LONGMONT, Colo. — Dog poop cleanup is the last thing the city of Longmont wants to use tax-payer dollars on, but they may not have a choice. The city said accumulating dog feces may force them to temporarily shut down the Union Reservoir dog beach next week.
"That’s the last thing that I wanna do is close the dog beach," said Chelsea Wilson, senior park ranger. "[But] we’re seeing an accumulation of dog poop and dog waste that’s getting to a point where we feel it’s unsafe for people to be kind of in the area with shoes off and the water aspect is definitely an issue that we’re concerned about."
Wilson and her team sent out a warning last week about the waste. They asked people to step up and pickup. Dog owner Pamela Peters answered the call. She spent Monday morning walking along the beach cleaning up the mess.
"In any group of people, there’s bound to be some that just don’t do what they should and there’s some that do extra and so hopefully we can make the balance go back to not so much poop," Peters said. "Pick up your poop [and] watch your dog. It’s pretty simple really."
Wilson does not believe volunteers should have to do the work every dog owner should be expected to do. But she fears if the area is not cleaned up, it could have some major health impacts.
"You could have E. coli accumulate and that’s an issue when we do have a designated swim area that is so close to the dog beach. So it’s really a public health issue for us of getting people to clean up after their dogs," Wilson said. "It is a wonderful resource and its something that could be taken away if people don’t respect it."
Owners have until Sept. 16 to clean the beach. If it is still in bad shape, the city will have to close it down temporarily to have a contractor come in and take care of of the dog waste.
Not only should dog owners clean up their animal's waste as a courtesy, but they also should because it is the law. Owners could receive a ticket if they are caught not picking up their dog's waste.
"This is a statewide initiative to keep the resources clean because we have such a beautiful state and we want it to last for generations to come," Wilson said.