Whether it’s in the city park or your yard, cleaning up after your pet should be a given. As much as it has become common practice, there are still pet owners who leave pet waste behind. Pet waste poses a significant threat to local water resources.
The problem with pet waste
Dog waste left behind on the ground is a big polluter of storm water, as it comes into contact with rain and snow runoff. In urban water supplies, dog waste is a large contributor when it comes to bacterial pollution.
As rain along with melting snow and ice drain across from the ground’s surface, contaminated storm water makes its way to roadways and storm drains. This drainage eventually makes its way to streams and rivers, and local water sources. This water goes untreated, unlike wastewater from our homes which passes through waste treatment facilities before re-entering water sources.
Dog waste contains many contaminants harmful to water sources, including phosphorous, nitrogen, fecal coliform bacteria, and parasites.
Dog waste contamination in waterways can spread harmful diseases to humans. Fecal coliform bacterial contamination has the potential to cause Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Giardia in people.
Controlling dog waste contamination
Every dog owner should be a responsible pet owner – it is your responsibility, and in many cases, the law of the land to clean up your dog’s waste.
- The best option for disposing of dog poop is to scoop it and flush it. Disposing of dog poop down the toilet allows the community wastewater treatment plant or your septic system to treat the waste.
- A secondary option is to scoop the waste up and seal it in a plastic bag and dispose of it in a sealed bag in the garbage. Make sure you know your local laws on this option as it can vary from one community to another.
You can also bury small amounts of dog waste in your yard where it can decompose slowly. Dig a one-foot deep hole, fill with three to four inches of dog waste, and cover it with a minimum of eight inches of soil. Waste can be deposited in multiple locations around your yard, but do keep it away from your vegetable garden.
By keeping pet waste out of local water supplies, you’re working to protect source waters that ultimately are treated to provide you with quality, reliable water service. Indiana American Water is committed to delivering high-quality water service to our customers. Our water consistently meets or surpasses all state and federal requirements.
All of our surface water treatment facilities across the state are participants in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Partnership for Safe Water program. The Partnership is a national, voluntary initiative that recognizes water suppliers that consistently achieve water treatment standards that surpass USEPA regulatory requirements.
Over 30,000 water quality tests are done annually to meet or exceed EPA standards and provide you with safe, reliable water.
