Visits to 16 sites in the watersheds netted more than 1,200 piles of dog waste weighing 127 pounds.
Some of the waste was close to streams that flow into Puget Sound, providing a source of bacterial contamination that can lead to shellfish harvest restrictions and closures.
“I was blown away,” said Aimee Christy, a research biologist who conducted the survey with help from Stream Team volunteers. “I didn’t expect to find that much.”
Recommendations designed to curb the pollution problem include:
• Increasing enforcement of park and city rules that require people to keep their dogs on leashes and pick up after their dogs.
Two areas targeted in particular are Homann Park on Carpenter Road, where 143 piles of feces were cleaned up Oct. 12, and Woodland Creek Community Park, which was partially surveyed Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, revealing 146 piles of dog waste.
• Installing pet-waste stations, signs and garbage cans at Brooks Park, the Lakepointe Natural Area and the northwest corner of Homann Park.
• Conducting outreach to neighborhoods and schools near Homann Park and Woodland Creek.
• Distributing fliers, installing signs and planting native vegetation along the Nisqually Dike at McAllister Creek. Numerous piles of dog waste were discovered along the creek, which has a history of water-quality problems involving bacterial contamination.
• Increasing the number of sanctioned off-leash parks in the two watersheds.
“These are five easy things to do that could make a difference,” Christy said.
John Dodge: 360-754-5444
jdodge@theolympian.com
