Lawhon - Catholes: History, research current use, and future application. Exit Strategies Conference, 2010, Sustainable Summits Initiative

1. History, Research, Current Use
and Future Application

2. 1. Minimize the chances of polluting water
sources
2. Minimize the spread of disease
3. Minimize the aesthetic impacts associated
with human waste
4. Maximize the rate of decomposition

3.  The use of the “cathole” has long been accepted
as the standard method for human waste
disposal in wilderness, backcountry and other
outdoor settings
 The cathole method consist of digging a 6-8 inch
(15-20 cm) hole that is a minimum of 200 feet (60
m) from any water source, campsite or trail
 Currently recommended by the Leave NoTrace
Center for Outdoor Ethics and most U.S. land
management agencies – BLM, USFS, NPS, FWS

5. The cathole method of human waste disposal
dates back to the 1970’s, possibly even earlier
Originally recommended by land managers as
use of federally designated wilderness in the
U.S. increased after the passage of the 1964
Wilderness Act
The other option was surface disposal

6. As visitor use increased to lands managed
under the NationalWilderness Preservation
System increased, land managers began to
realize that human waste was becoming an
issue
There had to be some guidance given to
recreationists as to how to properly deal with
human waste when toilet facilities were non-
existent

7. Currently there is little applied research on the
effectiveness and accompanying problems of
using catholes for disposal of human waste
There have only been two studies that looked
directly at the rate of pathogen decline
following fecal burial using the cathole
disposal technique
The existing research dates back to the 1980

11.  There are over 100 bacteria, protozoans and viruses
found in human feces that are capable of causing
illness
 Use of catholes is largely based on untested
assumptions of soil ecology
 Buried feces in contact with soil but not mixed with it
does not represent an ideal composting situation
 Depth of burial makes little difference in bacterial
survival rates

12.  Bacterial numbers remained high for over 8 weeks
 Some bacteria survived overwinter much better than
anticipated data – lasting as long as 51 weeks
 Even after 8 weeks millions or tens of millions of
bacterial cells per gram of the fecal samples
remained
 The study sites did not make the expected difference

13.  Temple’s data suggest that “it is unrealistic to
hope for rapid die-off of intestinal bacteria in
catholes”
 The idea that shallow burial of feces renders it
harmless in a short time is false
 While a number of studies have been initiated to
assess the impact of human waste disposal on
water quality, conclusions from these studies are
variable and at times controversial

14.  There is a need for more applied research
 Replication of studies done in the 1980’s
 Research on the breakdown of microorganisms in site-
specific locations
 Studies on visitor perception of human waste disposal
methods
 Research on the impact on visitor experience when
encountering feces in the backcountry
 Studies on rates of compliance by recreationists

15. Despite evidence suggesting that
pathogen breakdown in catholes either
occurs slowly or not at all, consensus is
that catholes are still the best method for
disposing of human waste in most
environments when adequate soil is
available

16. When done correctly, the cathole provides
the following benefits:
• Minimizes the chances of polluting water
sources
• Minimizes the chances of spreading disease
• Minimizes the aesthetic impacts associated
with human waste

18. Toilet paper “flowers”
are just one of many
consequences of not
properly disposing of
human waste in the
out of doors – other
impacts include:
•Water pollution
• Spread of disease

19. Proper disposal of human waste in
backcountry settings will continue to be an
issue as long a people spend time in the
outdoors
Unless new research demonstrates that there
are significant negative impacts from using
catholes, the practice is likely going to be
promoted into the future

20.  Winter/Alpine environments
 Coastal environments
 River corridors
 Desert environments
 Mountaineering situations
 Large group waste disposal
(latrines)
 Pack out systems and strategies

21.  The use of catholes for disposing of human waste
will not necessarily eliminate all problems
associated with human waste but will go a long
way towards protecting water sources,
minimizing the spread of disease and reducing
the aesthetic impacts of feces
 Educating visitors in proper sanitation practices
is paramount in order to address health concerns
and to minimize impacts to recreational
resources