Pet waste project
As part of the Think Blue efforts, the CCSWD, New England Environmental Finance Center, and Bates College Purposeful Learning 2021 interns completed a study on pet waste. Dog waste is a growing nonpoint source pollution problem in the southern Maine region as more people are adopting four-legged friends while not adopting responsible waste management behavior. Using open-source data collector phone apps and mapping software provide the opportunity for location-specific stormwater pollution tracking that can be used by staff and members of the public to crowdsource data and provide site-specific The baseline data was used to determine long-term monitoring sites for the Greater Portland 2022 MS4 permit behavior change campaigns.use, as well as presence of trash cans, restrooms, bag dispensers, and signage. All data was compiled and analyzed to assess the extent of improper dog waste disposal, both locally and regionally, to determine recommendations.