Report illegal dumping

Law enforcement officials with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) are seeking assistance in finding people who dump their garbage in state forests.

“We vigorously pursue all leads,” said Larry Raedel, chief law enforcement officer for DNR.

If you spot suspicious activities in the woods, call 911.

Raedel says the dumping is more than just unsightly and illegal; it’s also costly to already tight state budgets and can pose hazards to the environment and to people.

To keep clean-up costs down, many illegal dumps on state and other public lands are removed by inmates from correctional camps, operated by the Department of Corrections.

Between July 2007 and July 2009, crews supervised by DNR removed 100,687 pounds (about 50 tons) of illegally dumped litter from roadsides, forest roads and other areas at a cost of more than $400,000.

For the July 2009 to July 2011 biennium, the Department of Ecology has provided about $415,000 to clean up litter and illegal dump sites on public lands.

Clean-up costs can run $700 to $1,000 per site, assuming there are no hazardous materials in the dumped trash. However, the presence of unknown liquids or other suspicious materials can delay cleanups. If hazardous materials are present in the dumped trash, clean-up costs can escalate dramatically.

Funds from the Department of Ecology also help pay for prevention, including placing hidden cameras at likely dump sites and paying overtime for emphasis patrols.

For information, see the DNR Law Enforcement web page at www.dnr.wa.gov/RecreationEducation/ Topics/OtherNeighborQuestions/ Pages/.

DNR manages more than 5 million acres of state-owned forest, aquatic, agricultural, and conservation lands.