Pesticide Storage

As I visit golf facilities around BC to conduct site assessments in order to help with certification in the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses I am finding a suprising fact' many of the courses I visit do not have proper chemical storage facilities.

Many of the golf courses are storing their pesticides in areas that are wide open for everyone to not only have a gander at but also to access. There are several problems with this type of scenario; not the least of which is the opportunity for anyone to come into contact with these potentially dangerous products. Anyone who is not properly trained on the safe handling and control of pesticides should not have access to them.

Another issue is the possibility of a spill. These products need to be stored in a locked room that has spill containment. If pesticides are kept in an area that does not have spill containment there is a very real possiblity that an accidental spill could wind up in ground water, surface water or other environmentally risky places.

As pesticide bans loom over the golf industry, superintendents are doing their best to fight to keep the ability to use these products. The superintendent fight theme is that we are responsible users of pesticides and as such we should be able to use them as we see fit. The problem here is the fact that many supers are not even storing their pesticides properly. Anyone who is arguing in favour of a pesticide ban merely needs to visit a golf course that is not storing properly and they will have all the ammunition they need to push a ban through to fruition.

Do not be fooled by complacency and thinking that pesticide bans will never happen...they will. Go to the BC government website or the Worksafe BC website and see what is required for proper pesticide storage. Golf course owners and managers must be willing to put the money forward to come into compliance or face the consequences of not doing so.