Pathogens found in drinking water source reason for dog ban at Carson City's Waterfall Trail: 'We're protecting public health'
Submitted by Kelsey Penrose on Tue, 06/07/2022 - 10:58am
On June 1, the Carson City Parks, Recreation and Open Space Department announced they would be closing the Waterfall trail to dogs effective immediately.
Carson City Trails Coordinator Gregg Berggren and Public Works Environmental Control Foreman Kelly Hale provided insight behind the decision which they said was not taken lightly.
The North Kings Canyon Creek is a direct water source for Carson City, the intake for which is located directly below the waterfall and waterfall trail.
According to Berggren, over the years as the trail has become more popular and more heavily used, the city has detected an increase in pathogens found within the raw water source, not only from pet waste but from human waste as well.
“As population in the area has increased, and the popularity of the trail has increased, the rise in pathogens found in the water has been gradually increasing over the years,” said Hale.
Pathogens in the raw, pre-treated water that have been found from that source that pose a health risk to Carson City residents include Giardia, Salmonella, E. Coli and more.
While Carson City’s drinking water itself is pathogen-free, to be able to remain so when there are additional pathogens in the raw water means that more chlorine must be used to sanitize the water.
In addition to pathogens, pet and human waste within the water includes an increase in nutrients, which can cause algae bloom within the water way, all of which means an increased need for chlorination.
“We want to limit the nutrients coming in and reduce the need to add chlorine, which is bad for humans and contains carcinogens,” said Hale. “This has all been to protect human health.”
In order to combat the issue of human waste, the city has installed vault toilets to offer trail users a safe place to do their business that doesn’t create a health hazard for the city.
“These trails are very popular, and (whenever) you have a lot of people, you’re going to have these issues,” said Berggren. “It’s always a good idea to try and provide amenities to limit those issues.”
Another issue affecting not only the waterfall trail but other trails around the city is due to trail cutting.
“We build these trails to be sustainable,” said Berggren. “When people create their own shortcuts, they’re creating trails that are not sustainable.”
Trail cutting leads to erosion by loosening soil, disturbing ground protecting negation, creating ruts that carry pollutants and sediments into streams and waterways.
Across the country, a rise in trail usage coincided with the pandemic shut downs, which has increased popularity in trails both locally and nationwide.
“That usage has really stayed pretty high ever since the pandemic,” said Berggren. “It’s very exciting that more people are getting out to explore outdoor spaces, and we hope that with that, as more people enjoy these areas, they’ll want to participate in their protection.”
Many dog-owners were upset with the announcement that they would no longer be able to bring their four-legged hiking partners to the waterfall, which Hale and Berggren say they can commiserate with as dog-owners themselves.
“This is not a decision we made lightly,” said Hale. “It’s based on protecting people’s health.”
However, those with trail-hungry pooches have many other options to enjoy with their pets. Out of the 100 miles of developed trails found within Carson City, the ban on dogs is only applied to the 2 miles of trail associated with the water source for the city, many of which are still alongside creeks and rivers for those dogs that enjoy getting their paws wet.
In addition, there are Forest Service and BLM trails as well that can be utilized, but are not maintained by the city.
To learn more about the trail system options within Carson City, you can visit https://carson.org/trails
