Battling bugs: Judge issues warrants for pool inspections

Hard times have left 418 neglected pools in Yuba and Sutter counties where mosquitos that carry the West Nile virus can breed — spurring a public agency to obtain a warrant allowing officials to enter properties to inspect and treat pools.

"It's a very last resort," said Michael Kimball, foreman of the Sutter-Yuba Mosquito Vector Control District.

Two warrants were used Thursday to inspect pools in Sutter County.

One home was entered after severa\l messages left at the property didn't produce a response and district officials posted the warrant, Kimball said. A person at the home opened the door and allowed the inspection, he added.

Officials made the second entry after several tries to contact the homeowner and discovered a pool with a very high larval count, Kimball said.

Bacillus sphaericus — bacteria that larvae eat and die — may be applied. Mineral oil and mosquito fish can also be used to treat pools.

Most neglected pools involve foreclosed properties, Kimball said, but in some cases homeowners couldn't afford to take care of pools.

The district conducts aerial reconnaissance to find neglected pools.

Sutter County Superior Court Judge Perry Parker signed the warrant June 24 that allows officials to inspect and treat pools.

Kimball said a single pool can allow breeding of hundreds of thousands of mosquitos and "pose a serious threat to the community" by transmitting the West Nile virus.

One human case involving the virus was reported in 2009 in Yuba and Sutter counties. No human cases have been reported so far this year, Kimball said.