Clean Streets: pet waste stations established downtown

Bigfork Eagle

Bigfork wants to make sure the streets stay doggy-do free.

Twelve pet-waste stations were recently installed around Bigfork Bay.  The stations were funded through federal and state grants, and the Community Foundation for a Better Bigfork will help maintain them. The stations were installed along Grand Drive, Electric Avenue and Bridge Street. What collects on the street eventually ends up in the water, according to Susan Hanson, committee chair of the Bigfork Stormwater Advisory Committee.

Flathead County is analyzing stormwater discharge into Bigfork Bay.  A test conducted last fall detected high amounts of fecal coliform at the public dock. The presence of fecal contamination is an indicator that a potential health risk exists for individuals exposed to this water. Stormwater collects animal waste from areas that drain into the streets and eventually to the discharge into the bay. One of the most common culprits is dog waste, Hanson said.