Dog Waste is Sewage, Too!
We love our dogs and know that they need to get outside regularly for exercise and to do their “business.” But, did you know that dog waste can cause water quality problems? Almost 40 percent of Washington state households have at least one dog. Together those dogs produce hundreds of tons of new waste each day! In the fall when it begins to rain, pet waste washes it into Washington’s waterways. Like fertilizer and livestock manure, it puts nitrogen into the water, causing algae to grow, die and decompose. This uses up oxygen that fish and other aquatic animals need to breathe, causing fish kills. Nutrients and bacteria from pet waste also contaminate shellfish beds and result in beaches closed to shellfish harvest.
Viewer Tip: If you own a dog, be sure to pick up waste in a plastic bag and put it in the garbage. Even better, use a biodegradable bag. You can also flush dog poop down the toilet, but only if your wastewater goes to a treatment plant. If you can’t keep up with your dog’s waste yourself, a pet waste pick-up service can do it for you. You’ll find them in the phone book or on-line.
This information is provided by the Port Townsend Marine Science Center. Learn more: www.ptmsc.org.
Season: Fall
(Sources: Pollution Prevention Fact Sheet: Animal Waste Collection, http://www.stormwatercenter.net/Pollution_Prevention_Factsheets/AnimalWasteCollection.htm; Washington Department of Ecology: ttp://www.ecy.wa.gov/washington_waters/dogpoopTools.html)
