S-3658               _______________________________________________

                                                   SENATE BILL NO. 6291

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                               51st Legislature                              1990 Regular Session

By Senators Hansen, Barr and Rasmussen

Read first time 1/10/90 and referred to Committee on  Agriculture.

AN ACT Relating to control of pests; adding new sections to chapter 17.10 RCW; creating a new section; and prescribing penalties.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.     The legislature finds that there is a significant infestation of purple loosestrife on many wetlands in the state, and that this weed is deleterious to the utilization of wetland habitat by many species of wildlife including migratory waterfowl, water dependent mammals, and assorted birds.  The legislature finds that the continuing rapid spread of the infestation will further degrade and destroy valuable wetland habitat which will reduce populations of migratory waterfowl and other wildlife species.  Further, the legislature finds that if effective management and control actions continue to be postponed, the expense will increase to the point where control of the weed and restoration of the damaged habitat will be cost prohibitive and loss of beneficial habitat will be permanent and irreversible.

          The purpose of this act is to establish an effective state-wide program for the control and eradication of the purple loosestrife infestation.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.     "Purple loosestrife" means the plant that has the biological name of lythrum salicaria.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.     The state noxious weed control board shall develop a purple loosestrife control and eradication program.

          (1) The objective of the program shall be to eliminate the spread of the weed in the short term and to eradicate purple loosestrife within five years.  The state noxious weed control board shall require local weed boards and weed districts to submit plans which require persons and entities with management control over the lands infested with purple loosestrife to (a) engage in a control program to prevent the production of viable seed on their land beginning in 1990; and (b) engage in an eradication program that will prevent the vegetative reproduction of purple loosestrife and that will achieve eradication of purple loosestrife plants by December 1995.

          (2) In areas of the state not covered by local weed boards or districts, the department of agriculture shall submit the plan required in subsection (1) of this section.

          (3) The state noxious weed control board shall review plans submitted in accordance with subsections (1) and (2) of this section to assure that the plans are sufficient to satisfy the objectives of sections 2 through 5 of this act.  The state noxious weed control board shall reject plans that do not conform with specifications set forth in this section.  The state noxious weed control board shall annually review the implementation of approved plans for compliance prior to approving requests for funding from the state noxious weed control board.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4.     The state noxious weed control board shall provide a report to the legislature on the status of the control and eradication program by December 1, 1995.  The report shall contain a listing of all counties where purple loosestrife has been eradicated.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5.     The sale and use of viable purple loosestrife seed or plant material in the state shall be prohibited.  The department of agriculture and the state noxious weed control board shall have authority to assess fines of up to one hundred dollars per day for persons violating this section.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6.     Sections 2 through 5 of this act are each added to chapter 17.10 RCW.