Fort Worth Sprays for Mosquitoes for First Time in Decades

Fort Worth will battle West Nile virus with ground spraying for mosquitoes for the first time in 20 years.

Two trucks will spray an area just south of downtown, which includes the hospital district and the Fairmount neighborhood Friday night through Sunday.

Forty miles of city streets in portions of zip codes 76104 and 76110 will be sprayed. The area is the part of Fort Worth where the most trapped mosquitoes have tested positive for West Nile virus.

Angela Bowden, who owns a West Fort Worth apartment building just south of Interstate 30, said she thinks the spraying is great.

"I wish they would spray the whole city," she said.

Signs there and in the Fairmount neighborhood informed residents of the spraying.

But not everyone was happy about the spraying. City officials said they had received a few threats from residents who did not want the neighborhoods to be sprayed.

The city said the amount of Permethrin, the chemical being used is less than what is used in most over-the-counter sprays.

This weekend's spraying could cost less than $50,000 or as much as $150,000, but the final price is not yet known.

Each spray will take place between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m., weather permitting.

If rain prevents crews from spraying Friday night, they will make up for it on Monday.

Ground spraying is taking place or being planned for other Tarrant County cities, such as Arlington, Bedford, Benbrook, Euless, Hurst and North Richland Hills.

There are no plans for Fort Worth or other cities in Tarrant County to transition to aerial spraying.

NBC 5's Scott Gordon contributed to this report.