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<br />Tracking expenses related to combating West Nile Virus is difficult, primarily because <br />the cost of inoculations is borne by the owner of the livestock, and record keeping of the <br />distribution and use of the vaccine is sketchy. On the other hand, however, expenses <br />related to spraying are trackable - and Weld County's appropriation of $500,000 <br />specifically for spraying to protect against WNV is likely to be the tip of a growing <br />iceberg. <br /> <br />Multi-Hazard Considerations: <br />One interesting product of the Hazard Identification and Vulnerability Assessments <br />undertaken as part of this planning process is the plethora of multi-hazard considerations <br />that have come to light. It is very clear that our exposure to natural hazards is a complex <br />relationship between weather, the physical environment, and human activity. <br /> <br />Below is a list of multi -hazard considerations that the planning Team has identified: <br /> <br />· Wildland/grassland fires are related to drought, as drought increases the availability <br />of fuels <br /> <br />· Retention ponds may serve well to prevent damages resulting from drainage and <br />flooding, but they also serve as a breeding ground for mosquitoes that can transmit <br />West Nile Virus <br /> <br />· Drought could ease the threat of West Nile Virus by drying up areas of standing <br />water that serve as mosquito breeding grounds --- but the current wet spring has <br />negated that. <br /> <br />· Interest in a seldom-used State program to bury old, used tires has increased now that <br />people want to be rid of old tires because mosquitoes an breed in the standing water <br />they collect. <br /> <br />· The Tamarisk (Salt Cedar) plant can clog the waterways where it grows, contributing <br />to flood damages, while at the same time demands significant water resources, <br />contributing to the drought <br /> <br />· The CRP program contributes to the additional growth of noxious weeds, which in <br />turn, contributes to an increased risk of fire <br /> <br />· Tumbleweeds contribute to fire by being a fuel source, and collecting along rail <br />tracks where brake sparks can ignite them. They also can clog drainageways, <br />aggravating flooding conditions. <br /> <br />43 <br />