A pet waste station was removed from this section of Town Run, so passersby could appreciate its beauty. Photo by Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — A few months ago, a pet waste station was removed from the block of South King Street behind the Market House.

That removal was made by the Corporation of Shepherdstown, at the request of the Town Run Watershed nonprofit organization, because the station blocked the view of Town Run there, which the group had recently cleaned up and planted native plants around. The unfortunate, and unexpected, result of this removal was that animal waste was no longer being cleaned up in that area.

“We’ve found dog poo left all around the stream,” said Linda Layne, who helped clean up the area last summer.

According to Layne, the group had hoped that the pet waste station would simply be moved to a less conspicuous location nearby. Though that did not end up happening, they were shocked to see how people responded to the station’s removal, by using it as an excuse not to clean up after their pets.

This careless behavior may have far-reaching consequences, according to Town Run Watershed steering member Kay Schultz.

“Town Run is a beloved stream. We know it will be used for drinking water, at some point, either as backup or supplemental or blended with our river water. So the burden is on us to clean it and protect it and restore it,” Schultz said. “Our group is a voluntary association. We have about 12 steering members who meet monthly and about 100 Friends of Town Run, who sign up on our website and help with cleanups along the stream and around the stream.”

The work of those 100-some local residents might easily be ruined, however, if people continue to leave their pet waste in and around the stream. The waste will inevitably contaminate the future drinking water source of the town, making it unsafe to use. Already, testing has been conducted, which has found it to contain a high amount of bacteria caused by mammal waste.

“We’ve done quite a bit of monitoring of Town Run,” Schultz said. “About 50 samples were taken in Town Run, which were processed at Hood College to see how clean the run was — what compromised it. We learned that there was a very high bacterial count in Town Run. So, we know some mammal is likely involved — it could be a human or it could be a cow or it could be a deer or a dog.”

Schultz noted that, if some of the bacteria was related to human waste, it was likely caused by septic system neglect.

“We have held workshops to encourage people who have septic systems to care for them properly, because if they don’t, the bacteria leaches into ground water and impacts the stream,” Schultz said.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) encourages home owners to maintain their septic systems, for a number of reasons.

“Household wastewater contains disease causing bacteria and viruses and high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus. If a septic system is well-maintained and working properly, it will remove most of these pollutants,” said the EPA’s website. “Insufficiently treated sewage from septic systems can cause groundwater contamination, which can spread disease in humans and animals.”

According to the EPA, home owners financially benefit from caring for their septic systems.

“Regular septic system maintenance fees of $250 to $500 every three-to-five years is a bargain, compared to the cost of repairing or replacing a malfunctioning system, which can cost between $5,000 and $15,000 for a conventional system. Alternative systems can cost even more,” the EPA said. “An unusable septic system or one in disrepair will lower your property value, and potentially can pose a costly legal liability.”