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Residents urge council to press Orange County on glyphosate spraying in San Juan Creek
Summary
Multiple residents, citing environmental and health concerns, asked San Juan Capistrano leaders to pursue county action or protections after reports that Orange County Public Works sprays glyphosate in San Juan Creek. Speakers said they want the city to demand transparency and alternatives.
Brent Linus, a resident and member of the Creek Team, told the San Juan Capistrano City Council on Feb. 17 that San Juan Creek is "the ecological backbone of our city" and urged officials to press Orange County Public Works to stop spraying glyphosate in the creek without public notice. Linus said the Creek Team — which he described as 1,200 members — seeks an end to herbicide use in local creeks and rivers.
"San Juan Creek is not a flood control channel. It is the ecological backbone of our city," Linus said during the meeting's public-comment period, adding that herbicide applications have been carried out "twice yearly with no warning to the public." He asked council members to "stand with us" and support efforts that prioritize environmental responsibility and public health.
Other speakers said they share those concerns. Bethany Nelms, a 12-year resident and Creek Team member, said she was "appalled" to learn of herbicide use and offered to work with city leaders on public-health–oriented solutions. Sarah Eichenauer, who lives across the creek, said she is pregnant and alarmed that chemicals are being applied near her home; she said videos she posted online drew tens of thousands of views.
Mark Dressler, another Creek Team member, described the applications as "entering the ocean" and called for dialogue with the county to ensure the creek and downstream Doheny Beach are protected. The council did not take action on the matter during the Feb. 17 meeting; the comments were recorded during the oral-communications portion of the agenda.
The comments raise questions about the county's weed-management practices and what, if any, authority the city has to restrict county work in a regional waterway. Residents requested the city pursue transparency from Orange County Public Works and explore nonchemical alternatives or notification protocols.
The council took no formal direction on the issue at the meeting; items on tonight's agenda included separate land-use and code-adoption matters. Residents said they plan to return to the council asking for formal statements of support for Creek protections.
