Edmonton pet owners will need to get their dog walks in early Monday evening at the Terwillegar Park off-leash area, as the popular dog park will be closed overnight for weed spraying.
The park will be closed from 9 p.m. Monday until 9 a.m. Tuesday, for herbicide application on a weed called field scabious.
The noxious weed, which has spiky purple flowers, chokes out other plants. Because field scabious travels easily on shoes and dog fur, the city said it is crucial to control growth before it spreads to other parts of the river valley.
City staff will use a herbicide called ClearView, which it says is safe for people and animals as soon as it dries. It will cause the blooms of flowers to die off, and the plants may become brown or black.
The City of Edmonton said most entrances to the off-leash area will be closed and enforced by park rangers as the spraying takes place Monday night.
The trail to the Terwillegar Park footbridge will remain open, but people are advised to avoid sprayed areas and stay on the trails.
In 2015, City Council approved a herbicide ban with exceptions, one of which is the use of herbicide to control noxious weeds. Herbicide is used on a very small percentage of Edmonton parkland.
The city is also in the process of assessing its 1,465 sports fields for dandelions and spraying herbicide where necessary. The city is using iron chelate for that treatment.
READ MORE: All City of Edmonton sports fields to be sprayed for dandelions this summer
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