Illegal dumping bothers Belvedere residents

BELVEDERE ---- Peggy Baldowski has combed through other's people's trash, not to find treasures, but to have them prosecuted for illegally dumping on her property.

Mrs. Baldowski's property sits beside the old Marshall Park off Celeste Avenue in Belvedere.

Mrs. Baldowski said she's seen items ranging from a mattress to tires dumped around the park, which is less than a mile from an Aiken County recycling and solid waste site.

"We've had a big problem," she said. "You'll see them dumping trash over my fence."

Rodney Cooper, the county's solid waste supervisor, said the site has been a problem area for illegal dumping for most of his 20 years with waste management.

"It's a hard place to stake out to try and catch someone -- yet it's open," he said.

Mr. Cooper said only one man is available to patrol the county because another position is frozen. The lack of manpower makes it difficult to catch violators. The county is able to check most sites only once a month.

With only one road into the area, neighbors can be a big help in catching dumpers, Mr. Cooper said.

"If they see someone going in there with a couch or appliance in the back of their truck and they see them leave and they've got no couch or appliance, they should call us with a tag number and description," Mr. Cooper said.

Mrs. Baldowski said new neighbors have helped her keep an eye out, but most violators stay out when the gate to the park area is locked. In recent months the lock was cut.

Mr. Cooper said there are other trouble spots in the county.

Blackstone Camp Road in Beech Island and Randy Wayne Lane in Wagener have similar problems. Both of those also roads offer secluded areas.

The Belvedere site will cost around $2,000 to $2,500 to clean up, Mr. Cooper said. He's working with the state Department of Transportation to coordinate a cleanup.

The Department of Health and Environmental Control is checking into prosecuting the improper disposal of tires at the site.

Reach Julia Sellers at (706) 823-3424 or julia.sellers@augustachronicle.com