Owner discusses sewage-filled property

SAN JUAN COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) - The owner of the property plagued by seeping sewage, exposed wires and tons of trash near Farmington spoke out about the land Wednesday.

The owner of the property known as 'The Canyon' didn't want to be identified because he said he's embarrassed about what went on there.

"I didn't realize what was going on," he said.

After numerous complaints about trash piling up near the road, the New Mexico Environment Department came to check things out a few weeks ago.

"There have been items such as a refrigerator used as a septic tank, a buried car," Benny Kling with the State Environment Department said.

The property owner said he started this makeshift trailer park to help people who were down on their luck.

"I tried to help them and they made mistakes that shouldn't have been made," said the property owner.

Now he must clean up after them.

The cleanup process has already started. Around half the people that used to live in the Canyon have now moved out and their trailers are soon to follow.

Just as things were starting to move along, El Paso Natural Gas discovered a cesspool and more last Friday.

"Some electrical lines and water lines that had been tapped in or put in bootlegged, illegal at some time," Kling said.

Now the county is stepping in to help the property owner clean up.

The owner was given two citations Wednesday for the sewage on the property.

He could be hit with more citations from various agencies in the coming days.