Dougherty County engaged in aggressive mosquito control of wet areas

ALBANY — The leaves may be falling and days getting shorter and cooler, but the area’s mosquitoes are still on the job.

To combat the pests that can spread disease as well as discomfort for people and animals, the Dougherty County Public Works Environmental Control Division is applying chemical treatments throughout the county.

The county has four trucks on the roads spraying to control the mosquito population quickly, said Public Information Officer Wendy Howell.

“The Dougherty County Environmental Control Division stays proactive in the use of larvicide by treating ditches, holding ponds, canals and low-lying areas in the county for mosquito larva,” Howell said in a Monday news release. “Additionally, traps have been established in various areas for continuous mosquito surveillance.”

In addition to those mosquito control measures, the division mows weeds and grasses located on county rights-of-way, canals and holding ponds in the county.

The county also announced an Oct. 22 dedication ceremony at Radium Springs Park. The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m.

Seven Dougherty County residents in the Radium Springs area died in a Jan. 23, 2017, tornado, Howell said during a telephone interview.

The county will place the names of the victims on a column at the park. Some family members of the victims are scheduled to attend the ceremony.

The memorial area will be a “nice” site for reflection and events, she said.

“We’ve (established) a greenspace; there are benches,” Howell said. “The county has renovated the gazebo as close to its original form as we could along with the ticket booth.”

File Photo: Alan MauldinAlanMauldin[email protected]