PINE BLUFF, Ark. (KTHV) - After recent rain and flooding, some areas of central Arkansas are battling lots of mosquitoes. The Pine Bluff and Jefferson County officials met to talk about it Tuesday, Sept. 25.
"Being in this area of the state we've always had a mosquito problem, but that problem escalated drastically after the hurricane," Pine Bluff Mayor Shirley Washington said.
Washington said the small insect has become a big problem. The city does not have trucks actively spraying right now. However, Jefferson County staff said they've been spraying areas as needed.
"That depends on the rainfall. You could spray an area today, if it rains tonight the insecticide might be washed away," Jefferson County Judge Booker Clemons said.
Rainfall isn’t the only determining factor. The county said one container of chemicals costs about $5,800 and they've used three containers this year. They met with city staff to see if the city could bear some of that expense.
"What I found was that there really was no plan. There was no agreement in place at this time between the city and the county for spraying," Washington said.
Washington will ask city council to approve buying chemicals so the county can up the spraying.
"If they would provide equipment and they would provide chemical, then we might have a working plan," Washington said.
The Sherwood and Jacksonville public works departments are also working to combat mosquitoes.
They both say they're spraying every street weekly and educating the public about prevention methods. Mayor Washington and Judge Clemons say mosquito breeding areas are a primary focus, including standing water and trees throughout the area.
"We take the mosquito problem very seriously and we want to do our very best to eradicate them," Washington said.