Moores Creek TMDLPet Waste Initiative

The Rivanna Regional Stormwater Education Partnership

• Albemarle County• Albemarle County Public

Schools• Albemarle County

Service Authority• City of Charlottesville• Piedmont Virginia

Community College

The Rivanna Regional Stormwater Education Partnership

• Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority

• University of Virginia• Virginia Department of

Transportation• Thomas Jefferson Soil &

Water Conservation District

Moores Creek Watershed

Moores Creek TMDL91998 placed on DEQ’s impaired waters list

•Unsafe for fishing and swimming due to high levels of fecal coliform bacteria

92011 RRBC received grant from DCR to fund programs to reduce bacteria in creek

•Pet waste education•Pet waste composter cost-share•Dog park methane digester•Septic repair and pump out cost-share•Agricultural BMP cost-share

Moores Creek Watershed

photo courtesy Dick Rochester, Lafayette, Colorado

Impervious Cover

Initial Watershed Mailing

Flyer

9Pet waste is a health risk to pets and people• bacteria and parasites

9Pet waste left outside can wash into streams and lakes• Makes water unsafe for swimming and

wading9Moores Creek contains harmful levels of E.

coli• Picking up after pets makes water cleaner

and safer

For posting in local pet stores, grooming salons, veterinarian offices, etc. Talking points:

Flyer9Dispose of pet waste properly

• Trash• Toilet• Composter

950% cost share for a pet waste composter offered to residents in Moores Creek Watershed• Also available to other pet owners in

Charlottesville and Albemarle county• See details on RRSEP web site

Brochure

9More detail than flyer• Examples of disease organisms and

diseases• Runoff down storm drains is untreated and

goes into local waterways• Pet waste also contains nutrients that lead

to algae blooms• Benefits both local and for Chesapeake Bay• Neighborhood pet waste stations added to

list of approved disposal methods

For mailing to dog owners in watershed.Talking points:

966 ads on 3 Charlottesville stations for one week during first week of December and second week of February

Radio Advertising

Presentations forNeighborhood Associations

9Put up display9Make brochure and flyer available9Samples of biodegradable pet waste bags,

flushable pet waste bags and biodegradable cat litter

Neighborhood Associations

Pet Waste ComposterCost-Share Program

The TJSWCD will pay 50% of the cost of a pet waste composter (up to $100).Q: How can you apply for cost-share?

1. Buy a composter at a local store or online.

2. Install or set up your composter for use, following the manufacturer's instructions.

3. Download the "Application and Agreement for Cost Share", fill it out, and sign it.

4. Mail the completed application along with a copy of your receipt and a photograph of the installed composter (or permission to visit your home for verification) to the Thomas Jefferson soil & Water Conservation District.

5. A check will be issued to you for 50% of the cost of your composter (up to $100 for a $200-composter).

6. The applicant agrees to provide feedback to the RRSEP after one year of use by phone, email or mail (whichever the user prefers) to evaluate the effectiveness of composting as a means of managing pet waste.

Q: What types of composters are available?

Septic Tank Style Composter

Dig a hole 2-4 feet deep

Insert composter into the hole

Drop pet waste into composter

Add water

Add septic-tank-type enzyme once a week

“Traditional” Style Composter

“Traditional” Style Composter

• Converts kitchen and garden waste to a rich organic dark humus to be used in the garden

• Water and organic material are added• The material is occasionally turned or

mixed • Composted pet waste cannot be used

with edible plants.

Bokashi Fermentor

Bokashi Fermentor

• Bokashi fermentation is an alternative to composting.

• Safely transforms pet waste into a product that restores nutrients and microbes to the soil for ornamental plants.

• Faster than composting: takes 30 days.

Methane Digester

9Anaerobic dog waste digester will be designed and installed for use in the Azalea Park.

9Pet owners using the dog park will be asked to collect their dog waste in flushable bags and deposit them in the digester.

9Dog waste will be anaerobically converted to a solid remnant and methane gas.• The gas will be used to light a gas lamp• The solid remnant will be pumped out once

a year and transported to the wastewater city’s treatment plant.

Methane Digester

9The digester will be used to: • increase the rate of pet waste pick up and

disposal in Azalea Park• process the waste in an ecologically-

beneficial way• generally increase public awareness

throughout the Charlottesville-Albemarle community

Methane Digester

Methane Digester

Drop pet waste bag down chute

Methane Digester

Turn wheel to stir

Methane Digester

Methane Digester

Methane Digester

For more information:www.rivanna-stormwater.org

For more information:Martin Johnson (434) 975-

0224 martin.johnson@tjswcd.org