Dog ban on trail protects drinking water, officials say
“The main focus of prohibiting the dogs is people’s health,” said Kelly Hale, environmental control foreman for Carson City, explaining the dog ban at the Waterfall Trail and North Kings Loop.
Photo by Faith Evans.
Carson City announced last week that dogs are prohibited on the Waterfall Trail and North Kings Loop on the west side of the city. Since that announcement, Gregg Berggren and Kelly Hale have been hounded with concerns. “North Kings Canyon Creek is a source of Carson City’s drinking water, and the intake is right beneath the waterfall,” Berggren said on Tuesday. He and Hale are with the Public Works Department. Hale is the environmental control foreman, and Berggren is a trails coordinator. They both said that, above all, the restrictions are for the health and safety of Carson City. “Dogs, because of the diet they are fed (and their carnivorous nature) … they carry a lot more pathogens, dangerous bacteria and things,” Hale said. When owners leave pet droppings near Kings Canyon Creek, the waste creates algae blooms in the raw water. Hale added that wild animals don’t pose the same issue that dogs do. Their diets consist of native plants, so their droppings aren’t as hazardous. On top of that, wild animals rarely congregate near the water. “Wild animals don’t hang around the creek. They don’t concentrate at the creek. They tend to get a drink and pass through,” Hale said. The new restrictions are largely based on findings from the city’s 2020 Watershed Control Program Plan. The report outlined how to find and control cryptosporidium sources that pass through the Quill Water Treatment Plant. Cryptosporidium is a parasite that often lives in recreational water. Some of the key findings, Berggren said, were that Carson City needs to reduce pet waste, erosion, and trash in the Kings Canyon area. Hence, the dog ban. The new fencing and parking lot at the base of the trail also serve the same purpose. The city is hoping to reduce off-trail hiking. “When people make shortcuts … they are loosening the soil,” Berggren said. Water flows through that loosened soil and carries pollutants with it. Berggren and Hale emphasized that hikers should always pick up after themselves and their pets wherever they go. Both encourage residents to explore other dog-friendly trail options. For a full list, visit www.carson.org/trails.
