Scoop the poop – and don’t pollute

Bill Hinkley

Program Director, Massachusetts Environmental Trust (MET)

View Bill's Bio

Many posts on this blog focus on hiking, fishing, birding, and other great activities but I would guess that the most popular outdoor activity in Massachusetts is dog walking.

One of the most significant sources of water pollution in our rivers and bays is furry and has four legs. But the bigger problem may be the companion with two legs and a leash. Un-scooped dog waste contributes huge amounts of pollution – especially disease-causing bacteria – to our waters. In some water bodies, pet waste is the number one source of water pollution.

Hold your nose and consider this: In 2007, over 37 percent of households in the United States owned a dog. Let’s say there is one dog for each 10 people in a given watershed. Then assume an average half a pound of waste is generated per dog per day. The Charles River watershed, with some 900,000 residents, then likely has 90,000 dogs. At half a pound of waste per dog per day that is 45,000 pounds, or 22.5 tons of dog waste generated every day or over 16 million pounds per year!

Dog waste can carry many bacteria and other pathogens. Studies have shown that a typical dog dropping can have as many as 3 billion fecal coliform bacteria. Pets frequently carry giardia and salmonella as well. There are plenty of other compounds in that stuff that encourage the blooms of algae and weeds that clog up rivers and lakes. Some of that growth – called cyanobacteria – also presents a danger to human health.

Waste left on the sidewalk or on the grass doesn’t simply go away. It makes its way, untreated, to storm drains or directly into water bodies where we swim, boat, or fish. When rainstorms wash pet waste and other pollutants into storm drains, we get beach postings due to bacteria or cyanobacteria, warning against swimming just when we most want to go into the water.

So, pick up after your pets – in your yard, in the park, or on the street.

Comments

[Russ Cohen]

Here are links to a couple more outreach tools intended to educate dog owners and others about the adverse impacts of pet waste on our lands and waters:
http://www.thinkbluema.org/download/petwaste.pdf
http://www.thinkbluema.org/download/spikeAd.jpg

[John Scannell, Regional Director, DCR-DWSP Wachusett]

Although dog waste is a water pollution problem everywhere, it is especially problematic when around a drinking water supply, that is why a lot of water suppliers do not allow dog walking on their properties. Dog waste can also help lead to a higher water rate for consumers, the higher the number of bacteria in water, the more it costs for materials to treat the water to make it safe for the public. DCR Wachusett Reservoir Watershed staff has been working very hard to educate the public and watershed residents on this source of contamination. We have put together a brochure that can be found at : http://www.mass.gov/dcr/watersupply/watershed/documents/wachdogwaste.pdf

[Rebecca]

Major pet peeve of mine is animal owners who don't pick up after their animals. Don't get me wrong I am a huge animal lover, but I also very much love our planet and I think it a terrible shame when people are so thoughtless as to the far more reaching effects of not picking up after their pets. I love a long the cost and all of street gutters have the message on them about who lives down stream. Please think about what you let run out on to the street, because it ALL ends up back in our oceans.

[Bill Hinkley]

@GT - That is a terrific resource. You can download these fact sheets on beaches, algae, and pet waste from the Mass. Department of Public Health.
http://tinyurl.com/2dwled7

[GT]

The MDPH Bureau of Environmental Health also has information on their website pertaining to:

"Pet Waste and Bathing Beaches: Guidelines for Pet Owners"
"Protect Your Pets from Harmful Algae Blooms Poster"
"Harmful Algae Blooms in Fresh Water Bodies Brochure"