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Cleaning up after your dog is just a fact of life now. You take Fido for a walk, he does his thing, and you use your leftover newspaper bag to dispose of it in the nearest garbage can. But picking up the poop is more than just a gesture to the people behind you who’d rather not taking home the leavings on their shoes—it’s actually an environmentally conscious act. How dog poop (and other kinds of animal waste) is bad for the Bay and how you can prevent fecal matter from getting into the Bay is an issue that, while stinky, should be of concern to anyone concerned about the health of the Chesapeake Bay.
When fecal matter makes its way into the Bay, it creates “nutrient pollution,” which feed algae blooms that choke the Bay. One-fourth of the “dead zones” in the Chesapeake Bay—those areas that are so deprived of oxygen many forms of marine life can’t survive—can be traced to livestock waste, according to a recent article in the Washington Post.
Smelly on a Large Scale
With 568 million chickens being produced yearly on the Eastern Shore, farmers must deal with massive amounts of chicken waste. The Perdue plant in Delaware has developed Agri-Cycle, a way to dry the poultry manure and compress it into organic fertilizer—a step that makes business sense, as well as lessening the environmental impact of the waste. Other farms may sell their manure to mushroom farms, according to Julianne Oberg, spokesperson for the Maryland Department of Agriculture.
There is legislation to prevent chicken litter from making its way into the Bay. “Since 2001 all farms in Maryland are required to manage nutrient sources—which includes chicken litter or manure—in accordance with a Nutrient management plan,” says Oberg in an e-mail. Poultry farmers also have been required since 2000 to use feed that has phytase added, allowing chickens to more efficiently process phosphorus found in their food, meaning less comes out the back end of the chicken. “This has resulted in a 25-35% reduction of phosphorus concentrations of poultry litter,” says Oberg.
However, the sheer number of chickens near water causes problems. If there’s a pile of manure sitting on the ground, it’s not a big deal—eventually it will break down and feed the soil, which is a good thing. But one big rain means the nutrients wash off—and they have to go somewhere. And in our area, that “somewhere” usually means the Bay.
Green Your Pup’s Poop
But you’re not a major chicken farmer. And what does this have to do with your dog?
If you pick up after your dog every time, not much. But that means every time. But what if you have a nice, fenced backyard where Spot can run and frolic—and drop—at will? Do you really have to pick up after your dog in your own yard?
In a word, yes. Dog dung may contain more dangerous pollutants than barnyard animal waste; because dogs are carnivores, their waste contains more bacteria. In fact, the EPA estimates that two to three days of droppings from 100 dogs would contribute enough nutrients to close twenty square miles of watershed.
Even if you have a fenced in yard where no one will have an unfortunate encounter with droppings, you probably still live near the water. And, just like the pile of chicken leavings, one big rain means your best friend’s latest meal gets washed right into the Bay—along with all the neighborhood puppies.
Yes, it seems silly to take something that is utterly natural and, for that matter, biodegradeable, and bag it in a plastic bag. But, again, the problem is the sheer numbers. We own more dogs than the land can technically support and they produce more poop than the land can absorb. So take a simple step to protecting the Bay and bag it up on your next walk.
By Kristen Page-Kirby
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