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Pooches for the Planet
By Nanette O'Hara, Tampa Bay Estuary Program Published: 07/24/2009
Join the “Pooches for the Planet” Pack!
Article provided by the Tampa Bay Estuary Program
You can help protect our beaches, bays and rivers by picking up after your furry friends.
Proper disposal of pet waste prevents harmful fecal coliform bacteria and excess nutrients from washing into the Hillsborough River and, ultimately, Tampa Bay.
Did you know the average dog dropping contains 3 million fecal coliform? Bow WOW! When those doggy presents are left on the ground, rainfall can wash them into the nearest waterway, adding harmful nitrogen that causes algae blooms and fish kills, and contributing bacteria that can make our beautiful waters unsafe for swimming. The Hillsborough River near downtown Tampa, for example, has bacterial counts 50% higher than health standards in some portions. Additionally, dog poop left on the ground can spread hookworms, ringworms, Salmonella and more to children and adults who share the grass.
Although dogs aren’t the only culprit, research is showing that pet waste may be a far more significant problem than previously thought – especially in urbanized watersheds like ours. In fact, studies have shown that as much as 95% of the fecal coliform found in urban stormwater was nonhuman in origin.
It’s not pleasant to think about, but dog poop is a form of raw sewage. The estimated 500,000 dogs in the Tampa Bay area produce about 250,000 pounds of waste every day. That can add up to a pile of problems.
The Tampa Bay Estuary Program’s “Pooches for the Planet” campaign aims to increase awareness of the public health and water quality impacts of dog poop. Our motto: “Clean Waters. Clean Yards. And Clean Shoes!”
We’re already working with neighborhoods, local animal shelters, pet stores and others to spread the word about the need to pick up after our pets. We hope you will join our “Pooches for the Planet” pack by learning about the impacts of dog poop on the health of our waters. For more information, visit http://tbep.org/scoopthepoop.html
Experts say the best way to dispose of doggy waste is to flush it down the toilet, where it will be treated at a municipal wastewater treatment plant. But you can also just bag the droppings and put them in a trash receptacle. Most of the household waste collected in Hillsborough County is burned to produce electricity at the county’s waste-to-energy facility.
Although doggy doo bags are widely available at pet stores, along with “Bags on Board” dispensers that clip to a leash, newspaper bags and plastic grocery bags work just as well.
Whatever you do, don’t scoop the poop down a storm drain – it is carried directly to nearby rivers, lakes or the bay when it rains. Stormwater runoff may become your drinking water!
Cleaning up after our dogs is quick, easy, and the right thing to do, for our neighbors, for our children and for our environment.
Materials distributed by Simply Green Solutions, LLC www.SimplyGreen.biz (941) 981-9253
T-BAY
Photo Gallery - Pooches for the Planet
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