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The Zone 7 Water Agency is bringing back one of the best assets in its fire prevention and flood channel maintenance departments for this summer — goats.
For a third fire season in a row, the agency is turning to contractors with goats coming north from South America as part of its comprehensive mowing efforts to “maintain local flood channels and reduce the risk of fire.”
“The goats eat away overgrown vegetation along the banks of waterways, including overgrown trees and bushes with their six (foot) reach, as well as grasses and weeds along the ground,” according to a recent press release from the agency.
According to Zone 7, the goats are part of the agency’s integrated vegetation management plan, which aims to control weeds, grass and shrubs along flood protection channels that, in some areas, also serve as recreational areas for Tri-Valley residents.
According to the press release, these areas — while beneficial to the communities — pose high fire risks, which makes the goat’s jobs of vegetation maintenance even more important.
“The goats hungrily chew away ragweed, poison oak, thistles, and even thorny vines like blackberry, which controls brush and creates an effective fire break,” Zone 7 officials said. “The goats naturally clear low-lying brush and fallen branches, all without disturbing the soil or using pesticides.”
The agency also stated that apart from the goats, it also collaborates with fire officials, environmental regulators and wildlife experts to balance fire mitigation with habitat creation in the channels. It also stated that mowing the channels from the top of the banks to about eight to 10 feet into the channels not only minimizes fire chances, it is also considered an effective fire mitigation strategy by the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department.
But when humans can’t safely make it up and down the slopes of the channels, that’s when the goats — with their agile ability to climb — come in.
The goats were supposed to arrive in mid-May so that they could begin chomping away at the vegetation and be done by the end of June. However, according to Alexandra Bradley, communications specialist at Zone 7, the goats have been delayed in getting to the Tri-Valley and have not arrived to clock in as of Wednesday, although they were on track to arrive soon.
Zone 7’s overall mowing program, which began in May, is slated to be completed in early July — the agency however, said it will continue to monitor and maintain the 37 miles of flood protection channels as needed throughout the summer.
