Pet Waste
Photo courtesy WCAX3.
-
Play your part in preventing harmful bacteria from entering waterways, resulting in beach closures.
​
-
Pick up ALL dog waste that your pet creates or that you see on the street. It may not have been your dog, but it’s your lake!
Dispose of pet waste properly.
When walking your dog, follow these simple steps to minimize impacts to water quality:
​
-
Pick up pet waste and dispose of it in the trash or by flushing. Pet waste should not be composted to prevent the potential spread of bacteria and diseases.
​
​
​
Un-Fun Facts About Dog Waste:
​
-
When pet waste washes into lakes or streams it decays, using up oxygen and degrading water quality.
-
Dog waste contains 23-million fecal coliform bacteria per gram, 10x more per pound of body weight than cows produce.
-
Pets are responsible for up to 1/3 of bacterial pollution in waterways near developed areas.​
​
-
Pet waste takes a year or more to break down. Even after the waste has broken down, the parasites can survive in the soil for years.
-
Infected pet poop can carry roundworms and other parasites and pathogens (like cryptosporidium, giardia, E. coli, coliform bacteria, and salmonella) which can linger in soil for years. Anyone gardening, playing sports, walking barefoot, or digging in the infected dirt risks becoming infected. Children are most susceptible since they often play in the dirt and put things in their mouths.
