Pesticide collection event set for Saturday in Perryville

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Pesticides and herbicides may help crops thrive, but they're not so great for little fish.

That may be part of the reason the Missouri Department of Natural Resources selected Perryville as the host for a statewide pesticide collection event Saturday at the Perry County Road and Bridge Department, city administrator Brent Buerck said Tuesday.

Perry County, Missouri, is home to the grotto sculpin, a tiny fish believed to be found exclusively in caves beneath the county.

Last year, the grotto sculpin became the focus of a community conservation plan designed to improve groundwater quality.

Multiple stakeholders, including private landowners, government agencies and conservation experts teamed up to develop the plan, which supporters hope will ensure the grotto sculpin's continued survival without subjecting the county to tight regulations that could jeopardize its ability to attract businesses.

Chemicals -- especially those designed to kill unwanted species -- can find their way into the groundwater if they are not disposed of properly, Buerck said.

"I think that's kind of how we rose to the top. ... That stuff can leak out, and then it seeps into the ground, and then it can be flushed down into groundwater," he said.

Any Missouri farmer or resident can participate in the event Saturday -- not just those in Perry County, Buerck said.

"We do hope that people take advantage of it," he said. "It's a great way to get rid of stuff that you just don't know what to do with."

For instance, one local resident inherited a roomful of unwanted chemicals with the purchase of a house, Buerck said.

"We were talking to somebody here that bought a house, and the basement had a room that was just full of this stuff, and they didn't know how to get rid of it, so they've just lived with it for years," he said.

Participants may bring pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, rodenticides, fly tags, dewormers and fertilizers containing herbicides or pesticides, Buerck said.

"This isn't the place to bring old paint or paint thinners, those kinds of chemicals, [or] cleaning supplies," he said.

The pesticide collection will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Perry County Road and Bridge Department, 4803 N. Highway 51 in Perryville.

Three similar events are planned in Missouri this year -- one in Washington, one in Marshfield and one in an as-yet-undetermined location -- the Department of Natural Resources reported on its website, dnr.mo.gov.

The department has collected more than 123,000 pounds of unwanted pesticides and similar chemicals over the past two years, according to the website.

epriddy@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent address:

4803 N. Highway 51, Perryville, MO