History of Northeast Massachusetts Mosquito Control

Northeast Massachusetts Mosquito Control and Wetlands Management District has been in existence for more than twenty years under its current name. Previously, known as Essex County Mosquito Control Project, but as the county wide project expanded both in towns and responsibilities, the name changed to reflect the new scope of work. With the discovery of West Nile Virus in New York City in 2000, a change in the direction of mosquito control from nuisance control to greater emphasis on public safety and health related operations. Today the focus is on surveillance, proactive wetlands management, and programmatic application of larvicides through daily inspections and treatment of breeding sources. We serve 32 communities in the region, including Revere and Winthrop. The district operates under the authority of Chapter 252 and Chapter 112 of the General Laws of the Commonwealth (GLC) and is governed at state level by the State Reclamation and Mosquito Control Board, housed within the Massachusetts Department of Food and Agriculture. Our funding is generated from Cherry Sheet assessments to our member communities, based on estimated equalized evaluations and geographic square miles of an area.