Dog Waste Water Emergency
Following an OPA Greensward article in 2020 called “Dog Waste Environmental Emergency”, a unique study was published – one that looked at how dog waste in our environment affects life in our water systems.
exacerbated under future scenarios that consider climate change and increased urbanization. Anthropogenic effects on the aquatic environment are ever present and ever increasing with habitat destruction and fragmentation, releases of exotic species, and industrial, municipal, and agricultural run- off all consequences of human actions and inaction. The negative impacts of human activities on aquatic populations are easily observed. Construction increases rates of shoreline erosion, dams disconnect rivers and impede fish migration, non-native species outcompete native, and agricultural, municipal, and industrial contaminants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) can cause changes in fish behaviour and growth (sublethal) or even mortality, reducing fish community diversity and altering population structure. While a plethora of aquatic contaminants are known to affect fishes, one frequently disregarded major environmental pollutant that many humans may not realize should also be classified as such is pet waste- which has potential to impact the health of fish populations worldwide. Exposure to dog faeces had a significant impact on fish survival. Not only did exposure to dog faeces affect fish survival and weight, but behavioural changes were also observed. Exposure to realistic concentrations of dog faecal inputs caused significant size-dependent mortality and reduced
While dog waste has been identified as a significant factor contributing to bacteria and nutrient loading within receiving waters and the associated water quality changes are known to affect fishes, the impact of uncollected dog faeces on urban fish populations has never been directly investigated. The study exposed creek chub (Semotilus atromaculatus), a widespread tolerant stream minnow, to various realistic concentrations of dog waste as simulated urban park runoff testing both fresh and dried dog faeces in both stagnant and aerated water for 96 h to investigate the impact on fish survival and behaviour. Results demonstrated the impact that the global dog waste management problem can have on aquatic communities with effects on creek chub likely to be more severe for less pollution-tolerant species and likely to be
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The Green Sward – Winter 2022
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