A southwest Ohio resident鈥檚 backyard has been an illegal dumping ground for nearly a decade.
Back in 2016, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency ordered Donald Combs to remove the more than 500,000 cubic yards of scrap waste on his property. But, the Clermont County resident didn鈥檛 comply. His case went into lengthy litigation that resulted in prison time and a fine of $1.4 million dollars.
In May, Combs filed for bankruptcy. Ohio EPA Director Anne Vogel said that has cleared the way for the state agency and community partners to begin the work of clearing the debris from the Goshen Township dump site.
鈥淲e have great regulations and programs in Ohio to make sure that waste is disposed of properly,鈥� Vogel said. 鈥淎nd this is not how it's done.鈥�
More than an eyesore
Goshen Township, Clermont County Commissioners, the county prosecutor鈥檚 office and health department have all spent years attempting to rid the community of the illegal dump site.
Vogel said it鈥檚 more than just an eyesore to the community. It could potentially endanger the other residents of Goshen Township.
鈥淲hen you have [trash] just being dumped in the backyard, it attracts rodents. It could leach into the soil and the groundwater if there's any fuel or something of that nature. It attracts mosquitoes which can become dangerous to the community,鈥� Vogel said.
Especially since the site doesn't abide by the safety regulations of the EPA. Vogel said there isn鈥檛 hazardous material on the property, but the sheer size of the dump site made this case a high priority for the Ohio EPA.
鈥淭his is not a backyard where you're throwing your household waste out. This is about three acres of demolition debris,鈥� Vogel said.
A statewide issue
Clermont County is far from the only place in Ohio that has to deal with illegal dumpers.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources a dump site full of scrap tires in northeast Ohio. And the Ohio Attorney General鈥檚 office a landscape business owner for illegally dumping near the Little Miami River. Vogel said it鈥檚 unfortunately a problem that Ohio needs to work to improve.
鈥淏elieve it or not, people dump scrap tires into rivers, for some reason, into our most precious natural resource,鈥� Vogel said.
Last year, the Ohio Attorney General launched a campaign called to crack down on these instances. And Vogel said the Ohio EPA has recently launched its own educational campaign to cut down on waste and end illegal dumping.
鈥淔or example, an auto repair shop or a tire shop where people might be turning in their scrap tires, teaching those folks how to properly dispose of them so that we don't create these streams of waste,鈥� Vogel said. 鈥淲e need to get in front of it because it is a problem in Ohio.鈥�
Vogel said the cleanup of Clermont County鈥檚 dump site is a big win for the state 鈥� and one that will make a difference for a community long plagued by the trash pile.