The State of California has regulations in place to protect water quality in the Sacramento and San Joaquin River watersheds. The regulations focus on managing pesticide use to prevent harm to aquatic life in our streams and rivers — including fish, reptiles, amphibians, crayfish, mussels, mollusks, and crustaceans.
Any chemicals used in our yards and gardens can be washed directly into streams and rivers. It is best to use less-toxic pesticides or other means of controlling unwanted pests, rather than harmful pesticides.
This page provides background on pesticides and pyrethroids. See Information for Residents for what you can do at home, and Hiring Pest Control & Landscape Professionals for guidance on hiring help.
Look for the TAKE ACTION! items throughout these pages to see how small changes can make a big difference.
General Pesticide Information
Pesticides and herbicides are used to control unwanted bugs and plants (“pests”) such as insects (ants, wasps), rodents (mice, rats), weeds, or other unwanted organisms. Although efficient, even when used correctly, these chemicals can cause harm to human health or have negative consequences within the environment. It is important to consider less-toxic or other alternatives and always follow label instructions when pesticide applications are needed.
TAKE ACTION! Read the label of the pesticide you are thinking about purchasing and select the pesticide carefully. Ensure that it is appropriate for the pest and determine where you will use it. Helpful guides:
In California, pesticides are regulated by the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) and by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA):
Pyrethroid Pesticides in Waterways
Although there are many different types of pesticides, one group of pesticides called pyrethroids is of particular concern because they are being found in our local waterways. Pyrethroid pesticides are primarily used for ants, cockroaches, and other insects. However, they take a long time to break down once they’re in the environment, which means that they can cause unintended harm to many other types of beneficial insects (e.g., bees, ladybugs) and aquatic life.
TAKE ACTION! Products that contain pyrethroids typically have active ingredients that end with the letters “-thrin.” When reading the pesticide label, look to see if any of the active ingredients include:
- Permethrin
- Bifenthrin
- Cyfluthrin / Beta-cyfluthrin
- Cypermethrin
- Deltamethrin
- Lambda-cyhalothrin
- Tralomethrin
- Esfenvalerate (an exception to the “-thrin” rule)
If a pyrethroid is an active ingredient, consider other ways to address the pest — less-toxic pesticides or controls that don’t require any pesticide. To learn more, visit Our Water, Our World — Pesticides and Water Quality.
Point-of-Purchase
“Point-of-purchase” or “point-of-sale” campaigns are focused efforts to educate and raise awareness among both retailers and consumers so they can make informed decisions about what types of products are available for sale (retailers) and what products are most effective and least harmful (consumers). Point-of-purchase displays often include shelf edging, tags, and display stands with fact sheets, banners, and other educational materials.
Our Water — Our World (OWOW) is an established point-of-purchase program implemented in retail stores that sell pest control products in northern California.
TAKE ACTION! Next time you visit your local gardening or home supply retailer, look for OWOW displays and educational materials. Find an OWOW participating store near you →