Hoping to protect its residents, the city of Dubuque will stop spraying pesticides in five more parks. That will be in addition to the 10 that are already pesticide-free.
Park Division Manager Stephen Fehsal says that the community played a role in making this happen.
"With the recent Monsanto claims, there has been a community push to reduce pesticide use in parks and other city facilities."
Monsanto makes a pesticide called Round Up that has been the subject of large jury awards for possibly causing cancer.
Fehsal says they determined which of Dubuque's 50 parks would be pesticide-free by ensuring that everyone in the city lives close to one. They also considered its practicality.
"We looked at what are we currently doing as far as our maintenance practices in these parks related to mowing and playground maintenance. Also, we looked at if there is the opportunity to not spray pesticides but still maintain a good aesthetic look for the park facility."
Dubuque first decided to stop using pesticides in some of its parks in 2016, and it intends to declare more parks pesticide-free in the future.