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Mosquito district details emergency pool treatments, pilot sterile‑insect program after Eden Fire
Summary
The San Gabriel Valley Mosquito & Vector Control District told the council it treated hundreds of unmaintained pools after the Eden Fire, ran a large emergency response, and is piloting sterile insect technique (SIT) for Aedes aegypti. Officials said the district secured state funding and FEMA support for emergency efforts and urged continued resident 'tip, toss and protect' actions.
San Gabriel Valley Mosquito & Vector Control District trustees and staff briefed the Sierra Madre City Council on March 24 about the district’s emergency response after the Eden Fire and on new tools to manage invasive Aedes mosquitoes.
John Capocha, the district’s board president, and communications director Anna East Diaz said the agency visited hundreds of unmaintained pools in the fire area and deployed creative tools — floats and custom treatment bags — to reach inaccessible pools. Anna East Diaz said the district logged 784 pool visits in the first phase of response and found 587 actively breeding pools as of April 22 during the emergency campaign.
"We were facing 1,400 unmaintained pools; standard operations weren't enough," Anna East Diaz said. The district reported securing approximately $600,000 in funding from state and federal partners (including a $60,000 FEMA award) to support the emergency effort and developing a targeted public communications campaign (eatenareamosquitocontrol.org) to centralize information.
The district also outlined an SIT pilot targeting Aedes aegypti (one of several invasive 'aedes' mosquitoes in the region). The pilot will launch in unincorporated Bassett, using Wolbachia‑infected or sterile males shipped to the district, according to staff. District staff cautioned SIT is one tool among many and not a stand‑alone solution.
Council members asked about resident outreach, whether district efforts would be sustainable if state funding lapsed, and what additional local cooperation (reporting dead birds, maintaining pools) the district needs. The district urged residents to "tip, toss and protect" — remove standing water, discard containers, and use personal repellent when appropriate.
The presentation was received; council did not take formal action. District staff offered further coordination on local pool‑abatement outreach and data sharing with city staff.
