File photoA January photo of the 250 tires, as well as other trash, at an illegal dump off of Fish Lodge Road.

The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality awarded Lauderdale County an $18,152 solid waste assistance grant to be used for unauthorized dump cleanup. 

“The money is not enough to cover cleaning up every illegal dump site,” Chris Lafferty, the Lauderdale County administrator, said via email. “More than likely, it would not cover even one of the larger one (sic) due to the amount of debris.”

One illegal dump site, on Fish Lodge Road, has been a problem since at least March of 2016. The dump has more than 250 tires gathering water, and attracting mosquitos, along with several sofas, a mattress and box spring, used baby diapers and a child’s homework. 

The cost for disposing tires can be cost prohibitive, and would likely cost the county at least $625 for the 250 tires in the illegal dump, according to a tire disposal manifest for 272 tires attached to the MDEQ investigation. 

“Historically this grant has not even been enough to cover the disposal cost of the tires that are collected from the side of the road much less an entire illegal dump site,” Lafferty said via email.

The tires, of course, are not neatly stacked at the roadside and extend into a deep ravine. Lafferty didn’t comment on what sort of equipment the county would need to collect the tires from the ravine. 

Lafferty said the amount of the grant had decreased over time, down from $22,000 in 2016 and $21,000 in 2017. 

“We are attempting to get additional funding but the needs of the State of Mississippi is (sic) greater than the available funds,” Lafferty said via email.

Lafferty didn’t identify other dumps possible targeted by the grant, or confirm whether the Fish Lodge Road dump would be included. He encouraged residents to report illegal dumps to the Sheriff’s Department and attempt to identify individuals caught illegally dumping. 

“As it has been said before, the Lauderdale County Board of Supervisors needs every citizen to assist in curbing illegal dump sites. We are asking people to take pictures of tags and vehicles of those that are found illegally dumping and turn them in. We are asking that people notify the Sheriff’s department and the county leadership when they see illegal dumping going on. Citizen involvement is the only way we can combat those that are destroying our scenic county,” Lafferty said.