Stearns County Highway Dept. To Begin Roadside Spraying In May

(KNSI) – The Stearns County Highway Department will begin culling unwanted roadside brush and weeds with herbicide treatments next month.

Crews will be busy along all county roads unless property owners make it clear they will take care of the issue themselves through other means, namely regular mowing. In those cases, a “Spraying Exemption Form” is available on the county website. It should be filled out and returned to:

Stearns County Highway Department
P.O. Box 246
St. Cloud, MN 56387-0246

The herbicides kill off brush and noxious weeds while leaving grass untouched where applied. The county says its workers will be careful to avoid sensitive properties that butt up against right-of-ways like tree plantations, farm fields, waterways, and front yards.

Properly maintaining brush solves maintenance issues for the highway department. When ditches are clogged, water pools on the roadways instead of draining, contributing to accidents. Equipment is also more likely to be damaged, resulting in potentially costly repairs for the department’s vehicle fleet.

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