La Manzanilla message board

the arroyo project... Posted by stephanie on July 10, 2018, 9:31 pm Must admit I was a big fan of cleaning out the arroyo, well maybe not to the extent it has been excavated, but it did need to go deeper so it would not go wider, however, they went too deep, below the water table! So while continued rains will flush it...there is now stagnant water sitting for days which breeds all sorts of mosquitos and that can potentially bring dengue back to the pueblo! the local neighbors are aware of this and we are strongly urging all to go and talk either to Premmie at the Ejido office, Gustavo at the Delegacion and to Centro de Salud! I did speak with Premmie the other day and he said he would look into it but I think if more go..more might get done! Thanks, stay healthy! -------------------

Re: the arroyo project... Posted by David on July 11, 2018, 11:58 am, in reply to "the arroyo project..." My understanding is that corn starch kills mosquito larvae by clogging their breathing tubes. More environmentally friendly than oil or DDT. Might be worth trying. -------------------

Re: the arroyo project... Posted by stephanie on July 11, 2018, 12:45 pm, in reply to "Re: the arroyo project..." and how much cornstarch would it take to take care of a two block long lake..just asking? -------------------

Re: the arroyo project... Posted by Jean on July 11, 2018, 1:10 pm, in reply to "Re: the arroyo project..." Truckloads. And more. AND there's a caiman already. So be cautious. -------------------

Re: the arroyo project... Posted by stephanie on July 11, 2018, 1:27 pm, in reply to "Re: the arroyo project..." where..up by us..or in the lagoon? They were talking about filling it in somehow??????????? I have a big machine that has died up in my camino....???????? -------------------

Re: the arroyo project... Posted by David on July 11, 2018, 7:26 pm, in reply to "Re: the arroyo project..." Very little. It only needs to be molecule-thick. Same with diesel, fwiw - the merest film fouls their breathing. Another, friendlier treatment is bacillus thuringiensis israelensis. No idea how much you’d need for that. A box of cornstarch is so cheap that it’s worth a shot. The challenge with be dusting it across the surface, not having it clump. Use a leaf blower?. -------------------

Re: the arroyo project... Posted by Jean on July 11, 2018, 7:48 pm, in reply to "Re: the arroyo project..." David, they aren't puddles. Stephanie, can you out up pics? -------------------

Re: the arroyo project...photos Posted by Karen Taylor on July 12, 2018, 10:50 am, in reply to "Re: the arroyo project..." Here are some pictures I took today of area. At least my dog Dulce is making the best of it and taking a dip. These were taken on the road to Stephanie's house toward the ocean and toward yellow bridge. As you go farther down towards and past the yellow bridge (not pictured here), it is a roller coaster effect the way the dug in to the arroyo and left high spots. I also included a video I took a few days ago. The view is walking from Playa Blanca, as it crosses arroyo, toward the road to Stephanie's, you can see the broken bulldozer parked at the corner. The shallow water is attracting tons of butterflies. -------------------

Re: the arroyo project...photos Posted by Jean on July 12, 2018, 11:11 am, in reply to "Re: the arroyo project...photos" Well done Karen. -------------------

Re: the arroyo project... Posted by David on July 12, 2018, 1:13 pm, in reply to "Re: the arroyo project..." > David, they aren't puddles. No shit! And as I said, it will take a very small amount of cornstarch or diesel to kill the larvae. A kilo of cornstarch a molecule thick will cover an acre of lake. A couple cups of diesel will do the same. But, hey, go ahead and continue to nay-say my suggestion, and continue to not offer any alternative solutions. Enjoy your dengue fever. -------------------

Re: the arroyo project... Posted by LisaFern on July 11, 2018, 1:44 pm, in reply to "the arroyo project..." This major project has not only created health hazards and impacted household water systems. The damage done by the huge machine scraping bare all life in the arroyo is devastating to many levels of the ecosystem in and around this waterway. I don't know who is behind this project, or if any of the organizations that are entrusted to protect and conserve biodiversity were consulted. I doubt this mess will achieve any of their perceived goals, whatever they are. This violent intervention in the already compromised watershed is thoughtless, short-sighted, and cruel, especially taking place during breeding season for many amphibians, reptiles, butterflies, and birds. I am a foreign guest in this beautiful country, so I am only expressing my opinion based on what I know and have learned about ecosystems. It is very tragic to look at what they have done. I want to say, "I'm sorry". Nature will her best to quickly re-grow and stabilize the damage. -------------------

Re: the arroyo project... Posted by david c on July 12, 2018, 1:54 pm, in reply to "Re: the arroyo project..." A couple of real heavy rains will make a mess of the whole area, mark my words! Plz take a video after the next heavy rain to show us the results, should be interesting, to say the least!! Gracias!! -------------------

Re: the arroyo project... Posted by RuthC on July 13, 2018, 4:59 am, in reply to "Re: the arroyo project..." Coffee grounds sprinkled in the standing water has good potential to deter egg laying, will kill off larva and is a good environmental choice. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4436121/ -------------------

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