The Center for Disease Control (CDC) confirms that hookworms, ringworms, tapeworms and Salmonella can be spread by contact with infected dog waste. 

When dog poop is left to decay, it can take over one year for it to decompose. The poop may no longer be visible, but the eggs from these parasites can linger for years in the soil – leaving your family and your pets vulnerable to serious infection.

Seasonal actions for water and soil health:

• Keep grass clippings off of paves surfaces. If mowing around a ditch, spray clippings away from the ditch.
• Pay attention to watering needs more than relying on assigned odd/even watering days. Your assigned day for watering doesn't automatically mean watering is necessary on that day. Turfgrass typically requires only 1"/week to survive. Summer dormancy is a normal part of a turfgrass life cycle, similar to winter dormancy. 
• Check-in on irrigation systems. Be sure they're set to water 1"/week so that grass stays alive but reduces excessive watering. Accommodate for rainfall into the weekly count, and avoid watering when it's raining. 
• Fix errant sprinkler heads so that they're not spraying onto pavement. 

Looking ahead: 

• Try washing the car on the lawn to reduce soapy runoff, or make a habit to visit a commercial carwash that sends wash water into the sanitary system.
• Observe where stormwater runoff is traveling over pavement and visualize how this impacts winter maintenance. Redirecting downspouts, extending downspouts, or even channeling downspout connections beneath sidewalks can all reduce ice formation, the need for applying salt, and overall winter maintenance chores. 

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