HUTCHINSON, Kan. — With all the recent rain and flooding, there is some concern about mosquitoes. The Reno County Health Department, in conjunction with Reno County Emergency Management, is considering whether to seek federal funds for mosquito abatement.

President Donald Trump granted a disaster declaration last week and Reno County was included.

Reno County Health Department Director Nick Baldetti says they are already coming into money issues. He says the federal money would help.

He says they consulted officials with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment last Friday and there is some concern that the mosquitoes could be carrying the West Nile virus.

The county has traps at various locations to catch mosquitoes. He talked about what they’ve seen with the latest catch.

“For the June 18 surveillance week, we had 3,675 mosquitoes captured in our traps,” Baldetti said. “Of those 3,675, 3,134 were of the Culex species, or the species known to carry West Nile virus.” He says they have not yet gotten viral testing from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment as to whether those mosquitoes are actually carrying the live viral bodies for West Nile virus.

The plan is to submit a letter requesting the funding and see if those funds could be used to help mitigate what they see as a potential issue through the summer months.

He says submitting the letter doesn’t mean they are committing to any activity and that it’s not a 100% reimbursement for any cost the county should have for mosquito abatement.

Emergency Management Director Adam Weishaar also recommended sending the letter for the funds. “We need to jump on this quickly,” Weishaar said.

What exactly they would do to help control the mosquito population wasn’t decided, but it could include spraying across the county. A crop dusting plane could be used.