Start with water—not an assumed buffer
Show WTG where water is present before a treatment footprint is drawn. Include permanent and seasonal features, constructed systems and the routes water follows across the property. Aerial imagery can help orientation, but it may miss a small swale beneath vegetation, an intermittent channel, a new pond or a buried intake. Current owner and site-manager observations matter.
WTG provides planned professional ground application of Komodo to suitable vegetation and ground fuels. It does not issue a wetland delineation, environmental clearance, water-quality certification or universal setback. If the location or status of a feature is unresolved, the surrounding area should remain outside the proposed scope until the responsible party provides direction.
Separate manufacturer statements from site approval
Komodo’s FAQ says the product was determined to be essentially non-toxic to fish and mammals in federal laboratory testing and describes it as safe when used as directed. Those are product-manufacturer statements with an important condition: the exact product and use must follow the applicable directions. They are not permission to apply into water and do not establish that every shoreline, drainage, wetland or drinking-water area is appropriate for treatment.
WTG does not turn a toxicity result or marketing statement into a blanket aquatic-safety guarantee. The proposed formulation, current product documents, site conditions, land authority and applicable requirements must support the actual scope.
Treat surface water and shoreline vegetation as distinct decisions
Vegetation beside a pond or stream is not automatically part of the treatment area merely because it is combustible or inside the parcel. The proposal should distinguish open water, banks, riparian growth, adjacent upland vegetation and equipment routes. Each can present different access, ownership, product-use and resource questions.
A broadly drawn perimeter should never be read as authorization to spray across a shoreline or channel. Where a treatment unit approaches water, use recognizable field boundaries and show the excluded side clearly enough that the crew and owner can follow it.
Include wells, springs, cisterns and intakes
Tell WTG about drinking-water wells, wellheads, springs, cisterns, tanks and surface-water intakes even when they are not obvious from the proposed vegetation. Mark buried lines or protected zones when known and identify the person or authority responsible for the system.
WTG does not certify drinking-water protection or choose a regulatory separation distance from a general web page. The owner or responsible authority must identify applicable requirements, and unresolved areas stay excluded. Do not use a pond-and-stream discussion as a substitute for a site-specific well or intake review.
Follow the route water takes after application
A feature does not need to hold water on the application day to matter. Slopes, compacted roads, ditches, culverts, roofs, parking areas and storm drains can carry runoff toward a pond, stream or public drainage system. Show where water travels during irrigation, snowmelt and ordinary storms, including flow that crosses neighboring land.
The plan should consider staging and equipment movement as well as the spray boundary. Product storage, transfer and cleanup locations should not be selected without understanding nearby drains and flow paths.
Review irrigation and repeated saturation
Identify sprinklers, drip systems, flood irrigation, canal deliveries and drainage-return schedules that affect proposed treatment units. Komodo’s manufacturer says repeated saturation can reduce product efficacy and recommends irrigating at the base of treated plants where practical. That is manufacturer guidance—not a universal irrigation design or performance warranty.
WTG should coordinate the approved application window with known irrigation, then document project-specific instructions. Do not invent a shutoff interval or reapplication schedule from a general article. Changed irrigation, leaks or unusually wet conditions should be reported for review. Read the maintenance and weather guide.
Use the exact product instructions and Safety Data Sheet
Product name, formulation and intended use determine which documents apply. The January 15, 2021 Komodo K500CC Safety Data Sheet says to prevent material from entering public sewers or waterways in the event of a release, and it gives containment, cleanup and reporting guidance. That spill language supports careful planning; it is not a field-application setback and should not be stretched to cover another formulation.
Before work, WTG should use the current instructions and Safety Data Sheet for the exact product being deployed. The September 15, 2025 Forest Service Qualified Products List and November 2021 K500CC product sheet document specified qualification and ground-apparatus conditions, but they do not approve a particular water-adjacent site. Understand product qualification and its limits.
Do not copy an aerial-operations distance into a private ground plan
The Forest Service maintains aquatic avoidance-area data for aerial retardant operations on National Forest System lands. Its April 2026 data describe a default mapped representation around perennial and intermittent water features that individual forests may modify. Those rules and maps show why waterways receive explicit operational planning.
They do not create a universal buffer for WTG’s private ground application. A ground project needs its own product-specific, site-specific and jurisdiction-specific review. WTG will not publish one distance that appears to settle every property, formulation, water feature or authority.
Make exclusions visible in the proposal and field plan
Use mapped polygons, marked endpoints or recognizable physical references—not an unwritten instruction to “stay away from water.” Label proposed, excluded and unresolved areas separately. If the boundary depends on a seasonal channel or a feature hidden by vegetation, arrange field confirmation before application.
The application crew needs authority to stop when actual conditions differ from the approved map. A new seep, flowing ditch, saturated area, changed irrigation pattern or unmarked drain can justify narrowing the unit or pausing it for review. No material expansion should occur without an authorized written change.
Plan spill prevention and response before mobilization
EPA’s December 2021 stormwater guidance says a spill plan should address prevention, source control, containment, cleanup, disposal, responsible people, reporting and records. For this project, the exact product Safety Data Sheet and applicable public requirements control the response.
Keep product handling and transfer arrangements explicit, identify drains and waterways near staging, and make appropriate response materials and contacts available. If a release occurs, stop work, protect people, prevent further spread when safe, follow the current Safety Data Sheet and contact the appropriate authorities when required. WTG does not replace those instructions with a universal reportable quantity or generic cleanup rule.
Record what was treated—and what was not
The completion record should identify the exact product, application date, completed treatment units, water-related exclusions and material field changes. Keep the final map with the property file so a later owner, caretaker, manager or contractor does not assume an excluded shoreline or drainage was treated.
Report later grading, ditch work, irrigation changes, floods, erosion, vegetation removal or new growth that changes the documented area. WTG does not promise a fixed protection duration or automatic reapplication interval. See what a useful treatment record contains.
Request a water-aware property review
Send the property address, property type, priority buildings or operating areas, current photos and a simple map when available. Mark known ponds, streams, wells, drainage, irrigation and seasonal wet areas, and note who controls them. You do not need to decide the final buffer or treatment measurement before contacting WTG.
Request a wildfire pretreatment quote. WTG will review suitable vegetation, water-related questions, access, exclusions, travel and scheduling before confirming a project.
Questions about this service
Is Komodo safe near ponds and streams?
Komodo’s manufacturer says the product was determined to be essentially non-toxic to fish and mammals and describes it as safe when used as directed. WTG treats that as a product-specific manufacturer statement—not permission to apply into water or a blanket assurance for every site, species or exposure.
How far should application stay from water?
There is no one distance on this page. The exact product documents, feature, slope, drainage, intended use, jurisdiction and responsible authority determine the project boundary. Unresolved areas remain excluded.
Can vegetation beside a pond or stream be treated?
Possibly, when the exact vegetation, product use, access, runoff path, land authority and applicable requirements support a defined scope. Shoreline or riparian vegetation is not included automatically.
What should I identify around a well or cistern?
Mark the wellhead or intake, known protected area, buried lines, drainage and responsible water-system contact. WTG does not certify drinking-water protection or choose a regulatory separation distance.
What if rain or irrigation is expected?
Tell WTG about the forecast, soil condition and irrigation schedule. The crew follows the exact product instructions and field plan; conditions may change the sequence, narrow the scope or require rescheduling.
What happens if product reaches a drain or waterway?
Stop work and follow the current Safety Data Sheet and project response plan, including containment and required notifications. Contact appropriate emergency or environmental authorities promptly when the circumstances require it.
Do I need a permit or environmental review?
Requirements depend on the land, water feature, jurisdiction and project. The owner or responsible agency determines needed permissions and specialist review; a WTG quote is not a permit or compliance certification.