When most people think about stormwater pollution, the last thing they think about is their pet\u2019s waste.\u00a0 That is why it is one of the largest unknown contributors to stormwater pollution and water quality impacts.<\/p>\n
Pet waste can make our water unsafe for drinking, fishing, swimming, and other types of recreation. If it\u2019s not disposed of properly, pet waste can be carried by stormwater\u00a0runoff\u00a0(rain water\/snow melt)\u00a0to storm drains that empty untreated into\u00a0local creeks and rivers.<\/p>\n
Not only does pet waste contribute harmful viruses and bacteria but also nutrients that impair the quality of the receiving stream.\u00a0 The nutrients can cause algal blooms that can eventually deplete oxygen\u00a0and other essential elements needed for fish and other aquatic life.<\/p>\n
Although it may be one of the largest unknown contributors of\u00a0stormwater pollution it can be one of the easiest to eliminate and it only takes you.\u00a0 The next time you are taking your pet for their daily walk on campus or through the city remember these three little steps:<\/p>\n
Grab it!<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Grab a plastic bag before leaving for the walk<\/p>\n Bag it!<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Use the plastic bag as a glove to scoop up the waste then turn the\u00a0bag\u00a0inside\u00a0out and tie it closed.<\/p>\n Trash it<\/strong>! –\u00a0Throw the bag away at the next nearest trash receptacle or at home.<\/p>\n It\u2019s that simple.\u00a0 Remember, it is everyone\u2019s responsibility to create a clean environment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When most people think about stormwater pollution, the last thing they think about is their pet\u2019s waste.\u00a0 That is why it is one of the largest unknown contributors to stormwater pollution and water quality impacts. Pet waste can make our water unsafe for drinking, fishing, swimming, and other types of recreation. If it\u2019s not disposed<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":95,"featured_media":0,"parent":185,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-193","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/stormwater\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/193","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/stormwater\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/stormwater\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/stormwater\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/95"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/stormwater\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=193"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/stormwater\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/193\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":529,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/stormwater\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/193\/revisions\/529"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/stormwater\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/185"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/stormwater\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=193"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}