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Spring Cleaning Friday, March 13, 2009

by Rosemary Parker

The long, snowy winter has left many pet owners with a disagreeable spring chore -- cleaning up after their dogs and cats now that the snow has melted. Picking up what pets have left behind in the yard is chore enough. Figuring out the responsible way to dispose of it may be worse.

While many recommend flushing, that's not a good idea when it comes to sewer maintenance, especially in areas served by on-site septic systems, local health officials say.

Hosing down the grass and washing the dissolved feces down the driveway is not a good solution either because of the potential for contamination of streams and lakes as runoff enters storm sewers.

So what is the solution? Homeowners are allowed to bury pet waste, although that's not always a practical solution with the accumulation of a winter's worth of feces and wet spring soils. Since pet waste can be disposed of legally in a landfill, scooping and bagging it and throwing it out with the household garbage is an option, as long as it is allowed by the homeowner's garbage hauler.

And if picking up poop is too odious to consider, homeowners can opt for spring cleanup services that will take care of the whole chore. A final option: Do nothing at all and allow the piles of waste to degrade with spring rains.

But urine salts pose more of a threat to lawns, he said, especially if pets have repeatedly visited the same part of the yard. It is recommended to thoroughly water the area to wash away accumulated salts. If the grass doesn't grow, turn over the soil and reseed it with rye grass or another quick-growing seed.