ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – When the summer rains hit, it’s an endless job for city crews every year plucking weeds from Albuquerque’s sidewalks and medians, but this year the city said a new method is helping them get ahead of the problem.
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It’s no secret just how hard it is for city crews to stay on top of clearing all the weeds that spring up across Albuquerque’s sidewalks and medians with the problem clearly visible nearly every year. “So, we’ve got a whole team that’s constantly managing this. We’re looking at a new proactive system that we’ve rolled out this summer. It’s allowed us to stay on top of these weed reports that we’re getting through 311,” Alex Bukoski, City of Albuqeurque Solid Waste Department management.
While less snowpack and rainfall have helped keep the pesky plants away, the city said crews have also been working ahead this year in hot spots identified by supervisors, where crews are clearing weeds out before they’re overgrown. “So a lot of it’s just staying on top of it, making sure that we’re out there. Pruning problem weeds that we might have, addressing them right away, trying to get them before they grow up,” said Bukoski.
The proactive approach has helped areas like here on the westside at Unser Blvd. and Tower Rd., where crews are focused on getting to the weeds before they dry out. “When they do that, something like a Russian thistle, that can blow in the wind. That can pollinate 10,000 more weeds,” he said.
The city is also focused on covering newer medians with xeriscaping and native plants. “Using those live pollinator gardens, have those root systems really choke out the weeds. Those natural pollinator gardens are self-sufficient,” said Bukoski.
With the new approach, the city said it’s moving faster than it would by just taking 311 complaints. “We’re actually seeing proactive assessment and proactive remediation happening way faster than when we’re receiving calls. So we’re really excited about how we’ve battled this,” said Bukoski.
The Solid Waste Department has roughly 43 employees answering 311 calls for weeds this season.
