Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the University of Connecticut will conduct a workshop for municipal staff on recent legislation (Public Act 13 – 82) concerning running bamboo.
The workshop will be held on Aug. 20 from 9:30 a.m. to noon at the Milford City Hall auditorium, 110 River St., Milford.
Running bamboo grows rapidly and is often sold as a privacy screen. However, if not properly contained it can spread quickly from the point of planting to unwanted areas, can damage neighboring properties and may be difficult and expensive to control or eradicate.
The new law establishes setbacks from property lines and containment requirements for those planting running bamboo, and requires retail sellers to provide information to people who purchase the plant, including methods to keep it contained.
Under the new law, town zoning enforcement officers and other staff have authority to enforce its provisions. The DEEP-UConn workshop is intended to efficiently distribute information about this new law to municipal officials and address relevant enforcement and bamboo control questions they may have.
Due to limited space and resources, attendance is limited to municipal staff who may be actually enforcing the law (or their representatives) and no more than five staffers per town.
The law provides for enforcement by authorized:
- Municipal constables
- Municipal tree wardens
- Zoning enforcement officers
- Inland wetlands and watercourses enforcement officers
The event is free, but registration by Aug. 16 is needed to confirm that space is still available.
Registration and additional information are available online at www.cipwg.uconn.edu/bamboo.
