by Amber Ellis, JRA’s Watershed Restoration Associate/Volunteer Coordinator
If you have a dog, then you have a chance every day to take a simple action that will help keep our streams and the James River safe from harmful bacteria. It’s easy…scoop the poop!
Some people think pet waste is natural, so just leave it to fertilize their lawn. Well, it is “natural”, but so is human poop and over the years we have created waste water treatment plants and septic systems to manage it safely.
Over 9,000 miles of our rivers and streams in Virginia are impaired due to bacteria. Pet waste is not the only culprit, but it makes up a big chunk of it and it is something that pet owners can do something about. Other sources of bacteria are agricultural runoff, leaking sanitary and storm sewers, and urban runoff.
Pet waste carries bacteria, such as E. Coli, that is washed into our waterways during rain or snow storms. Even if you cannot see a waterway from your house, that stormwater runoff flows into storm drains where it is then discharged directly into a natural body of water carrying all of that bacteria that it picked up along the way with it. Yuck!
So it’s simple… when you let your dog out to do his or her business, follow these 3 steps. 1) Take a bag with you, 2) use the bag to pick up the waste, and 3) toss it in the trash! This is one of the easiest things that we can all do to help out our waterways.
Keep in mind the City is increasing the fines for not doing this as well.