Written by Lexee Sherman Sutton, Greeley Central High School Student
Dogs drop a total of 390 million pounds of poop per year in Colorado alone. That is equivalent to 4,126 dump trucks full of waste. Simply stating, there are approximately 1.4 million dogs in Colorado and each dog generates about 12 ounces of poop per day.
Some people pick up their dog’s waste, but unfortunately not everyone does. Dog waste causes a bigger problem than the mess and stink. When people leave their dog’s waste laying around it doesn’t just sit there forever, it eventually breaks down. That is when the environmental problems get bad.
It takes approximately 9 weeks for one pile of dog poop to decompose. When the waste decomposes, it washes into the water supply. Then the waste pollutes streams, rivers, and local waterways. That whole process doesn’t only cause pollution, but also carries numerous bacterias, pesticides, and diseases that easily get transmitted into the soil or into humans.
Ringworms can remain alive in soil for years. In water samples taken from urban areas, studies found that 20 to 30 percent of the bacteria in water traces back to dog waste. That is just the ground; that same bacteria pollutes the water and air too. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, dog waste contributes bacteria, phosphorous, and nitrogen into the environment. In two or three days the waste from 100 dogs can close 20 miles of a bay-watershed. Those pernicious bacterias and chemicals then get into the air. A study of air samples concluded that up to 50 percent of bacteria originates from dog poop.
With so much poop on the ground, people clearly do not understand the many negative effects dog poop has on the environment.
My name is Lexee Sherman Sutton and I am a sophomore at Greeley Central High School. In my AP Environmental Science I entered the
Caring for Our Watersheds contest among 600 other students. I was selected as one of the top 10. My project is to install dog bag stations around our Greeley Natural Areas to encourage people to pick up after their dogs. This will ultimately help improve our environment, especially our waterways. I received $1,000 to implement my project. That funding only covers 12 stations and our community needs more than 60. However, I created a GoFundMe in order to gather donations so I can expand my project to ultimately get more of our waterways clean.
Please be a PAWsitive influence on our Greeley Watershed and donate. These stations will contribute in many positive aspects such as improved waterways, soil, and air quality! Thank you for your time, support, and donations.