Higher price paid for illegal dumps

LINCOLN CO. N.M. (KRQE) - They're supposed to be cleaning up our forests and reducing fire danger.  But some contractors are making them worse, dumping all those cut branches and trees where they shouldn't.

Not only is illegally dumping forest materials a fire danger, taxpayers are now having to pay to clean up the mess.

Forest thinning projects to get rid of the fuel that feeds wildfires in New Mexico and national forest land have increased significantly this year because of the drought.

But tons of thinned forest material is being illegally dumped on the side of roads in Lincoln County.

"Contractors who do the thinning, are supposed to be, as part of their contract dispose of the material properly and they--some not very responsible contractors are not doing that," explained Jim Miller, of GreenTree Solid Waste Authority in Ruidoso Downs.

Miller said as part of the contract, these forest thinners are paid to dump the forest material at legitimate sites where they can be mulched. Instead, some contractors are pocketing the money, which is usually thousands of dollars.

That's not the only problem piles of dry forest materials present. "As we know people will drive by and they'll flick cigarettes and that sort of thing and that starts fires," Miller said.

He said not only are illegal dumping sites costing taxpayers money, but if it all sits there long enough and accumulates trash, none of it will be disposed of properly; It will have to go to a landfill.

A landfill that's more than 150-miles round-trip, which costs taxpayers even more for the transport.

Miller said the problem isn't only on state and national forest land; some of the waste comes from contractors paid by private land owners.

Waste authorities are suggesting landowners don't prepay contractors dumping costs until they present a receipt, proving they've disposed of it properly.

GreenTree Waste Authority is working with the Lincoln County Sheriff's Department to catch people who are dumping illegally. They've already caught several contractors and issued them citations.