Going Green: County Fights Desert Dumping

FLORENCE- The Sonoran desert is filled with the beauty of saguaro cactus, mesquite trees, prickly pear cactus and wildflowers that bloom each spring.

Unfortunately, there are those who spoil the magnificent beauty of the southwest by dumping their trash in the desert.

Confronted with an ongoing problem, the Pinal County Board of Supervisors has taken the issue to heart. The county has two environmental investigators and one deputy county attorney attacking desert dumping and progress is being made in this battle over the trashing of our environment.

“The county, working with citizens, has had some successes,” said Seymour Gruber, a deputy county attorney for Pinal County. “We’ve seen a of lot progress in our attempts to stop desert dumping, but we still have much to accomplish.”

The desert dumping issue has many residents vexed. A seminar held in May 2007 addressed desert dumping and its effects on the environment. Gruber lectured residents about how the county is attacking the issue and ways people can help.

“The forum held at CAC was well attended,” Gruber said. “It showed there are people who are fed up with the desert being trashed.”

Pinal County can prosecute people who are caught trashing the county.

Going after desert dumpers on a civil level has been effective. If you go after violators at a criminal level, you have to have proof beyond a reasonable doubt. If you go after illegal dumpers at a civil level, the burden of proof is not as severe.

Since Pinal County has started attacking desert dumping with civil penalties, the conviction rate has been nearly perfect. Fines can be as high as $15,000, with the possibility of liens against the property owners for clean up.

“Our main goal is to get it cleaned up,” Gruber said. “If you really think about it, people who dump illegally would save a lot of time and money if they would just pick up their trash.”

That would be the case for one land owner in Eloy who recently spent $300,000 to clean up an area that resembled a “small landfill,” according to Emergency Management/Environmental Investigation Administrator Art Carlton.

Carlton said the compliance was voluntary on the property owner’s part, but the damage to the land was substantial.

“It had everything,” Carlton recalled. “It had oil, household hazardous waste, trash, you name it — this place was holding it. A lot of people were using this area as a landfill and the property owner is paying $300,000 to have it cleaned up.”

Carlton said he, along with fellow investigator Frank Reed, are averaging about 250 cases a year.

The method of investigating an illegal or desert dumping site is similar to investigating a crime scene.

“After we get a complaint,” Carlton explained, “we will usually go to the site and look at the trash. We want to find clues from the ‘generator’ (one who illegally dumps the trash). If we can find that out, we will go to the generator and give them an option — take the trash to an approved facility or face a civil fine.”

Carlton said about 90 percent of the time, compliance is voluntary.

“Desert dumping is not only an eyesore, but it really harms the environment,” Gruber said. “If people knew how it affects the wildlife and our own health, they would think twice about dumping something out in the desert.”

Looking at a picture of an illegal dump site, Gruber pointed out that investigators have found everything from medical waste to toxic chemicals.

“All it takes is some chemicals or used oil to get into the water supply and the next thing you know you have contaminated water,” Gruber said. “We have also seen sites with old tires that are holding rain water. They become a breeding ground for West Nile virus.”

Carlton said reporting a desert dumping site is simple. All residents have to do is call 520-866-6400 and file a complaint.

Carlton offered these tips for reporting desert dumping:

* Do not confront the illegal dumper. If you happen to see someone dumping illegally, write down their license plate number and a description of the vehicle.

* If you have a camera available, take pictures with the date and time recorded.

* It is important to document where the incident took place so the authorities can find the site.

* If you happen to stumble upon an illegal dump site, do not disturb or collect any of the garbage because it could be used as evidence to catch whoever is doing the illegal dumping.

File photo