From The Sacramento Bee
July 20, 2018
As concerns grow over reports of intense West Nile virus activity in the Sacramento region, the city of Sacramento Department of Utilities may have unintentionally accelerated a localized increase of West Nile activity in the Pocket area.
The Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District confirmed that a disruption in water flow from the Pocket Canal to the Sacramento River caused mosquitoes to proliferate in the area. Efforts by the city to apply an algaecide treatment to the Pocket Canal caused the water disruption.
As a result, water backed up into drain inlets in residential areas of the Pocket. The stagnant water within the basins acted as an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes during West Nile virus season.
With high activity in the area, aerial sprays for West Nile virus could occur next week, the vector control district announced Wednesday. The district is expected to decide Friday whether to spray over Pocket/Greenhaven, south Sacramento and Elk Grove.