Linas said when county officials ignored and brushed aside his complaints, he and others turned to social media. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe want an end to the use of herbicides in our creeks,\u201d Linas said. \u201cThis idea that we\u2019re just going to spray, hose down these creeks and leave them dead is unacceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Brent](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1772363293_251_.jpeg\")
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Brent Linas walks through foliage along the Trabuco Creek where no herbicide was sprayed.<\/p>\n
The account has gained more than 4,600 followers in three weeks. Linas and other residents have filed requests for records detailing the chemicals the county uses to control vegetation in the waterways, such as glyphosate, triclopyr<\/a> and imazapyr.<\/a> <\/p>\n They have posted images of workers spraying chemicals and used artificial intelligence to make illustrations resembling movie posters<\/a> and old-fashioned magazine ads<\/a>, some with surfers under the slogan \u201cEndless Herbicides<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n San Juan Creek meets the ocean beside the popular surf break at Doheny State Beach. Linas, who often takes his two kids there, said surfers are angry about the spraying and are helping make fliers.<\/p>\n Orange County Public Works officials defend their practices.<\/p>\n \u201cVegetation management in flood control channels is conducted to maintain flood protection capacity and protect public safety,\u201d Dave Ahern, a spokesperson for the agency, said in an email. \u201cWhen chemical treatments are used, they are applied in a limited and targeted manner, consistent with applicable regulations.\u201d<\/p>\n The county will hold<\/a> a town hall in Dana Point on Monday night to provide information and hear from the public.<\/p>\n County Supervisor Katrina Foley said she generally opposes<\/a> using herbicides in waterways. Her district includes San Juan Capistrano, Dana Point and the flood control channels of San Juan Creek and Trabuco Creek.<\/p>\n Birds rest along San Juan Creek near Doheny State Beach in Dana Point.<\/p>\n \u201cI would like us to use the least toxic alternative possible, wherever possible,\u201d Foley said in an interview. At the same time, she said, the county must keep channels clear of vegetation and at full capacity to protect neighborhoods against flooding<\/a>. <\/p>\n The county uses only herbicides approved by state water regulators and the federal Environmental Protection Agency, and crews do not spray during bird nesting season or when endangered Southern California steelhead trout<\/a> may be swimming upstream to spawn, the supervisor said.<\/p>\n Documents obtained by the Creek Team detail chemicals used in 2024<\/a> to \u201ceradicate nuisance weeds\u201d in flood control channels, or \u201cwashes,\u201d as many Southern Californians know them. They also show the county plans<\/a> to spray herbicides on more than 2,000 acres in dozens of channels and basins this year, among them the Santa Ana River and Aliso Creek.<\/p>\n The State Water Resources Control Board regulates herbicide use on aquatic plants and grants permits<\/a> with requirements for using these chemicals.<\/p>\n State records<\/a> show that in 2024 the county violated rules by submitting data that was \u201cincomplete, inaccurate, or inconsistent.\u201d Orange County Public Works wrote that it was \u201cconducting a thorough review\u201d to ensure compliance.<\/p>\n The state water board allows glyphosate, the key ingredient in the herbicide Roundup, to be used on plants in waterways.<\/p>\n The weedkiller has come under increasing scrutiny as Bayer, Roundup\u2019s maker, has faced thousands of lawsuits alleging it failed to warn people it could cause cancer. (In February, the company announced<\/a> a proposed $7.25-billion settlement to resolve thousands of suits by cancer patients. President Trump\u2019s recent order to increase domestic production<\/a> of glyphosate has angered activists who previously supported him.)<\/p>\n Supervisor Foley said she learned the county used Roundup in San Juan Creek about a year ago and made a complaint. She said the county has not used that chemical since January 2025 in the San Juan and Trabuco flood channels.<\/p>\n Brent Linas started a community group called The Creek Team OC to speak out on social media about how the county is using herbicides in creeks.<\/p>\n A record<\/a> obtained by residents shows that in July, workers sprayed different herbicides in San Juan Creek, including triclopyr and imazapyr. Totaling the gallons listed, Linas calculated they sprayed 8 tons \u2014 a figure he has repeatedly used in the campaign with the demand \u201cStop the Ecocide!\u201d<\/p>\n Foley said it was actually 34 pounds of herbicide \u201cdiluted with 8 tons of water,\u201d and that officials are trying to use the \u201cleast amount\u201d possible. She is pushing the county to consider alternatives, including perhaps hand weeding or even grazing goats<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cMy goal is to try to find every possible way that we can avoid using chemicals,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n However, she doesn\u2019t see the washes as natural creeks. <\/p>\n \u201cThe purpose of the channel is not to hold habitat,\u201d she said. \u201cThe purpose of the channel is to accommodate water during a flood.\u201d<\/p>\n Linas disagrees. He previously lived for years in San Diego County, where he ran along waterways teeming with birds among reeds, willows and sycamores.<\/p>\n Beachgoers play in the water at the mouth of the San Juan Creek as it flows into the Pacific Ocean.<\/p>\n![\"Birds](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1772363295_844_.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Brent](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1772363296_743_.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Beachgoers](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1772363298_36_.jpeg\")
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