Officials reiterate call to stop illegal dumping

  Although improvements are visible - in one area south of County 19th Street, close to 400 tons of trash were picked up last year - the Bureau of Reclamation office in the Yuma area reiterated the call to Yuma County residents to use appropriate landfill facilities to dispose of trash and household garbage.

 Jack Simes, spokesman of the Bureau of Reclamation for the Yuma area, warned that the practice of using vacant land to dump trash continues to impact the environment, generating risks for the community and a bad image for those who visit here.

 "As administrators and guardians of these lands, the Bureau of Reclamation, the Irrigation District, the cities, the state and the county are concerned because people continue to do it, despite the fact that there are designated places to take your trash," he said.

 During a tour, Simes showed the results of a trash clean-up from an area close to the East Main Canal, south of County 19th Street, where 225 volunteers took on the task of picking up 399.4 tons of trash, including more than 1,700 tires, 32 cars and nearly 6 tons of metal objects in five days.

 The clean-up included a segment which is owned by the Cocopah Tribe, adjacent on the north to County 19th Street, where, again, dumped mattresses, bottles, tires and dead animals could be seen: "We are optimistic, we believe that if people are well informed this will not present itself again," Simes said.

 Nonetheless, the South County Landfill is located close to the area where the illegal trash dumping was done: "[It] is close to San Luis, Somerton and Gadsden, an average of five miles from the point where we did the work. We all are concerned by the cost of gas or the inconvenience and cost it may be to come all the way out here, but it is an effort we must make for the good of everybody," he said.     

 The official warned that hazardous waste is found among the trash, such as the nearly 30 gallons of used motor oil recovered from the area. Such waste contaminates the soil. The oil was found a few steps away from fields where products are cultivated for human consumption and close to canals used to irrigate fields.

 Simes called for the community to use the landfills which are designed to receive the trash, because by doing this, those problems will be avoided. He also noted that the fines for illegal trash dumping, according to Arizona Law, start at $1,000. 

 He also invited individuals and organizations to join the clean-up campaign and the effort to raise community awareness. For more information, call (928) 343-8334.

 He added that the community can access general information about these and
other efforts of the Bureau of Reclamation by visiting www.takeprideinamerica.gov.


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Cesar Neyoy is a staff writer for Bajo El Sol, The Sun's Spanish-language sister publication from which this story is reprinted.



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LANDFILL LOCATIONS:

Yuma South County Landfill
19536 S. Ave. 1E, in Yuma.
Tel. (928) 341-9300

Cooper Mountain Landfill
34853 Co. 12 St. in Wellton
Te. (928) 785-3797

Allied Waste Transfer Station
3040 S. Ave. 31/2 E, in Yuma
Tel. (928) 726-5210