Resources

Pesticide Information

Urban Pesticide Use

UC IPM staff members have studied pesticide use in several urban areas in California under contract to California Department of Pesticide Regulation. Below are brief descriptions of the studies and links to reports that describe data collection, analysis, and conclusions.

Tracking Non-residential Pesticide Use in Urban Areas of California, 2005

Recent studies on urban pesticide runoff suggest that although residential users likely contribute a large portion of pesticides to urban runoff, other groups of urban users may also be significant contributors. This UC IPM project's goal was to first comprehensively identify these non-residential urban user groups and then expand our understanding of their pesticide acquisition, use, and disposal practices. The information gathered in this assessment (in combination with those from recent residential user surveys listed below) was used to propose a comprehensive urban pesticide user outreach strategy. The project's study areas included the watersheds of Arcade Creek (Sacramento County), San Diego Creek/Upper Newport Bay (Orange County), and Chollas Creek (San Diego County).

Final Report: Kreidich, N., M.L. Flint, C.A. Wilen, M. Zhang. 2005. Tracking Non-Residential Pesticide Use in Urban Areas of California. (PDF*, 9.77MB)

Bay Area/Sacramento Urban Residential Pesticide Use Surveys, 2003

The University of California, Integrated Pest Management (UC IPM) conducted surveys of residential pesticide use practices and attitudes in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Sacramento and Stockton areas. Results from these surveys were compared to the southern California surveys done in 2001 and 2002 by Wilen below. There was no sales survey associated with this study but there is a product shelf survey study.

Final report: Flint, M. L. 2003. Residential Pesticide Use in California: A Report of Surveys Taken in the Sacramento (Arcade Creek), Stockton (Five-Mile Slough) and San Francisco Bay Areas with Comparisons to the San Diego Creek Watershed or Orange County, California. (PDF*, 657K)

Southern California Urban Pesticide Sales and Use Surveys 2001, 2002

UC IPM gathered urban pesticide sales and use data to help develop a better understanding of urban demand/usage and residential use patterns in the urban setting. The initial area of study was the Newport Bay/San Diego Creek watershed. An expansion of the surveys included the Santa Ana/New Delhi Channel watershed (Orange Co.) and the Chollas Creek watershed (San Diego Co.)

Final Report: Wilen, C., University of California Statewide IPM Program, UC Cooperative Extension, 2001. Survey of Residential Pesticide Use and Sales in the San Diego Creek Watershed of Orange County, California (PDF*, 1.9MB)

Survey: September 2002. Wilen, C., UCIPM. Survey of Residential Pesticide Use in the Chollas Creek Area of San Diego County and Delhi Channel of Orange County, California. (PDF*, 721K)

*You need Adobe Acrobat Reader version 4 or later to view or print this PDF. If this software is not installed on your computer, you can download a free copy of Acrobat Reader.