Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020

AIKEN, SC (WRDW/WAGT) -- The city of Aiken is facing an unusual...dilemma. Whiles working on the storm drainage system, workers came across bags of dog poop as far as the eye could see.

Susan Yates, the stormwater adminstrator for the city of Aiken was surprised as what she saw.

"We saw 30 plus on the bridge itself." she said. "I can't even tell you how many are down on the railroad."

When you look at the Lauren's St. Bridge in Aiken you can see the bags scattered everywhere. It's not just a problem of appearance for the city though. Not disposing of the bags properly has dire consequences on the drainage system.

"None of the storm drainage systems go to waste water treatment plants." Susan explained. "They all go to streams."

The streams all run off into the Sand River. The Sand River is not safe to drink because of how much e.coli bacteria is in it.

"When you put dog poop in the storm drainage system, it can increase those levels." Susan said.

She explained that not only does this pollute the water but the bags are becoming such a huge problem they are actually ending up on the train tracks as well.

"Those actually get run over by the train and then they disintegrate." Susan said. "Then there's plastics, dog poop, and all of that goes into the storm drainage system."

So before you decide to toss your dog's business down over the bridge, think about disposing it correctly--in the trash can.