Think picking up your pet’s waste is unpleasant?  How about swimming in it?  Every time it rains, runoff from your lawn carries bacteria and other organisms from your pets’ waste into local streams – these streams eventually flow into the Chesapeake Bay.  The runoff also carries an overload of nutrients which can cause harmful algae blooms in local reservoirs.  Please dispose of pet waste properly by bagging it and throwing it away.  Don’t leave it in your yard or on the sidewalk.

Picking Up After Your Pet

Pet waste that is left out in the rain contributes two kinds of pollution to streams, rivers and other bodies of water.

1. All animal waste contains nutrients that help plants grow and reproduce. When nutrients are washed into water it can lead to algae blooms, killing fish and other aquatic creatures. For more information about this process see our page on Lawn Care.

2. Animal waste also contains bacteria that can cause illness in people and other creatures. Please remember that our water supply depends on clean water in streams and rivers. Several local streams have been found to be contaminated by bacteria, some of which are believed to be due to pet waste.