Regulations
Updated CDPR regulations and federal label changes have required Pest Control Professionals to make changes in how they apply pesticides. These requirements are contained in the California Surface Water Regulations proposed by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR), and in label changes required by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help ensure that pesticides are applied in a manner to minimize runoff that may reach surface waters and urban waterways.
Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):
In an effort to address concerns about surface water runoff, the EPA has initiated a series of product label changes. Each product label has been individually modified by the registrant and then reviewed and approved by EPA, thus the time line for each product may vary. Key dates and an approximate time frame are listed below, but each product is handled individually and may vary from what is outlined below:
June 2009 EPA sends letter to pyrethroid registrants detailing new Environmental Hazard Statements and modified directions for use.
[Any new pyrethroid products or label changes approved much past this date will already have the new language]
June 2010 Registrants are requested to have their individual product labels modified to include the new language and submitted to EPA.
September 2010 EPA must review each label, approve or modify and return to the registrant. EPA could take 90 days or more depending on the complexity of the label and whether or not other label changes were requested at the same time.
March 2012 Once a label has been approved by the EPA, registrants have up to 18 months to use up stocks of existing packaging components and switch over production to the new label. Although each product may be different, deadlines like this are typically directed at the manufacturers. The EPA usually allows distributors and PMPs to buy, sell and use any product that is already in the channels of trade.
January 2013: US EPA issues letter revising the environmental hazard and general labeling for pyrethroid non-agricultural products.
California Department of Pesticide Regulation:
While similar in intent to the federal EPA label changes, California's DPR has implemented regulations that differ somewhat from federal label requirements. States can be more restrictive than the federal label but cannot change the actual labels, which only EPA is authorized to do.
California DPR's Surface Water Protection Regulations apply to all certified professional applicators and to a list of 17 pyrethroids used in pest control businesses, including maintenance gardeners.
The changes to CDPR's Surface Water Regulations were finalized in July of 2012. You can view the regulations here.