Illegal Trash Dumping on The Rise in Kittitas County
KITTITAS COUNTY - Garbage, appliances, chemicals. KIMA has learned the number of illegal dumpings has jumped by 50% in Kittitas County in just the last year. It's a growing problem that could have an impact on all our families for decades to come. KIMA saw the problem first hand and wanted to know what the county is doing to stop it and clean up what's already there.
It starts out small. A cap left on the ground, trash dumped out a car window. But more and more people are dumping entire truck loads of garbage along roads in Kittitas County.
"Probably 90% of the cases you just don't know who did it," said James Rivard with the Kittitas Public Health Department.
And that's the biggest problem. You can't stop habitual dumpers if you can't find them. And a lot of what they're dumping is dangerous, like car oil, old pesticides, freon containers and paint.
Rivard said, "If the property were to sell and someone planted a garden there, ate some tomatoes from that plot of land, the tomatoes pick up what's in the soil so you're concentrating that into what you're eating."
It's also getting into our water supply. Most cities get their drinking water from rivers. They chlorinate it to kill off bacteria, but sometimes even that's not enough.
"If you have other heavy metals and harmful stuff in there you may not be getting rid of all the contaminants," said Rivard.
And it's not just the county where there's concern of illegal dumping and things getting into our soil and groundwater. A lot of college students live in Ellensburg and the city is concerned about what is in their front yards.
One house we stopped by is on the list for a warning from the public health department. We spoke to one of the renters, who didn't want his face on camera but had this to say about the mess: "We understand there's stuff in the yard, but between school, work, sports and not having the money to pay for the dumping, we're kind of tied. Our hands are tied at the moment."
But when KIMA told him it cost just $7 to dump a pick-up load of garbage at the city dump site, he was surprised. And a little embarrassed to know it took so little to keep his yard, and the city, clean and safe.
The public health department got a grant to help pay for the extra work to investigate the increased illegal dumping. And keep in mind, if you're caught dumping trash, it could cost you up to $500 in fines.
It starts out small. A cap left on the ground, trash dumped out a car window. But more and more people are dumping entire truck loads of garbage along roads in Kittitas County.
"Probably 90% of the cases you just don't know who did it," said James Rivard with the Kittitas Public Health Department.
And that's the biggest problem. You can't stop habitual dumpers if you can't find them. And a lot of what they're dumping is dangerous, like car oil, old pesticides, freon containers and paint.
Rivard said, "If the property were to sell and someone planted a garden there, ate some tomatoes from that plot of land, the tomatoes pick up what's in the soil so you're concentrating that into what you're eating."
It's also getting into our water supply. Most cities get their drinking water from rivers. They chlorinate it to kill off bacteria, but sometimes even that's not enough.
"If you have other heavy metals and harmful stuff in there you may not be getting rid of all the contaminants," said Rivard.
And it's not just the county where there's concern of illegal dumping and things getting into our soil and groundwater. A lot of college students live in Ellensburg and the city is concerned about what is in their front yards.
One house we stopped by is on the list for a warning from the public health department. We spoke to one of the renters, who didn't want his face on camera but had this to say about the mess: "We understand there's stuff in the yard, but between school, work, sports and not having the money to pay for the dumping, we're kind of tied. Our hands are tied at the moment."
But when KIMA told him it cost just $7 to dump a pick-up load of garbage at the city dump site, he was surprised. And a little embarrassed to know it took so little to keep his yard, and the city, clean and safe.
The public health department got a grant to help pay for the extra work to investigate the increased illegal dumping. And keep in mind, if you're caught dumping trash, it could cost you up to $500 in fines.
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