing which production wells are pumped — before contaminants reach the city’s production wells. Council members repeatedly framed the project as preventive: collecting a robust baseline makes it easier to spot and respond to anomalies and to seek outside funds for investigations if contamination appears.

Most important details

- Program design and scope: Trihydro recommended quarterly sampling during an initial roughly five‑year baseline period across a broad set of wells (the consultant described roughly 25–30 wells as the near‑term sampling inventory), with the option to reduce the number of wells and analytes after the baseline period based on observed trends.

- Existing monitoring points: The consultant identified about 10 wells the city or partners monitor now (for water levels and some sampling) that would form the backbone of a formal monitoring network; additional existing wells monitored by Mountain Cement and others could be used as downstream or fault‑zone monitoring points.

- New monitoring wells: Trihydro suggested drilling a small number of new wells to fill spatial gaps and to provide sentinel coverage upgradient of production wellfields (the consultant identified a proposed Turner well and a Telephone Canyon/I‑80 well among priority candidates). New wells near higher elevations would be deeper and more expensive than shallower wells nearer town.

- Sampling and analytes: Quarterly sampling for an extensive suite of analytes was proposed during the baseline period; the consultant recommended less frequent testing for expensive analyses (pesticides/herbicides) and targeted follow‑up sampling when total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) or other broad screens indicate a potential hit.

- Costs and schedule: Trihydro estimated roughly $150,000 per year for the initial sampling program (sampling labor, lab analysis and supplies) when sampling 25–30 wells quarterly. The consultant said ongoing costs could be lowered after the baseline period — potentially to around $50,000 per year — by reducing analyte lists and sampling frequency. Drilling cost guidance cited by Trihydro was roughly $200–$250 per foot; shallower infill wells were estimated at $20,000–$30,000 each while deeper outcrop wells could be on the order of $100,000 each.

Council discussion and staff context

Council members pressed on how the data would be used, what could be done if contamination were detected, and who would pay. The city manager reviewed current budget lines tied to aquifer protection and told the council the adopted biennial budget includes $326,546 in the water rights section to cover Trihydro work and drilling costs if the council moves forward, $25,000 for a hazmat/spill response plan and $125,000 in a capital project fund intended to support monitoring near I‑80 rights of way. The manager characterized ongoing sampling costs as an operations expense that would need to be funded in future budgets if the council chooses to continue the full program after the baseline period.

Councilor questions also covered hydrogeologic connectivity and aquifer capacity. A consultant summarized the Casper formation as interbedded sandstone and limestone with faults and fractures that can provide preferential flow paths; he estimated saturated thickness varying by location and said he had not calculated a firm long‑term volumetric capacity but noted the aquifer has historically provided production wells that the city has relied on during surface‑water shortfalls. Hydrogeologist Chris Moody, speaking during public comment, said he has worked on the aquifer since 1993 and encouraged council members to take an on‑the‑ground tour to better understand geology and vulnerability.

What the council directed or decided

No formal motion or vote was taken during the presentation. Councilors asked for clarification and budget context; staff provided those numbers and flagged that some of the one‑time and capital funds to pay for consulting and initial drilling already appear in the adopted biennium budget. The presentation concluded with staff and council indicating interest in next steps (finalizing a sampling plan and prioritizing well locations) but no formal action was recorded.

Ending

Council members and staff discussed scheduling follow‑up and public outreach; multiple councilors expressed interest in the planned aquifer field tour and in considering a reduced recurring sampling schedule after an initial baseline period. The council moved on to the next work session item, mosquito control.

","Consultants proposed a five-year baseline sampling program, a mix of continued monitoring of 10 existing wells, targeted new sentinel wells and optional deeper production-area wells; city staff said budgeted capital and one-time funds cover initial work but ongoing sampling would be an operational cost.","actionData","errors"]

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Laramie outlines data‑driven mosquito control: larval surveillance, two adult spray events and outreach emphasized

City hears plan to expand Casper Aquifer monitoring network; initial baseline testing estimated at about $150,000/year