K C I P ! P U T I CHARLESTON RESIDENTS 75% of us know dog poop carries bacteria. 61% of us don’t always pick it up!
remembering your bag, try clipping a bag dispenser to your dog’s collar, tie a few bags to the leash, or leave some bags in your coat pocket (maybe make it your New Year’s Resolution). After the Pickup It’s also important to remember to throw the bag away once you’ve scooped the poop. Filled bags belong in a trashcan, not tossed down the storm drain where they create clogs that lead to flooding. It is also a common mistake to drop them into yard waste bags and lawn clippings, which ends up contaminating municipally-sourced compost. Certainly, dog poop could be composted using special digesters, but most city or county compost made from yard waste collections do not reach a high enough temperature during composting to kill off the fecal bacteria and pathogens. Just Bag It! Most of us would do anything for our dogs, and one of the biggest gifts we can give them is a clean environment where they can live and play. Picking up your dog’s poop every time, and properly disposing of it, will help to keep our waterways safe Dr. Amy Scaroni is an Assistant Professor of Water Resources at Clemson University. She lives on James Island, SC with her dogs Rosie and Charley.
WHAT IS STORMWATER? When rain falls, impervious surfaces such as sidewalks, driveways, and roads prevent rainwater from soaking into the ground. As it flows across those surfaces, the water picks up various bacteria from pet waste (and other pollutants), then sweeps them into a storm drain, which ultimately drains directly into local waterways. Carolina Clear is Clemson Extension’s statewide stormwater education program. Find out more ways you can protect water quality at: clemson.edu/carolinaclear
FALL 2019 | CAROLINA TAILS
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