Creek Pollution Pinned on Pooches - Animal Waste Seen as Likely Culprit
Source: Washington Post, Dan Eggen

The article reported that a growing number of environmentalists and watershed specialists now believe dog waste deposited by the ton in suburban yards and parks every day is a prime suspect in the pollution of neighborhood creeks. The article cited scores of streams in Maryland, Virginia and the District are deemed unfit for swimming or drinking, often because of excess fecal coliform bacteria an indicator of human or animal waste. Bacteria and viruses associated with such waste can cause vomiting, diarrhea and more severe illness such as hepatitis.

The article noted that the problem is so acute in Four Mile Run, the most contaminated stream in Northern Virginia, that environmental officials are planning Seattle-style tests aimed at proving their thesis that dogs are causing most of the pollution.

Norman Goulet, senior environmental planner with the Northern Virginia Planning District Commission was quoted as saying, "If you've got 1,000 dogs near a little stream, you're going to have a problem. Just by the sheer size of the numbers, it's probably got to be dogs. You're going to find that in varying degrees throughout Northern Virginia."

The article went on to say many dog owners fear that their beloved pets are being cast unfairly as environmental pariahs. Eric Parker, of Arlington, a beagle owner who is active in Arlington Dogs, a dog owners group said, "The real problem is irresponsible dog owners who don't pick up after themselves." He has written a pamphlet titled, "The Straight Poop," aimed at curbing fecal pollution of streams. In contaminated rural streams, such as Loudoun County's Goose Creek or Prince William County's Cedar Run, the culprit is usually a faulty septic system or runoff from neighboring farm animals and wildlife. But the cause of fecal contamination in urban streams is often something of a mystery.

There are usually no livestock or septic fields nearby, and most areas report no chronic problems with sewer lines. Dogs, on the other hand, are everywhere. As of 1996, the Humane Society of the United States counted nearly 53 million dogs nationwide, including more than 2 million in Maryland, Virginia and the District. A good number of those dogs frequent the area around Four Mile Run, which despite its name winds for 10 miles through Alexandria, Arlington and Falls Church.

Don Waye, senior water resources planner with the Northern Virginia planning commission, calculated that a population of 12,000 dogs produces an estimated 5,000 pounds of waste every day in the creek's 20-square-mile watershed.

Waye said, "Even if 80 percent of it is cleaned up, that is still a lot of dog waste getting into the water. It can't be horses or septic systems, not in Four Mile Run. You've got all the circumstantial evidence in the world pointing to dogs."

Officials in Montgomery County and other parts of Maryland also say they suspect dog waste plays a prominent role in contamination of suburban streams, though they haven't launched efforts to find out for sure.

What's missing so far is definitive proof of canine culpability because standard fecal tests do not identify the species responsible. Waye and George M. Simmons Jr., a biology professor at Virginia Tech, have applied for a state grant to genetically identify the source of the problem in Four Mile Run.

The testing has solved similar mysteries in rural environments such as the Eastern Shore, where geese or raccoons are often to blame, or in urban areas such as Seattle, where a University of Washington study found heavy concentrations of dog and cat waste in a city creek. A professor there is now conducting a broader genetic study of the sewer system. "In urban neighborhoods, you are looking at an enormous amount of fecal material from dogs," Simmons said. "It's like having thousands of people in a small area defecating without any sewage treatment. . . . The scary thing is, what are you going to do about it? What if we're right and it turns out to be doggy-do? What then? Frankly, I don't know how you get rid of it."

The answer, according to many environmental experts, is simple: Clean up after your dog. Communities from Montgomery to Fairfax have laws on the books requiring owners to pick up after dogs in public areas, but the fines are low, from $50 to $100, and the ordinances are rarely enforced.